Clinical Services:

 All therapeutic services delivered by the organizations clinical staff are overseen by a psychiatrist who, by contractual agreement, maintains their primary place of business at FCSA's main office in Fairbanks, Alaska. The clinical department within FCSA is overseen by the Director of Clinical Services who is responsible to assure that all treatment services are delivered in a quality manner and in accordance with nationally recognized best practices of the mental health and substance abuse treatment professions. In addition, the Clinical Director assures that all clinical staff receive regular and consistent training and professional enhancement opportunities. This helps assure the professional growth of the staff, consistency in treatment across all programs, and that sufficient support is provided to staff just entering the profession.

The staff of the Clinical Department provide clinical services to clients enrolled in an FCSA program and to the general public who are Medicaid eligible, have private insurance, or on a fee for service basis. For low income families that may not be Medicaid eligible FCSA has in place a sliding fee scale to assist them in being able to access needed services. FCSA is primarily a provider of services to children and admission into programs is exclusively for children, however, to help improve the health of families FCSA clinical services are available to both children and adults.

FCSA provides the following clinical services:

• Mental Health Assessments

• Substance Abuse Assessments

• Substance Abuse Risk Assessments

• Threat Assessments

• Outpatient Mental Health Counseling

• Outpatient Substance Abuse Counseling

• Family Counseling for Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Clinical Services Application

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Contact Information:

Ligia Novcaski, Director of Clinical Services

Telephone: (907) 474-0890

FAX: (907) 451-8945

Suszan Dale, Director of Behavioral Health Services

Telephone: (907) 474-0890

FAX: (907) 374-2751

Alternatives to Out of State Placement (ATOP):

The ATOP program provides individualized mental health services for children and young adults diagnosed as severely emotionally disturbed who are at high risk of out-of-state placement in psychiatric facilities or are returning from out-of-state institutionalization. Client’s receiving ATOP services are typically between the ages of eight and eighteen and in need of intensive treatment and support. In addition, a substantial portion of the population is involved with Division of Juvenile Justice, Office of Children Services and residential or foster home placement. ATOP’s overarching goal is to improve the quality of life for client’s and their families through promoting mental health.

The goal of the ATOP program is to be proactive, providing a wrap-around service approach, encouraging natural supports, family and community members as well as involved professionals to form a treatment team to develop relevant goals for the client and assist in their attainment. Service plans and goal progress are reviewed by the treatment team quarterly to assure that the services are effectively addressing the client’s needs. ATOP staff are dedicated to developing sustainable skills and work collaboratively with the schools, state and local agencies and the community to ensure client success.

Upon determination of a client’s specific strengths, needs and challenges, an individualized service plan is compiled so that the client and their family receive the services best suited for them. Individual, group and family skills development, as well as case management services are provided by fully engaged coordinators and youth counselors and are available to each client. Individual and family therapy services are provided by in-house clinicians and an on-site psychiatrist is also available. Actual services received by each client vary in content and quantity as determined by the family’s wants and needs.

        ATOP Program Application

Contact Information:

 Suszan Dale, Director of Behavioral Health Services

Telephone: (907) 474-0890

FAX: (907) 374-2751

 Residential Diagnostic Treatment Facility (RDT):

The RDT is the only facility of its kind in the Fairbanks area, providing quality residential and therapeutic services to severely emotionally disturbed children and youth. This nine (9) bed facility is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and is one of only two such accredited facilities in the State. The RDT provides comprehensive mental health and behavioral services to male and female residents, 10-17 years of age who are at high risk of out-of-state placement. Residents are considered to be in imminent need of institutional placement in a mental health facility in order to stabilize severely emotionally disturbed behaviors. The RDT is a staff-secured, Level IV, treatment center with the capacity for nine residents in which four beds are reserved for children in state’s custody and the remaining five beds are available for community referrals.

The RDT program is based on a cognitive behavioral model which is applied in individual, group and milieu settings. RDT personnel strive to provide children with multiple needs a safe and nurturing environment to facilitate behavioral and mental health progress, enabling them to successfully transition back into their own home, foster care or other less-restrictive environment. The RDT staff work collaboratively, participating in each step of the stabilization process, including hands on therapists and coordinators. Families and natural supports are also encouraged to and typically participate in therapy and treatment to ensure that the skills developed within the RDT transfer into their personal lives. Children also attend school on-site with a certified teacher and aides so that their education and academics are not adversely effected while tending to their mental health needs.

