River Oak is a non-profit behavioral health provider in the area of Sacramento. Aiming to aid children and youth groups struggling with ”violence, abuse, trauma, alcohol and other drug abuse, chronic illness, poverty, unemployment, homelessness, and other problems” (ROCC). River Oak offers a variety of thirteen programs to help children and teens cope with their issues and live a better life. The programs offered have been researched and proven to provide effective results. With an average of 900 program participants a day, Rive Oak serves “close to 2,000 children annually" (ROCC).

Programs Provided

• Building Blocks – A program designed for children (infants to 6yrs old) who misbehave due to emotional problems. Children receive special treatment to help substitute negative behavior patterns for more positive ones. The methods used by the program consist of “in home assessment, parent-child guidance, and play-based mental health treatment to support the child and family in their home and community” (ROCC). Caregivers also receive the opportunity to understand their child’s behavior and get informed on what role they should play as supporters.
• Early Head Start Home Visitation – This program provides home visitation services to low income families with pregnant mothers or children who are newborn and up to three years old. “The goal of the program is to improve the development of language, literacy, math, motor, and social-emotional skills in children by enhancing the parent-child relationship, providing child development information and activities, and ensuring children have their physical, dental, nutritional, and other health needs met” (ROCC). Ensuring a healthy child development, this program helps children live a fulfilling future.
• Family Resource Center – A very active center for children, parents and visitors. “Children come and go to programs or to playcare; mothers, fathers, and foster parents arrive for parenting skills groups and informative sessions; and home visitors are in and out to meet with families in the community” (ROCC).
• Family Support Services – Services for parents or caregivers who are dealing with children who have emotional and behavioral issues. Parents/guardians participate in classes and obtain effective knowledge that benefits the relationship with the child.
• FOCUS (Family Outreach Community Unity Support) – Design to change bad behavioral habits in children and teens, FOCUS allows them to non-violently express their feelings. Services can be provided at home or in schools.
• Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care – This program is helpful for children who are in out-of-home placements and cannot control their self behavior. Children suffering from traumas generate issues such as tantrums. MTFC provides special training to foster families who are responsible for the child, while aiding the child with therapeutic services. The program offers 24/7 staff availability. Biological parents of the child are also trained to comprehend and cope with the child behavior in order to accomplish the goal of unifying the family back together.
• Multisystemic Therapy – With a large amount of aggressive, violent, and disrespectful teens out there, probation is not always the solution to the problem. Multisystemic Therapy is also offered by ROCC to help these troubled teens with their daily issues. “River Oak’s MST program prevents out-of-home placements of youth 10-17 years of age by giving their caregivers the skills they need to raise a child with behavioral, social, and educational problems” (ROCC). The program offers 24/7 staff availability. Ultimately, MST helps clients gain a better family relationship as well as a better social life.
• Outpatient Mental Health Services – This program is provided to children and teens who suffer from drug abuse and depression. Being dependent on medication/drugs can cause serious family and social problems. OMHS offers “individual therapy, Functional Family Therapy, and medication management.” (ROCC)
• Professional Services – Psychological and Psychiatric Services are available for children and teens who suffer from extreme trauma and neglect. Such behaviors can cause a negative lifestyle for a child or teen. Professional Services include “psychological and psychiatric testing, treatment planning and consultation, Alta California Regional Center assessment and consultation, behavioral analysis and intervention, and medication monitoring” (ROCC).
• School-based Services - This program seeks to help unfortunate students with psychological issues, to succeed in school. River Oak collaborates with several schools in the Sacramento County. Mental health services are provided to the troubled children and teens, making their educational experience a success.
• Therapeutic Behavioral Services – Impulsive behavior often leads people to a wrong decision, ultimately resulting in danger or long term consequences. Children and teens who suffer from impulsive behavior can obtain help from River Oaks Therapeutic Behavior Services. TBS works one on one with the parents and with the child or teen to ensure a better parent to child communication. The programs offers families the skills they need to ensure that the child follows instructions on a daily bases and avoids negative effects of impulsive behavior.
• Therapeutic Preschool – “The program helps children who are at risk of being dismissed from regular preschool by providing them with mental health services to address their emotional and behavioral disorders”(ROCC).
• Wraparound – This program supports the Sacramento community by giving a hand to children who suffer from “poverty, violence, child abuse or substance abuse” and who are in danger of being “kicked out of school, removed from the home, or wind up in the juvenile justice system” (ROCC). The program accepts clients who are three to eighteen years old. “The program brings together River Oak’s mental health and social work professionals with community networks and services to support the child and family” (ROCC).

Eligibility

• Ages: newborn to 21
• Low income
• 90% of families are Medi-Cal eligible
• All clients are referred by the Sacramento County Child Access Team at 916-875-9980

Statistics

Children/teens served in 2009 - 1,774 Children/teens served daily - 950 Children/teens received outpatient services in 2009 - 500 Donations to children, teens and families in 2009’s holiday season - 4,000 Donors in 2009 - 369 Professional staff - 151 Volunteer hrs in 2009 - 675 Years operating - 44

Donations

• Online donations
• Spring for Kids
• Foundation and corporate grantmaking
• Corporate sponsorship
• Recurring donations
• Matching gifts
• In memory/In honor of gifts
• Planned giving
• Gifts of stock
• Workplace giving and United Way
• Shop amazon.com and River Oak benefits! (Recommended)
• Mail-in donation form
• In-kind donations

http://www.riveroak.org/donate.html

River Oak Locations

Administrative Offices 5445 Laurel Hills Drive Sacramento, CA 95841 916-609-5100 (phone) 916-609-5160 (fax)

River Oak North 5030 El Camino Ave. Carmichael, CA 95608 916-609-5100 (phone) 916-609-5160 (fax)

River Oak South 9412 Big Horn Blvd., Suite 6 Elk Grove, CA 95758 916-226-2800 (phone) 916-226-2804 (fax)

Family Resource Center 4322 4th Avenue Sacramento, CA 95817 916-244-5800 (phone) 916-244-5841 (fax)

Youth Development and Education Center 5445 Laurel Hills Drive Sacramento, CA 95841

Works Cited ROCC. "Programs and Services." River Oak Center for Children: Mental Health, Children at risk, troubled teens, mental health services, behavioral health, family counseling.

See also other local services & organizations.

Comments

2011-10-27 08:26:06   “This report was written for Cynthia Linville’s English 20 class at CSU Sacramento [Fall 2011].” —BrittanyAllen