What Do We Do?
Lodestar Children’s Services was created to work with youth and families in their homes. That’s our simple goal. We are focused on trying to prevent youth from having to reside out of their homes.
We work with children and families through the NYS Office of Mental Health and Department of Health and provide services in Suffolk, Nassau, Queens, and Brooklyn. We work with youth aged 0 to 21. Lodestar is often instrumental in changing the trajectories of their lives by being the proactive answer.
Youth have the right to have their needs supported from day one, and should not feel forced in institutionalization or placement out of the home. We believe in a ‘strengths-based’ approach, where, together, we come up with goals to capitalize on their existing strengths. This allows our clients to recognize their value and believe in the person they are. Lodestar empowers the children from the comfort of their home and emerges them in their community.
What Are The Services We Provide?
Children and Family Treatment Supports and Services (CFTSS):
- Other Licensed Practitioners (OLP)
- Community Psychiatric Supports and Treatment (CPST)
- Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR)
- Youth Peer Supports & Services (YPSS)
- Family Peer Support & Services (FPSS)
Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS):
- Respite Care
- Prevocational Services
- Caregiver Support
- Community Self-Advocacy Treatment & Supports
- Supported Employment
Lodestar provides two different groups of services- Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) and Child Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS). Both service types provide support to the child and family, but have different requirements for eligibility. Some families may be eligible for both.
Community & Family Treatment Supports & Services
To Be Eligible for CFTSS:
Youth must be enrolled in Medicaid, and have a current mental/behavioral health diagnosis (or are looking for an evaluation). This group of services provides a more in-depth approach towards early intervention and family engagement in treatment. CFTSS may take place within the home or a community setting, such as a park or a library, except for OLP, which typically takes place in the home or a private space.
Types of CFTSS We Provide:
Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR)
Focuses on skill building with the youth. Some examples of skills include developing healthy coping skills, identifying triggers for behaviors/feelings, building healthy self-esteem, developing conflict resolution or socialization skills, and providing education to the client about their diagnosis. PSR is typically provided once a week for two hours.
Community Psychiatric Support & Treatment (CPST)
Focuses on providing skill-building and counseling support to clients who are at risk of crises, or being placed in hospitals and/or residential programs. Components include intensive interventions, crisis avoidance, intermediate-term crisis management, rehabilitative psychoeducation, strengths-based service planning, and rehabilitative support. CPST is typically provided once a week for an hour and a half. CPST providers must complete related training and have a Master’s degree or higher in a related field, such as Psychology or Social Work.
Other Licensed Practitioner Evaluation and Counseling (OLP)
Providers will start off by giving an assessment to figure out how to best support the youth. A licensed provider will be administering psychotherapy from the comfort of your home. The provider will work on understanding and preventing the youth’s negative behaviors and supporting their feelings as a way to improve the youth’s growth. OLP is typically provided once a week for an hour, OLP providers must complete related training and have a Master’s degree or higher in a related field, such as Psychology or Social Work.
Youth Peer Support Services (YPSS)
Focuses on skill building, particularly for a youth’s self-advocacy and self-confidence skills. YPSS is provided by a youth peer advocate, who is an individual with lived experience with social, emotional, behavioral, or learning challenges. A youth peer advocate acts as a mentor and coach to support a youth’s recovery and resiliency. YPSS is typically provided once a week for two hours.
Family Peer Support Services (FPSS)
Focuses on support for caregivers of youth with mental health diagnoses. FPSS is provided by a family peer advocate, who is an individual with lived experience as a parent or caregiver navigating a child-serving system for their own child. A family peer advocate helps to support caregivers of the youth by providing education on the youth’s diagnosis, teaching techniques to implement in the home, and being a supportive listener for caregivers. FPSS is typically provided once a week for two hours.
Home and Community–Based Services
To Be Eligible for HCBS:
Children/Youth must come in with prior approval from the state to receive these services. If you are interested in receiving these services, please contact your county’s SPOA (Single Point of Access) office. HCBS providers typically have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as Psychology, as well as experience working with children. HCBS is designed to be provided within the client’s home or their community, such as in a park or library.
Types of HCBS We Provide:
Planned Respite
Focuses on providing a therapeutic break for the youth and family. Planned Respite services are provided to engage a young person in their community and to give the youth and family time to focus on their recreational interests. Planned Respire is typically provided once a week for up to four hours.
Caregiver/Family Advocacy Support Services (CFASS)
Focuses on looking at the family as a unit and addressing their needs. Some components of this service include psychoeducation, advocacy, community engagement, and skill building. The frequency at which CFASS is provided varies based on the family’s wants and needs, with a maximum of twice a week for three hours.
Prevocational Services (PreVoc)
Focuses on supporting youth in identifying their interests for the future, which can include employment, volunteer positions, and career exploration. These services are not job-specific but are provided to ensure the youth can be successful in all work environments. PreVoc is typically provided once a week for two hours.
Supported Employment Services
Focuses on supporting youth in their current employment. Supported Employment Services help youth to develop skills in the workplace to maintain employment., Supported Employment is typically provided once a week for two hours.
Can Any Child Enroll?
We primarily serve youth with 1. Medicaid and 2. an active Behavioral Health Diagnosis. Lodestar is able to help assess the need for services and diagnose, if necessary.
For children that do not have Medicaid, there are mechanisms for these youth to receive services from Lodestar– generally, a high level of need is required. Contact us to learn more or your local county’s SPOA (Single Point of Access).
How Do You Send a Referral?
Contact referrals@lodestarcs.org and we can give you more information on the referral process.