Our mental health services promote successful functioning at home, at school and in the community. We work in partnership with parents and guardians to provide children and adolescents with high quality, comprehensive services in a safe, therapeutic environment. Our team of licensed mental health professionals are specially trained to help process issues related to relationships, communication, behavior, and other mental health topics.
Counseling & Therapy is:
What you say in a session with your therapist is completely confidential except for disclosure required or permitted by law. We are bound to that by professional ethics and by Wyoming State Statute. See complete details of our HIPAA privacy practices here.
Every client background, experience, and need is different. We meet you where you are.
If you put in the effort with your therapist, you can make progress together. We work with you towards change, but we cannot do it alone.
Therapy is not a quick fix, it takes time.
Life’s challenges, ups and downs mean many, many people need therapy at some point in their life. Like going to medical therapy, counseling is a way to take care of yourself and to be your best self.
Common Questions for Parents
How can therapy help my child?
You and your child can receive several benefits from participating in therapy. Therapy can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies to help your child with issues such as behavioral and emotional problems, transition, loss, trauma, depression, and anxiety. Family therapy can help parents cope with the stress of parenting, giving you the tools to respond to your child in the most helpful way possible.
The benefits you and your child obtain from therapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn. Some of the benefits include:
Do we really need therapy? My child seems well adjusted to things.
Every family faces challenges they may need support for. Sometimes these challenges can be overwhelming, even for good kids who have successfully navigated through difficulties in the past. If you find yourself thinking you just don’t know what to do or how to help your child, then it may be time to ask for help. This is a big step but it takes a village to raise a healthy child and sometimes the village includes a professional counselor.
What is play therapy?
Play therapy is a widely accepted and very effective approach to helping children with behavioral and emotional difficulties. Children have limited ability to communicate with words but they communicate volumes through their play. This way of communicating is natural and comfortable for children. Play therapists use play to help young children explore and cope with difficult feelings and work through their struggles.
What about confidentiality?
Confidentiality is one of the most important components of the therapy relationship. Even children need a place where they can share their thoughts and feelings without others knowing. Our therapists do not tell anyone else what you or your child talk about in sessions or that you or your child attends therapy. As a parent, you have a right to information about your child’s treatment so we will give you general updates on your child’s progress. We can also work with you on helpful ways to respond to your child, and we may ask you to help your child practice at home things s/he learns in therapy. Sometimes you may want us to share information or give an update to someone else such as a doctor, teacher or insurance carrier.
We do want children to maintain some privacy, even from parents, in a trusting relationship with another adult. However, we expect parents to participate in family therapy and we are obligated to share with parents issues that are potentially harmful or that parents feel compelled to know. This is part of treatment planning.
Please note: State law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:
What about medication?
It is well established that the long-term solution to mental and emotional problems and the pain they cause cannot be solved solely by medication. Therapy is a great place to start in addressing behavioral and emotional issues, especially in children. In many cases, therapy is very effective and no further treatment is needed. However, there are times when therapy alone is not sufficient. In these cases, adding medication to the treatment plan can be very helpful.
Do you take insurance?
To determine if you have mental health coverage through your insurance carrier, the first thing you should do is call them. Check your coverage carefully and make sure you understand their answers. Some helpful questions you can ask them:
Our Methods & Standards
JHCCC therapists are trained in a variety of nationally-renowned therapies approved by the National Alliance on Mental Health. Depending on a family’s situation and a child’s path to mental wellness, a therapist may suggest one of the following:
Treatment in a group setting for peers who share similar issues.
Consultation with a professional about your child’s treatment and other family concerns.
Both individual and group therapy in cooperation with TCSD.
Participatory activities help your child or teen learn safe, age-appropriate ways to relate to peers, manage feelings, and build self-confidence.
Using play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.
A short-term, structured, problem-focused approach to the treatment of conduct problems, associations with antisocial peers, early drug use and the accompanying maladaptive family interactions (relations).
Other Client and Community Services
Our Case Workers and Primary Therapists meet your child’s social, practical and medical needs through coordination and networking with other organizations.
We provide emergency mental health response to the community 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, whether on site during regular business hours or by telephone outside of the work week. Crisis services are available at St. John’s Medical Center as well.
Our Case Workers and Primary Therapists meet your child’s social, practical and medical needs through coordination and networking with other organizations.
Programs in a therapeutic setting devoted to building relationships, understanding feelings, and developing age-appropriate behavior skills which build confidence and promote self-esteem.