Treatment Foster Care
THE OESTERLEN TRADITION
Oesterlen Services For Youth, Inc. began serving children and families in 1903. Today the agency is respected statewide for its high quality emotional and behavioral health services. Oesterlen has a broad array of services ranging from Secure Residential placement to Treatment Foster Care and Transitional Living programs to Service Coordination to traditional Outpatient Counseling and Psychiatric Consultation services.
As an affiliated agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Oesterlen’s mission is to provide mental health help and healing for children, youth, adults and families. We welcome inquiry about our programs and client referrals from educators, child protection agencies, juvenile courts, mental health professionals, pastors, families, and others. Oesterlen offers its services regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin or handicap (unless specific treatment programming dictates otherwise).
OESTERLEN’S TREATMENT FOSTER CARE SERVICES
Oesterlen’s Treatment Foster Care Program recruits family and treatment level foster care providers in the local community and surrounding areas who are then trained to provide safe, supportive home placements for children and youth with significant mental, emotional and behavioral treatment needs.
Treatment Foster Caregivers work in close coordination with our Foster Care Case Management and Counseling staff to provide a safe, structured and healing environment.
TRANSITIONAL LIVING
The Transitional Living Program provides youth who are transitioning into adulthood with support services and life skills training. Housing could be provided in apartments, whether on the Oesterlen campus or out in the community. Traditionally, the majority of Oesterlen’s Transitional Living clients have been Oesterlen Residential or Foster Care clients who are transitioning into adulthood in the care of a custodial agency.
OESTERLEN’S BROOKER COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER
Oesterlen’s Brooker Community Counseling Center provides counseling to youth, adults and families. Our Counseling Center has a staff of fully licensed clinicians with a wide range of expertise in mental health issues.
Particular areas of staff expertise include trauma-informed treatment, attention deficit disorders, childhood and adolescent behavior disorders, post traumatic stress disorders including treatment for sexual abuse survivors, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, juvenile sexually abusive behaviors treatment, social skills enhancement, parenting skill enhancement, and working with individuals with cognitive disabilities.
Oesterlen’s Treatment Team of Case Managers are on call 24-7 to help foster caregivers deal with problems, create new interventions, access needed resources and brainstorm creative solutions. Foster Care youth are offered Independent Living Skills classes, Lifebook Groups, and other group activities throughout the year.
Our Treatment Foster Caregivers receive a minimum of 36 hours of ongoing training annually to support them in meeting their foster youth’s needs. Our Foster Caregivers are trained to play an active role in providing treatment interventions for foster children and youth placed in their home.
Oesterlen embraces a Trauma Informed Awareness, Care and Sensitivity approach when working with foster children. Trauma Informed Care (TIC) recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role trauma may play in a foster child’s life. Trauma Informed Care shifts the focus from “what’s wrong with this person” to “what happened to this person.” This approach helps provide an
environment of safety, trust, and empowerment as well as other principles. The majority of the trainings provided by Oesterlen have a TIC component so foster caregivers and staff are constantly learning and honing their TIC skills.
Oesterlen’s Treatment Foster Care Program works closely with referring Children Services Agencies and Juvenile Courts to develop reunification plans when reunification is the referring agency’s goal. Oesterlen’s Foster Caregivers receive extensive training in working with birth families and the program is committed to supporting reunification for all foster children and youth for whom their custodial agencies define reunification as being in the child or youth’s best interest. Oesterlen’s Foster Care Case Managers and Counselors work with Foster Caregivers to provide a seamless system of supports for foster children and youth and their birth families when working a reunification plan.
Services available through the Brooker Community Counseling Center include:
· Individual Counseling
· Family Counseling
· Couple’s Counseling
· Group Counseling
· Psychiatric Consultation Services
· Infant/Toddler Mental Health Services
· Juvenile Sexually Abusive Behaviors Treatment
· Youth Substance Abuse Program
OESTERLEN’S AGENCY CREDENTIALS
Oesterlen’s mission is to provide help and healing for children, adults and families. Oesterlen offers its services regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin or handicap (unless specific treatment programming dictates otherwise).
Oesterlen is licensed and/or certified by the Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services, Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services, Ohio Dept. of Developmental Disabilities, and Ohio Dept. of Youth Services. Oesterlen is accredited by the Council On Accreditation (COA).
Oesterlen is a full member of the Ohio Children’s Alliance and Lutheran Services in America. Oesterlen is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); and the Southern, Northeastern and Northwestern Ohio Synods of the ELCA.
HOW TO REFER
Referrals can be made to Oesterlen’s Treatment Foster Care Program by calling
Foster Care Recruiting Specialist at
937-398-0212
or
Treatment Foster Care Administrative Assistant at
937-399-6101
Initial information can also be submitted by
Fax: 937-399-6609 Email: intake@oesterlen.org
Online: www.oesterlen.org