allcove^™ Palo Alto

A Space for Youth to Find Community, Support, and Advice—or to Just Take a Moment of Pause

What is allcove?

allcove™ is an innovative network of integrated youth mental health centers designed with, by, and for youth that reduce stigma, embrace mental wellness, increase community connection, and provide access to culturally-responsive services. allcove centers welcome young people ages 12 to 25 with mild to moderate needs, providing a unique space for them to access services with resources and support for friends, family, and the larger community. The centers are embedded within the community they serve and reflect the unique needs of local youth.

Anchored in a model of care that considers the holistic needs of young people, allcove centers are a place for them to take a moment of pause and access a range of services that include:

• Mental health
• Physical health with an emphasis on sexual reproductive health services
• Substance use prevention support
• Peer support
• Family support
• Supported education and employment

Everything about allcove is designed with, by, and for young people. From the look and feel, to the options youth have to engage in center activities, young people are co-creators and champions.

ARCC’s relationship with allcove

Since its inception in 1974, ARCC has provided culturally- & linguistically-sensitive mental health, educational assistance, and other support services to youth and their families in places and spaces that feel safe, comfortable, and familiar to them. ARCC’s staff members often come from similar neighborhoods and backgrounds as the clients they serve. The allcove program is well-aligned with the service model ARCC has offered for almost 50 years. ARCC currently provides peer support and supportive education and employment services for the allcove Palo Alto program.

Peer support specialists draw on their own lived mental health experiences to help build trust and engagement with youth who are seeking services, offering peer-based mentoring and emotional support while working collaboratively with youth, their families, and other members of the allcove care team. Peer support specialists act as advocates on behalf of the young persons they support, orienting them to resources related to mental health, substance use, care, education and employment support, skill-building workshops, and medical services.

The Supported Education and Employment (SEE) Specialist assists youth in initiating, continuing or completing their educational goals, particularly if their academic pursuits have been interrupted by mental health treatment. The SEE specialist supports youth with managing their school schedules, navigating school reentry, and accessing appropriate accommodations at educational institutions. In addition, the SEE specialist supports youth in developing career goals, skills training, employment preparation, assistance with finding employment, and promoting job retention by providing on-the-job training and coaching to individuals.

To find out more about this program, please call (650) 798-6330, visit www.allcove.org, or email allcove@hhs.sccgov.org.

BALANCE Study

Scalable Intervention to Help Youth Manage Tough Feelings and Build a More Positive, Fulfilling Life

Santa Clara University has been awarded a grant from the State of California, administered by the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM), to address youth mental health, with a particular focus on depression among LGBTQ+ youth. This program funded by the grant is called the BALANCE Study (Building an Affirmative Life and Navigating Challenging Emotions) and will test scalable intervention and prevention approaches including a digital mental health application and telehealth-based peer counseling. ARCC has partnered with Santa Clara University to help promote the BALANCE Study throughout Santa Clara County and California-wide, and assist youth with being linked to mental health resources.

The study is focused on supporting LGBTQ+ youth experiencing any mental health symptoms; however, participation is open to all youth ages 14-19. Youth will receive free access to mental health resources and also be part of research that aims to improve emotional well-being for LGBTQ+ youth and will help shape future mental health interventions.

To find out more about this program please call (408) 294-0500 or email info@alumrockcc.org.

Counseling Internships/Clinical Trainees

Nurturing the Next Generation of Mental Health Professionals

ARCC provides internship opportunities for final year MFT/PCC and ASW students enrolled in practicum classes with partnering local universities. Individual and group supervisions are provided by licensed clinicians to meet BBS guidelines, fulfill academic standards, and enhance professional skills and clinical insight. The program helps to prepare tomorrow’s mental health practitioners to better understand and support the unique needs of high-risk, disenfranchised individuals by providing diverse, holistic training opportunities in homes, schools, clinics, and via telehealth in one-on-one settings. Trainees have an opportunity to use their dual language skills with clients or they have access to a language line to help them meet the linguistic needs of our diverse clients.

For more information, please submit a form on our contact us page or email us at info@alumrockcc.org.

