Family and Children’s Association (FCA) Review
For over 130 years, Family and Children’s Association (FCA) has worked to support the community of Long Island, New York, by providing a myriad of social services, including (but not limited to) education, life skills, teaching healthy family strategies and outreach for the homeless. In addition, for the last 30 of those years, Family and Children’s Association has been offering outpatient counseling services for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders to the residents of Nassau County and surrounding areas.
Treatment and Staff
Family and Children’s Association’s outpatient treatment program has two locations, in Hempstead and Hicksville, offering individual therapy, group therapy and family treatment for adults and adolescents struggling with substance abuse. The Hempstead facility is a single story brick building resembling a country library from the outside; inside, there is a comfortable lobby and a receptionist. All educational groups are conducted in a classroom setting while groups and individual sessions are held in a more comfortable environment with sofas and cushioned chairs. The Hicksville facility is a new, three-story structure with plenty of windows streaming lots of natural light. The lobby is bright and welcoming as are the classrooms and therapy rooms.
The first step in treatment at FCA is an assessment, conducted by a licensed substance abuse counselor. Potential clients in need of detox or residential treatment services are referred out to the appropriate resources. Counselors work with clients to devise a specific plan of action that best serves their needs, based on the outcome of their initial evaluation. With that in mind, the specific groups each client attends may vary, but the primary treatment modality is CBT; group session topics include relapse prevention, psychoeducational workshops, family dynamics, gender-specific groups, meditation, goals groups, peer pressure, anxiety and depression and stress reduction techniques. When it’s appropriate, there are also groups for couples, parenting, trauma and co-occurring disorders. Clients with co-occurring disorders also see the staff psychiatrist for medication management. All group and individual sessions at FCA are an hour.
The most structured treatment level is the intensive outpatient program (IOP). Treatment usually lasts 16 weeks and clients meet four times a week for two hours. Most of this time is spent in group, but one hour a week is set aside for individual therapy. The next step-down in treatment is the outpatient level. These clients meet once or twice a week for two hours, for a duration of eight to 10 weeks, with one individual session per month.
The Adolescent Outpatient Program is for clients between the ages of 12 and 18 and meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 pm. In this program, the focus is on peer pressure and alternative activities to alcohol and drugs. Consent of a parent or legal guardian is required and parents and legal guardians have their own counseling session (separate from the client) once per week which is facilitated by a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT).
There are 12-step meetings at both locations almost nightly and while clients are encouraged to attend, it is not mandated.
The staff at Family and Children’s Association consists of LCSWs, MFTs, CASACs, a psychiatrist and vocational counselors. There are also three bi-lingual social workers and numerous support staff.
Family and Children’s Association hours of operation are Monday through Thursday 9 am to 9:30 pm, Fridays 9 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm.
Extras
Family and Children’s Association offers its clients Spanish speaking groups, co-dependency counseling, anger management groups and vocational training. With regards to adult family programming, all family therapy is scheduled at the client’s convenience, with the client in attendance and facilitated by an MFT. As mentioned above, the parents of adolescent clients are required to attend a private session once a week.
In Summary
Family and Children’s Association has a long history of being of service to the community. In order to help those suffering from substance abuse issues, it employs an experienced treatment team and provides structured outpatient services for what could add up to the first six months of sobriety in some cases. With late hours, two locations, treatment for adolescents and an option of added family therapy, this is a solid and affordable treatment option for locals.
Family and Children’s Association Location
Family and Children’s Association
126 N Franklin St
Hempstead, NY 11550
180 Broadway
Hicksville, NY 11801
Family and Children’s Association Cost
Sliding scale. Reach Family and Children’s Association by phone at (516) 486-7200 or by email at sklein@familyandchildrens.org. Find Family and Children’s Association on YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
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Photo courtesy of By Jsayre64 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Sponsored DISCLAIMER: This is a paid advertisement for California Behavioral Health, LLC, a CA licensed substance abuse treatment provider and not a service provided by The Fix. Calls to this number are answered by CBH, free and without obligation to the consumer. No one who answers the call receives a fee based upon the consumer’s choice to enter treatment. For additional info on other treatment providers and options visit www.samhsa.gov.
