For Mental Health

Community Based Counseling

We offer a wide range of mental health services for children and families.

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About the Program

Our Community Based team provides mental health services to clients in their homes. Our clients often struggle with mental health symptoms that hinder their ability to live independent, productive lives and have the greatest need for assistance.

Our clinicians are equipped with the training and tools necessary to be active, supportive guides in the treatment process while engaging clients in learning new coping strategies, communication methods, social skills, and techniques to regulate mental health symptoms while working to support clients’ ability to live independent and productive lives. These services are designed to be intensive in nature and prevent clients from hospitalization, out of home placement, and/or contact with the criminal justice system.

Our Clients

Community Based Services programs provide mental health services to people with a full range of mental health and behavioral concerns. While most of our programs are Medicaid funded, we also work hand in hand with most local Departments of Social Services (FAPT), Community Service Boards, and the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice.

What Makes Us Different

We have the unique ability to “meet people where they are,” bringing services to our clients in their own homes. This type of counseling is especially impactful because the effects of trauma and mental health diagnoses often play out in significant ways in the home setting, affecting a person’s ability to function within families and other interpersonal relationships. Our Community Based team has clinical expertise in specialized areas of mental health care needs including:

Mental Health Skill Building Services: This service provides one-to-one assistance to adolescents ages 16 and older and adults with severe mental health diagnoses who have a history of psychiatric interventions and challenges. Our Mental Health Skill-Building clinicians function similarly to life coaches, assisting youth and adults who are living independently, or transitioning to independent living, with maintaining stability in their homes by providing training in life skills such as budgeting, managing and attending appointments, nutrition, advocating for their needs with providers and within systems, anger management, impulse control, and positive social interaction.

“Ms. Coretta and Ms. Christina have helped me be a better man. I’m thankful for their help in changing my life.”

—Andrae, Mental Health Skill Building client

Kellie Evans, LCSW, CSOTP

Director of Community Based Programs

Terry Kenworthy, MSW, Supervisee in Social Work, SOTP-Trainee

Community Based Services Program Manager

Terry is pursuing licensure as an LCSW and is in supervision for Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider (CSOTP). He holds a Bachelor of Art Degree in Psychology from Virginia Wesleyan College and a Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. Terry was a Firefighter and EMT with Norfolk Fire-Rescue for ten years and has two daughters. Terry is passionate about community-based services and strives to be a support and advocate for his clients.

All Community Based clinicians hold a minimum of a QMHP-A or QMHP-C, with the majority of clinicians being Masters’ Level Trained and license-eligible in either social work or mental health counseling. Our clinicians additionally hold specific skills, training, and certification in such areas as Trauma Informed Care, TF-CBT, hypnotherapy, Autism Spectrum Disorders, childhood trauma, eating disorders, LGBTQIA+, kinship care placements, SAY/YSB, and navigating the juvenile justice system.

Please begin New Client Registration here.

Contact Us

VIEW TEAM

Location: 1805 Airline Blvd, Portsmouth, VA 23702

Phone: (757) 337-3557

Email: communitybased@theupcenter.org

To refer yourself or a family member, please begin a New Client Registration to submit the required information.

To refer a potential client, please complete this Mental Health Skill-Building form.