CLINICAL & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey provides Clinical and Behavioral Health Services to children and families.  With the guidance of a team of expert specialists with years of experience meeting the needs of at risk children and families, countless lives are improved and families are empowered to stay together.

The team includes:

  • Licensed Clinical Social Workers
  • Licensed Professional Counselors
  • Experts in Child Care and Child Growth and Development

Clinical & Behavioral Programs

CHSofNJ’s Childhood Separation and Loss counseling helps children, foster children or privately referred children work though issues of separation as a result of transitioning from one home to another, illness, death, violence or other loss. It helps children understand reasons for the separation and cope with it, improve behaviors and look to the future. This program aids children in Foster, Kinship and Birth homes. There are two goals that drive the program:

  •  Provide intensive, short-term, goal-directed counseling to school-age children in DCF foster care to resolve grief, separation and loss issues
  •  Keep the child’s placement stable.

Craig Hutton
Tel (609) 695-6274 Ext. 173
Email: chutton@chsofnj.org

Dolores IJames Bryant
Tel: (609) 695-6274 Ext. 153
Email: dbryant@chsofnj.org

Family and Children Enhancing Emotional Success (FACES) provides clinical counseling interventions for children, who live in Mercer County and are not receiving other counseling services. FACES treatment interventions include individual counseling, parent-child counseling and parent-child therapy groups for pre-school aged children. Clinical services help children have successful social and emotional development and support their achievement in school.

FACES provides support for the parents of children receiving FACES services. This strengthens families by increasing stability and helping families learn new strategies for helping their child obtain improved behaviors, while enhancing the child’s self-esteem. Referrals can be made by DCPP through PerformCare. If our services are not appropriate, we will assist the family in finding an appropriate agency.

FACES services are confidential. FACES services can be accessed through us, through the Department of Children and Families under contracts with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, and through the Children’s System of Care. To request an evaluation through the Children’s System of Care (formerly the Division of Child Behavioral Health Services), please call Perform Care, (877)-652-7624. Children between the ages of 5 and 21 can be eligible for behavioral health services through the Children’s System of Care. FACES can provide some of these services. Services are provided in the community or at The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey.

Craig Hutton
Tel (609) 695-6274 Ext. 173
Email: chutton@chsofnj.org

Dolores IJames Bryant
Tel: (609) 695-6274 Ext. 171
Email: dbryant@chsofnj.org

The Intensive Services Program (ISP) is a therapeutic treatment program for parents who have had their children removed from their care as a result of abuse, neglect, sexual abuse or abandonment. The program provides individual and couples counseling, therapeutic parenting group, and supervised therapeutic visitation. The purpose of the Intensive Services Program is to assist DCPP in make the earliest, most appropriate permanent plans for children in placement, avoiding the harmful effects of unplanned long- term foster-care. The primary goal of the program is to use counseling and group work as a way to educate and rehabilitate abusive or neglectful families so that family reunification can take place.

For more information, contact:

Joe Zdeb.
Phone: (732)-674-2859
Email: jzdeb@chsofnj.org )

To participate in this program, parents must be referred to our agency by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families’ Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

The Ocean Therapeutic Visitation Program (OTV) is contracted with the Department of Child Protection and Permanency Ocean County Offices.The primary goal of the Ocean Therapeutic Visitation Program is to achieve improved parent-child interaction, assisting children deal with the separation from their birth families, help the children understand why they are in placement and that they are not responsible for this separation. Therapeutic Visitation allows the CHS of NJ clinician to observe and assess many aspects of family functioning. It is a forum for our clinician to model appropriate parenting as well as providing a safe and therapeutic environment for children and allow parents to process grief and loss. The clinician educates the birth families about age appropriate limit setting for their child and appropriate responses to their children’s behaviors. The clinican is able to coach the birth parents with interventions, assist them in positively engaging with their children and review and discuss any problematic behaviors that may arise.

It also allows the clinician to assist the birth parents with any difficult questions that may arise during visitation, such as “Why am I not living with you?” etc. Overall, the family has clear input into developing their plan and their goals.

1433 Hooper Ave; Suite 340 Toms River, NJ 08753
Tel (732)-557-9633 Ext. 163 Joe Zdeb, LCSW

The Ocean Reunification Program (ORP) is contracted with the Department of Child Protection and Permanency Ocean County Offices.The Ocean Reunification Program seeks to bridge together birth families, foster families, and children in foster care to ensure that reunification is successful and that children are returned to a safe and stable environment. ORP services integrate: parent-child therapeutic visitation; individual, couples, and family counseling with birth parents and/or family members; supportive counseling and outreach to children and foster parents; and weekly therapeutic parenting groups. The Primary goal is to achieve successful reunification within 3-6 months. Additional goals include supporting permanency plan for children in out of home placements

  •   On-going family engagement through individual and/or couples counseling, therapeutic visitation, and parenting group.
  •   Provide strength-based, family driven case plans using therapeutic visitation to support a modeling, hands-on approach in order to enhance parent       child interaction
  •   Provide after-care to ensure safety and stability of reunification1433 Hooper Ave; Suite 340 Toms River, NJ 08753
    Tel (732)-557-9633 Ext. 163 Joe Zdeb, LCSWHours of operation:
    9:00am-5:00pm
    Please send completed referral packets via Fax (732)-557-5078
Pre and Post Adoption/KLG Counseling Services (PACS)

Pre and Post /KLG Counseling Services (PACS) are available to any family that resides in Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth or Ocean County and has adopted a child, currently working with DCP&P with a goal of adopting a child, or have finalized Kinship Legal Guardianship through DCP&P. Children must be between the ages of 3-21. Although the majority of adopted children adjust well to their adoptive status, there are a considerable number of children and families that face challenges that are unique to the adoption or KLG experience. Services include individual counseling for the child, family counseling, and parent education. These services focus on improving the attachment and bond as well as exploring thoughts and feelings regarding the adoption or KLG. Parent education services focus on understanding the adoption throughout the child’s lifespan as well as interventions for parenting a child who has experienced trauma.

Contact: Nicole Coburger
Phone: 609-695-6274 x 159

Being a victim of a violent crime can evoke many different emotions and affect your daily life. Everyone responds differently to trauma. While some children are able to recover within a few months, for many the psychological effects may be long term. People suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) often experience persistent nightmares or “flashbacks” or feel numb and may have difficulty responding to normal or average life situations. They may become depressed, have angry outbursts, or have difficulty sleeping. Those children affected directly by the crime are not the only ones at risk – these events typically effect the entire family. Family members of the victim are often in need of counseling and support as well.

How We Can Help You

The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey is able to offer free confidential counseling to adults and children in our Mercer and Ocean County offices. Eligible victims must be referred by the Victims of Crime Compensation Office prior to beginning treatment. Our licensed and trained clinicians are experienced with trauma counseling and are here for you.

Services can be accessed through us, through the Department of Children and Families under contracts
with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP), and through Womanspace.

Craig Hutton
Tel (609) 695-6274 Ext. 173
Email: chutton@chsofnj.org

Dolores IJames Bryant
Tel: (609) 695-6274 Ext. 171
Email: dbryant@chsofnj.org