Cultural Broker Program

Promoting Strong Families and Safe Children by Fostering Cultural Understanding, Mitigating Bias, and Creating Collaborative Partnerships with Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice

The Cultural Broker Program is a partnership with the County of Santa Clara Social Services Administration and the Juvenile Probation Department (JPD) to decrease disproportionality and increase well-being among at-risk children and families in Santa Clara County. The program addresses the needs of families, specifically of Latinx ancestry, by facilitating communication and understanding between families, social workers, and probation officers. Families and youth are referred by the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) or JPD and receive services for a minimum of two months and maximum of six months, depending on the case type.

Cultural Brokers have a cultural understanding and sensitivity of the Latinx community and must maintain a high degree of cultural and language proficiency. Cultural Brokers provide clients with individualized support, education, and resources in order to promote strong families and safe children.

This program addresses challenges, mitigates bias, mediates between groups of different cultural backgrounds, and creates partnerships to help families better understand the DFCS and JPD systems and concerns. Families become active participants as well as share the responsibility in their own safety planning. Cultural Brokers connect youth and families to outside support as needed for children to remain safely with their families and be supported in their communities.

Cultural Brokers honor the families’ unique strengths and potential, helping them to self-advocate through humility and respect with hopes of preventing families and youth from entering the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Evidence-Based or Promising Practices Utilized

• Motivational Interviewing (MI)

To find out more about this program, please call (408) 294-0500 or email info@alumrockcc.org.

Downtown Youth Wellness Center (DYWC)

Providing Young People with a Space for Wellness and Learning…a Place to Socialize, and Just “Be”

The Downtown Youth Wellness Center (DYWC) is a County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health (SCC BHSD) program developed in partnership with ARCC. It is a drop-in center dedicated to promoting a safe, supportive, and youth-focused environment that provides short term Behavioral Health services, focused on prevention and early intervention for young people ages 12-25.

Services include same-day access to brief behavioral health support, peer support, workshops, well-being groups, social and educational activities, linkage to services/case management (including medical and longer-term behavioral health services), life skills development, education and career planning, independent living skills, and other related care.

The DYWC offers a space to relax, study, read, play games, do laundry, have a hot meal, and more. The center accepts walk-ins and services are free.

Evidence-Based or Promising Practices Utilized

• Motivational Interviewing (MI)

To find out more about this program, please call (408) 961-4645 or email DYWC@hhs.sccgov.org.

Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH)

Compassionate, Responsive, and Relational-Based Care Can Start a Child on the Right Path for a Lifetime

ECMH is a specialized program that supports parents with young children (ages 0-5) who are exhibiting behavioral issues, developmental delays, and/or have experienced trauma, loss, or abuse. The program offers these culturally- and linguistically-sensitive services for young children and their families throughout Santa Clara County. Our providers are sensitive to the challenges that families are currently experiencing and the program tailors its services to each youth and family to meet their unique needs. To make services extremely accessible, we provide them in the families’ preferred settings such as in the home, at our clinic, in the community, and/or via telehealth.

The journey in our ECMH program begins with assessment. We identify the strengths and needs of youth and families through various tools that take into consideration a child’s developmental trajectory, their temperament, environmental factors, and relationship capacities. If youth are exhibiting developmental delays, we provide further linkage to other agencies. We then join with caregivers to create a plan for treatment that honors the child’s and family’s strengths and needs. Based on the results of the assessment, youth can receive services through one or both of our tiers of service home visitation and/or therapeutic services:

Home Visitation:

Family Specialists offer support, guidance, and coaching for youth’s challenging behaviors while strengthening the child’s development and social-emotional well-being.

Therapeutic Services

Therapists work to address the underlying factors that are contributing to the behaviors. Youth have an opportunity to work through their feelings and experiences associated with hardships or trauma.

Both programs aim to nurture the caregiver-child relationship and to create a network of support for the families. Providers work collaboratively with parents, multigenerational families, teachers, doctors, social workers, and daycare providers to ensure continuity of care. The program also offers Triple P groups and individual Triple P curriculum for caregivers to bolster parental efficacy and promote positive behaviors in children.

These services enable parents to strengthen family and community relationships and prepare their children for kindergarten. The ECMH program strives to provide clients and their families with strategies and resources they can utilize in their daily lives to build positive self-identity and healthy relationships, promote a love of learning, and create a social network of support to succeed in a variety of settings.

