Texas Behavioral Health
  • TXBH1
  • TXBH3
  • TXBH2
  • TXBH4
  • TXBH5

Parents - are you overwhelmed? Are you tired of getting calls from the school about your child's behavior? Do you wish your family had additional supports? We can help.

Youth Advocate Programs offers a continuum of Behavioral Health supports to children and adolescents (ages 3-20) in their homes and community.  We provide Mental Health Services and YES Waiver Services for families with children experiencing mental health-related difficulties.  YAP's trauma-informed services help individuals build resilience and promote healing, mitigating potential negative impacts, by connecting youth with supportive adults, providing evidence-based treatments, and ensuring that all staff are trained in trauma informed care.

Mental Health Services

Most of YAP's Mental Health Services are provided in the homes, schools, and communities where children reside and are aimed at helping young people lead healthy, safe and productive lives.

Crisis intervention reduces symptoms of severe and persistent mental illness or emotional disturbance prevents admission of an individual into psychiatric placement.

Therapy is conducted by Licensed Professional Counselors and Clinical Social Workers who make individualized recommendations for treatment. Clients are assigned therapists near where they live or can arrange for sessions in the agency office to address social and emotional issues, psychiatric symptoms and trauma.

Skills Training is provided to youth to address symptom-related problems that interfere with functioning. This service provides opportunities for the youth to acquire and improve skills need to function as appropriately and independently as possible in the community, and facilitates the individual’s communicate integration and increases his or her community tenure.

Evaluations are conducted as needed to help stabilize symptoms of diverse psychological disorders and help improve the child's general functioning. YAP contracts with board certified Psychiatrists and Nurse Practitioners. Our medical staff specialize in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and bring experience from a variety of mental health settings.

In addition to prescribing medicine to treat a child’s symptoms, this service is provide to help children and caregivers learn about the youth’s mental health diagnosis, symptoms, medications and their possible side effects.

Service is provided to assist the youth and caregiver in gaining and coordinating access to necessary care and services appropriate to meet their needs.

The Wraparound process provides a comprehensive, holistic youth and family-driven way of responding when children or youth experience serious mental health or behavioral challenges. Wraparound puts the child or youth and family at the center. With support from a team of professionals and natural supports, the family’s ideas and perspectives about what they need and what will be helpful drive all of the work in Wraparound.

Who is Eligible for Mental Health Services?

We are a Medicaid and CHIP provider for the following health plans:

  • Aetna
  • Amerigroup Texas, Inc.
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
  • Community Health Choice, Inc.
  • Cook Children’s Health Plan
  • Dell Children's
  • Molina Healthcare of Texas
  • Parkland Community Health Plan
  • Superior Health Plan
  • Texas Children’s Health Plan
  • United Healthcare
 

YES Waiver Services

The Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver is a Medicaid program that helps children and young people with serious mental, emotional and behavioral difficulties. YES services are intensive, strengths-based and family-centered, with a goal of preventing out-of-home placement and promoting lifelong independence and well-being.

Non-traditional interventions that assist youth in meeting treatment recovery goals. YAP identifies specialized therapy providers within the home communities of our young people to provide a variety of therapeutic experiences for youth. Specialized therapies include: Animal Assisted Therapy, Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Recreational Therapy, and Nutrutional Counseling.

Items and services identified as part of the young person’s recovery/treatment plan that assist the child in reaching their treatment goals that can include Therapeutic Peer Support and Therapeutic Equipment and Supplies.

items and services provided to families that assist young people to remain safe within their homes and reach their identified treatment goals. Examples of minor home modifications provided by YAP include alarm and alert systems, safety gates, and medication lock boxes.

Provides transportation to children and youth within the program who would otherwise be unable to access YES Waiver and other community services, activities and resources specified in their recovery/treatment plan.

One-time monetary assistance to youth in the YES Waiver program who are transitioning from their current home with a caregiver into their own private home within the community. The funds provided can help finance security deposits, furniture, basic essentials and other services necessary to ensure safety or encourage independence.

CLS services are provided to young people and their families to help families achieve the goals in their Treatment/Recovery Plan through specific skills training. Areas of focus may include daily living skills, communication skills, relationship-building skills, parenting skills, coaching, socialization and integration into community activities.

Services are provided to young people to improve their interaction and functioning within the school and community. These services are rooted in YAP’s core model, which has been in practice for over 45 years. Services include Skilled Mentoring, Paraprofessional Aide, and Job Placement.

These supports connect caregivers with a parent whose child experienced similar emotional and behavioral challenges in the past. Family supports model self-advocacy skills, provide support and share information from their own experience.

This service offers caregivers short-term relief from their caregiving responsibilities for their child in the program. In-home respite may be provided by trained YAP employees, or by individuals that the family identifies as a support from the community. Respite may be provided in the child’s home, within the community, or, if provided by a relative of the child, at their home.

This service includes day and overnight camp, DFPS Residential Child Care, and Licensed Child Care Centers and Homes provided by YAP’s community partners.

Who is Eligible for YES Waiver Services?

YES Waiver Services require a referral from a local mental health authority (LMHA). Please reach out to your local LMHA to schedule an intake and indicate that you would like Youth Advocate Programs to be your service provider.

Locations

AUSTIN & SAN ANTONIO

Mental Health & YES Waiver Services

7901 Cameron Road
Building 2, Suite 300
Austin, TX 78754
512.394.7249

DALLAS

Mental Health Services

8700 N. Stemmons Frwy
Suite 460
Dallas, TX 75247
214.821.6505

FORT WORTH

Mental Health & YES Waiver Services

7524 Mosier View Court
Suite 200
Fort Worth, TX 76118
817.459.2401

HOUSTON

Mental Health & YES Waiver Services

4120 Directors Row
Suite D
Houston, TX 77092
713.741.4121

HOW ARE WE DOING?
YAP takes pride in providing quality services to youth and families and values your feedback.
HOW ARE WE DOING?
If you have any positive feedback regarding our staff or questions/concerns about your services, please email us or call 281-627-8364.
JOIN OUR TEAM
Do you have a passion for your community and enjoy working with youth, adults and families?
JOIN OUR TEAM
Check out our current job openings
 

What is YAP?

Watch our film to learn more about all the services that Youth Advocate Programs provides across the country.