Children's Counseling

We offer mental health counseling for Medicaid-eligible children ages birth to 18. We provide counseling in the home and at school; when necessary, we also provide family therapy.

If your child would benefit from mental health counseling, please complete our referral form and mail it to:

Children's Home Society of Florida, Emerald Coast Division
Attn: Children's Mental Health Counseling
914 Harrison Ave.
Panama City, FL 32401

You may also fax it to our office at (850) 872-7345

Counseling services available:

Children’s Mental Health Services
Infant Mental Health (Birth to age 5)
In-Depth Mental Health Assessments
Bonding Assessments
Targeted Case Management
Common Sense Parenting® Class
Coping Skills and Anger Management for Daily Living Class

CHS counselors are master’s-level Trauma Informed Counselors.
Access to psychiatric services is also available.

Children’s Mental Health Services:
CHS offers counseling services for Medicaid-eligible children between the ages of 4 and 18. Services are provided in the home and at school and, if necessary, family therapy is part of the treatment plan. Our intake coordinator will determine what service, if any, is most appropriate when seeing a child. If you are unsure of whether or not the child needs counseling, please refer him/her for an in-depth assessment, and the intake coordinator will decide what services are appropriate. Please list specific behaviors that are of concern on all referrals.

Infant Mental Health Services (Birth to age 5):
CHS’ infant mental health program serves Medicaid-eligible children from birth to age 5. Please refer children ages birth to 4 who are presenting symptoms such as: excessive aggression, excessive tantrums, impulsivity or are very overactive. You can make a referral on a child who shows very little emotion, or is extremely fearful, fussy, sad, or clingy. Children who have sleep or language problems or who are unable to perform normal developmental tasks can also be referred for services. Referrals are appropriate for children who have been identified through a CBHA as needing services. We provide counseling to the parent-child dyad that has been reunified, especially if the removal happened when the child was an infant and the reunification is happening when the child is older.

In-Depth Mental Health Assessments:
A referral for this service can be made when there is a need to determine if the adults involved in the case require further assessment and if recommendations for treatments or interventions are necessary. An approved Purchase of Service (POS) must accompany the referral. Provide a copy of any additional paperwork to assist the provider in making a complete assessment.

Bonding Assessments:
A referral for this service can be made when there is a need to assess the relationship between a parent(s) and child(ren). An approved Purchase of Service (POS) must accompany the referral. If requesting an assessment on more than one parent, separate referrals and POSs must be completed. If requesting an assessment between a parent and each individual child, separate referrals and POSs may be required. Provide a copy of any additional paperwork to assist the provider in making a complete assessment.

Targeted Case Management:
Targeted Case Managers develop and maintain a coordinated plan of care for children who have serious mental health problems that require the support of multiple agencies and multiple mental health services. Targeted Case Managers’ goals are to optimize the child’s development, strengthen the family’s competence and maximize available resources. This service can only be provided to children who are currently receiving counseling services. If a referral is made for counseling, an assessment will also be made at the time of the intake to determine if the child is eligible for targeted case management.

Common Sense Parenting Class:
This is a six-session parenting program that provides parents with practical and effective techniques to address their children’s behavior. Girls and Boys Town’s Common Sense Parenting, a research-driven, skill-based training model, teaches parents skills to help them encourage their children’s positive behaviors, discourage negative behaviors, and teach alternatives to problem behavior. Participants pay $10 each or $15 a couple for each class, due at time of class. The classes are held one evening per week for six weeks and the length of each class is 1 – 1½ hours. Participants must complete each individual class and have paid all fees in order to receive a certificate of completion. Purchase of Service (POS) funds are accepted for this class if clients are unable to pay for the class themselves.

Coping Skills and Anger Management for Daily Living Class:
This is a 12-session coping skills and anger management program designed to help people understand what causes their anger and the problems that can result if they are unable to control it and to teach them coping skills to help them manage their reactions to life's problems. This program will also help them learn ways to manage and express their anger. The cost is $10 per class and $15 if a couple participates at the same time, due at the time of class. The classes are held one evening per week for 12 weeks and the length of each class is 1 – 1½ hours. Participants must complete each individual class and have paid all fees in order to receive a certificate of completion. Purchase of Service (POS) funds are accepted for this class if clients are unable to pay for the class themselves.