Counseling Services

Asking for professional support can be a difficult decision for many, and the Youth Services staff works diligently to make youth and their families feel comfortable and respected.

Needham Youth & Family Services offers Individual, Group, and Family Counseling. In addition, we offer the short-term curriculum that are available to families in need for restorative justice, school avoidance, de-escalation, and substance use awareness.

All counseling services are provided for free and are provided in a confidential setting.

Individual and Family Counseling

Confidential individual and family counseling is available from our trained and committed staff. We accept referrals from the schools, providers, and parents. Our administrative staff will follow up to discuss our services and current availability. If for any reason we cannot be of support, we provide referrals to organizations with the resources to be of assistance.

Group Counseling

We have extensive experience in the facilitation of groups and feel that group counseling for youth offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into the process by which individuals and groups think and act. A sampling of past group topics include: conflict, decision-making, and building confidence through practicing social, communication, and relationship-building skills.

iDECIDE

iDECIDE was developed by the Center for School-Behavioral Health (CSBH) at Massachusetts General Hospital in collaboration with the Office of Youth and Young Adult Services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Institute for Health Recovery. This short-term assessment and education curriculum takes an innovative and empowering approach to the topic of drugs and alcohol. Youth participate in a set number of sessions to investigate current levels of substance use through psychoeducation and the internal and external motivations for their substance use. 

Restorative Justice

This short-term assessment, education, and skill-building curriculum is designed to explore relationships, respect, responsibility, repair, and reintegration and how they impact bullying behaviors. Youth who participate investigate their own motivation, learn about the impact of their actions and restorative justice practice, and gain awareness about the laws regarding bullying. 

School Avoidance

Our short-term school avoidance services occurs in-home and includes youth counseling and parent training to increase a child's willingness to attend school.

De-Escalation

Our short-term de-escalation services teach family members how to de-escalate a dysregulated family member and can occur in-home or at any private site.

Parenting Services

We offer a variety of support for parents and guardians through groups, workshops, and community presentations that focus on topics such as anxiety and depression, substance use, social media, suicide, and social interactions. Our clinicians have hosted support groups to provide psychoeducation and a space for parents to discuss common challenges. Community presentations have included information about suicide prevention, screen time and mental health, childhood anxiety and emotional regulation, the impacts of COVID-19, and more.

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from parents, schools, courts, providers, and youth themselves. Our administrative staff will follow up to discuss our services and current availability. If for any reason we cannot be of support, we can provide referrals to organizations with the resources to be of assistance.

For more information and/or to inquire about our counseling services, please email needhamyouth@needhamma.gov or call 781-455-7500.