Referrals & Services
As an outpatient mental health facility we are able to offer a range of mental health services including psychiatric evaluations, psychological assessments, individual and family therapy, and parenting classes. However, we are not an emergency facility and therefore do not offer that type of immediate counseling or psychiatric care. Families who have children with long term psychiatric needs such as those suffering from childhood schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, eating disorders, or have a primary substance abuse diagnosis can best be served by facilities who have access to emergency and psychiatric care around the clock. These cases should be referred to Austin Travis County Mental Health Mental Retardation at 512-447-4141.
In most cases children and families are referred to us to begin individual and family therapy. We do an initial evaluation utilizing a brief solution focused approach. Our experience indicates that about one third of our families will be here for four sessions or less, but many families also will continue in treatment and there is not a specific limitation on the time a family can be in treatment. We also utilize many treatment models in our work with families including cognitive behavioral, family systems, and solution-focuses approaches.
Additional Information
Although we offer psychiatric evaluations, this service is only available to those children who are already in individual or family counseling at Austin Child Guidance Center. Our psychiatrist is available only 10 hours a week and thus we must reserve that time for children already in service who may require that service and who may be able to benefit from medication. However, if a child receives medication through our agency they may only receive it so long as the child and family continue in therapy. Following the therapy and if the child still requires medication we will direct the child or family to their primary care physician.
We also offer psychological assessments for children. Our priority is for those children who are already a client at Austin Child Guidance Center. However, if you are a professional and making a specific referral for a psychological assessment to be completed, we ask that you first call us and talk with an intake worker to see whether we would have the current capacity to perform these. We do not perform psychological evaluations related to custody disputes or court ordered assessments for the general public.
Our parenting classes, which begin in September and February (and are sometimes offered in the summer), are open to all parents and thus they do not need to have a child in service.
Our ADHD class is set up for parents of children with ADHD 12 years and younger; the cost is $80 (per individual or couple) for the entire series of 8 sessions.
Training
ACGC is offering trainings for the mental health care community on a variety of topics. Your registration fee covers materials and CEU’s. Check this page often to see what trainings are upcoming, and register under the Events page.
Trauma Consortium
The Trauma-Informed Care Consortium of Central Texas (TICC) was established in 2013 through the generous support of St. David’s Foundation. TICC, led by Austin Child Guidance Center, brings together professional organizations throughout Central Texas to address the trauma needs of children and families. The goals of TICC include developing trauma screening standards for trauma that can be utilized across organizations as well as provide trauma training to professionals and parents in our community.
TICC is made up of a variety of professionals and organizations in Central Texas that work with children – mental health clinicians, school personnel, medical/nursing professionals, occupational/physical therapists, law enforcement, and juvenile justice professionals.
The consortium meets quarterly to share information, provides trauma trainings, as well as published a trauma-informed newsletter. TICC maintains a website for parents and professionals to access services and trauma training. TICC also spearheads the Trauma-Informed Organizational Readiness Survey to assess organizational change in our community in terms of trauma screening, the provision of evidence-based trauma treatments, and protections against secondary trauma. TICC also presents The Cross-Discipline Trauma Conference of Central Texas.