RDT Application

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Contact Information:

Bernice Beddoe, Program Director

Telephone: (907) 456-7010

FAX: (907) 456-7017

Suszan Dale, Director of Behavioral Health Services

Telephone: (907) 474-0890

FAX: (907) 374-2751

 Youth Education Support Services (YESS):

YESS is an innovative day treatment program, dedicated to promoting academic and mental health success for severely emotionally disturbed children and youth in partnership with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. YESS operates an unparalleled elementary and secondary school that each run on the school district’s calendar. YESS also runs a dynamic Summer Skills Development (SSD) program for younger students and a first-rate Work Study program for youth ages fourteen and older during summer break.

The YESS schools are committed to educating the student as a whole person, accounting for who they are as an individual to foster success academically and beyond. YESS boasts an excellent student-teacher ratio that allows for necessary one-on-one attention not available to children and youth with high need levels in traditional educational institutions. By assisting students to work on behavioral goals and academic assignments, they are better equipped to return to and be successful in a less restrictive school environment. Alternatively, older students who have not been successful elsewhere work on their studies in an effort to graduate from high school and prepare themselves for life after public school.

YESS is proud to provide students with exciting and adventurous opportunities in which to foster personal growth that children in FCSA services would not typically be exposed to.

Summer Skills Development staff work with the younger students during the summer months to develop, practice and maintain social and life skills requisite to healthy academic, familial and peer relationships. The SSD program is progressively designed to help children maintain contact with a school-like setting during summer vacations while addressing behavioral goals and developing skills for a successful return to school. The daily activities are fun and engaging and each day presents new and exciting adventures both indoors and outdoors. Participation is voluntary and each child chooses the activities they wish to participate in from a pre-published calendar of activities, field trips, and events.

The Work Study Skills program strives to instill sound work ethic and solid vocational skills for young adults by providing them with an opportunity to work in a paid position complete with benefits and responsibilities. Being successful at a job has proven very therapeutic for student workers, providing them with a positive employment experience while boosting their self esteem and resume. Additionally, students who choose to complete the necessary coursework can earn one high school credit. This comprehensive program runs for a ten week period during the summer and has been so successful with students that there is typically a wait list for participants.

          YESS Program Application

Contact Information:

Bruce Carr, Director Education Services

Telephone: (907) 452-2109

FAX: (907) 456-5184

Isaac Green, Lead Teacher (YESS Secondary)

Telephone: (907) 374-1844

FAX: (907) 347-1877

Benjamin Shoemaker, Lead Teacher (YESS Elementary)

Telephone: (907) 374-1844

FAX: (907) 347-1877

 FCSA offers mental health rehabilitation services for children in the Delta Junction area. Delta Junction is located approximately 100 miles south-east of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway. These intervention services are delivered in conjunction with other public and private agencies in the community. The program goal is to target behaviors that if left unchecked will most often lead to the development of significant and long-term mental illness.  The primary intervention methods used are to reinforce the youth’s natural resiliency skills, provide support and training to the child’s family, and make available positive activities designed for the youth’s abilities.

Delta Services Program Application

Charles A. Kovalenko, Director of Delta Services

Telephone:  (907) 895-5083 or (907) 869-3210

Fax:  (907) 869-3215

 Therapeutic Family Home (TFH):

FCSA 's Therapeutic Family Homes provide quality residential care to male and female youth ages 6-18 that are experiencing mental health and behavioral issues and are at imminent risk of psychiatric placement outside of their community. The family atmosphere of the homes help children avoid the stigmatization that often accompanies youth living in an institutional setting. The homes are supervised by dedicated live-in parents who provide unconditional therapeutic care and supervision for up to five youth per home. FCSA currently operates one boy’s home, one girl’s home, one boy’s home for dual diagnosed youth, one pre-teen home, and one home for older adolescents and is in the process of building additional homes to fulfill Alaska’s current and increasing demand for therapeutic residential services.

The TFH program uniquely addresses the needs of Alaskan youth by providing services far beyond mere residential placement, including an extensive array of individualized services, empowering residents with the skills necessary to successfully transition into a less restrictive environment. TFH embodies FCSA’s wrap-around service philosophy, offering clinical, psychiatric and rehabilitation services on-site and within the community. TFH staff facilitates the creation of a treatment team composed of family, natural support, educational, professional and community members who develop an individualized service plan (ISP) that serves as the foundation for establishing relevant goals. Based on the child and family’s strengths, values, culture, service modality preferences, needs and concerns as set forth in the ISP, clients receive appropriate individual group and family skill development and therapy services. TFH is also committed to ensuring that each child’s academic needs are adequately addressed and as such, team members provide support and actively participate in the entire education process, including after school support, tutoring and guidance. Residents are also encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities of interest to them.

See photos of TFH below contact information.

Contact Information:

 Suszan Dale, Director of Behavioral Health Services

Telephone: (907) 474-0890

FAX: (907) 374-2751

TFH Home Building Video

(4.2 MB) 

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