Individual and Family Counseling Services
The Up Center offers counseling to every age and socioeconomic background, including:
- Individual and family counseling
- Anger management groups for teens and adults
- Play therapy for younger children
- Marriage counseling
- Counseling for school behavior problems
The Up Center can provide Parenting Capacity Assessments and Psychological Assessments if needed. Fees for services are based on income and family size. We accept selected insurance plans. Evening hours are available.
Play Therapy
Play therapy is a specialty in the counseling field that gives children an opportunity to “play out” feelings and problems while distancing themselves from difficult or traumatic experiences or events. The therapist guides therapeutic play activities, which allow children to re-enact situations symbolically through play, and then change the outcome to make it more manageable in reality. Through play, therapists help children learn adaptive behaviors and begin to heal.
At-Risk Youth Counseling
For children and adolescents at-risk of being removed from their homes and for those transitioning back to their homes, The Up Center provides in-home and community based counseling to:
- Court-involved adolescents
- Children with mental health issues
- Kids with extreme behavior problems
- Youth abusing drugs or alcohol
Working in collaboration with the courts, schools, social services and other private providers, our In-Home clinical staff uses a holistic approach to counsel the entire family.
For youths with a history of sexually aggressive behavior, The Up Center offers the SAY program to create a healthy lifestyle while helping to prevent relapse and maintain community safety.
For less intensive support, The Up Center’s Behavior Aides mentor children and adolescents to develop skills such as problem solving, conflict resolution, anger management, and peer interaction.
Autism Support
The Up Center is now offering screenings for children with behavioral concerns and consultations for children with known developmental disorders. Coming in January, The Up Center also will be launching support groups for families of children on the autistic spectrum. Details about all these services are below:
Screenings are available for children or adolescents with chronic behavioral difficulties including poor socialization, impulse control and/or anger management in the home and/or school, which has not been responsive to current treatment programs or services. Clinical assessment is conducted using evidenced based and clinically validated tools such as the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Please call Katie Efird at 757-965-8652 to schedule a screening.
Therapeutic Consultations are provided to families or service providers of individuals with known developmental disabilities to assist them in creating a comprehensive plan of care. Please call Katie Efird at 757-965-8652 to schedule a consultation.
Beginning January 2009, The Up Center is pleased to introduce two groups designed specifically to provide support to youth on the autism spectrum and their families. Two groups will run concurrently: one for parents and the other for their children. These concurrent sessions will ensure that the whole family is supported, while eliminating the need for multiple scheduled appointments, child care and additional travel time. The groups will run approximately 10 weeks for about 90 minutes.
The Social, Emotional, Educational Development (SEED) Group for Kids include topics such as: Friendship Skills, Dealing With Feelings, Alternatives To Aggression and Classroom Survival Skills
The SEED Parent Group topics include: Behavior Management Strategies, IEP Advocacy, Autism and Nutrition, Supporting Siblings, Parent Self Care & Respite and more!
For more information or to register, please contact Katie Efird at (757) 965-8652.
Group Therapy
The Up Center offers several therapy groups that meet to work through specific problems. The groups provide a place for adults to openly talk about concerns with an understanding group of peers. The sessions currently available are:
- Seeking Safety – a group designed for adults who have experienced trauma.
- Adults Molested As Children (AMAC) – a group for those who were sexually abused in childhood and who struggle with managing the consequences in their adult lives and relationships.
- Men’s Work - an ongoing therapy group that addresses a wide array of concerns and stressors for men
The Up Center also provides educational groups, including Batterer Intervention and Anger Management. More information is available on our Family Crisis Intervention page. .
Employee Assistance Program
The Up Center provides EAP services on a contract basis. Please click here for more information.
Community Crisis Management
Our Critical Stress Debriefing Services are provided to companies or organizations when tragedy strikes. Experts experienced in handling trauma counsel victims following crimes, ranging from bank robberies to homicide. We also offer assistance after natural catastrophes. This particular service has been expanding in scope since the tornadoes in Suffolk, allowing us to quickly offer crucial services in the wake of tragedy.