Evidence-Based or Promising Practices Utilized

• Triple P-Positive Parenting Program®
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Brazelton’s Touchpoints
• Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

To find out more about this program, please call (408) 294-0500 or email info@alumrockcc.org.

Mentoring & Wellness Program (MWP)

Nurturing Youth to Increase School Success

ARCC’s Mentoring & Wellness Program (MWP) offers intervention and support to high-risk middle school students and high school students in San Jose including services in Alum Rock Union School District, Franklin-McKinley School District, and East Side Union High School District. MWP aims to empower youth to avoid unsafe/high-risk behaviors such as crime, involvement in gangs, drug use, adolescent pregnancy, and truancy, which can contribute to school failure and school dropout. The program promotes school achievement by helping youth remove and address barriers to school attendance, particularly for youth deemed truant or chronically absent and/or who are facing other environmental risk factors. MWP staff track school attendance and performance and communicate with teachers and parents to support solution-focused conversations in meeting the needs of youths and families, with a goal of increasing school attendance and connectedness.

The program utilizes the Botvin LifeSkills Curriculum, an evidence-based curriculum proven to reduce tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use as well as help youth build critical skills such as communication, decision-making, drug resistance, time management, managing emotions, and how/where to access needed support.

Students receive academic, emotional, and social support through a variety of services and activities, which may include:

• Botvin Life Skills Groups
• Educational Workshops
• Case Management Sessions
• Family Support
• Linkage to Resources
• Enrichment Activities & Field Trips
• Group Mentoring and One-on-One Mentoring
• School Workshops

Mentors are volunteers from the community who act as role models and guides, offering encouragement and support; suggesting alternative points of view; and providing resources to the mentee in order for them to reach individualized and academic goals throughout the year. The program utilizes two types of mentoring models: One-on-One Mentoring and Group Mentoring.

One-on-One Mentoring:

With one-on-one mentoring, each adult mentor is assigned to only one mentee and commits to spending a minimum of six hours per month (or ideally, two hours per week) with the mentee for one calendar year. In these weekly meetings, mentors assist youth in developing strategies to overcome their personal and academic barriers and achieve their individualized goals.

Group Mentoring:

Group mentoring is offered to all students in the program who wish to connect with their peers and volunteer mentors out of school time. Group mentoring sessions focus on academics, team-building, skills development, and enrichment activities.

Evidence-Based or Promising Practices Utilized

• Botvin LifeSkills Training Program
• Motivational Interviewing (MI)

To find out more about this program, please call (408) 294-0500 or email info@alumrockcc.org.

Outpatient Services

Providing Help, Hope, and Healing to Individuals Experiencing Severe Mental Health Conditions

Outpatient services support youth (ages 6-21) with severe emotional disorders including anxiety, depression, and trauma. Since services are provided on a continuum of care from Wellness-level clients to Intensive Outpatient clients, they can range from case management to ensure clients remain stable or sessions as much as twice weekly for a high level of care. These services are primarily clinic-based but can also take place in the community and homes. Our clients may have had previous enrollment in mental health programs or are currently receiving therapeutic behavioral services (TBS). They also must meet medical necessity, have long-term treatment needs, and have full-scope Medi-Cal. Psychiatric and/or medication support are available as needed.

Evidence-Based Practices Utilized

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Motivational Interviewing (MI)

To find out more about this program, please call (408) 294-0500 or email info@alumrockcc.org.

Parent Advocate Program

Helping Parents Maintain their Family’s Safety and Prevent Entry/Re-Entry into the Child Welfare System

The Parent Advocate (PA) Program is a partnership with the County of Santa Clara Social Services Administration, which provides support for parents who have an active court-ordered or voluntary case open through the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and are seeking family permanency to keep their children in their care. Parent Advocates work closely with parents and DFCS social workers to ensure that court-mandated requirements or DFCS recommendations are met and that the parent has the proper support system and resources in place to receive his/her children and keep them safe. Parent Advocates serve as liaisons, role models, and advocates while removing barriers and leading the path toward successful family reunification.

Each Parent Advocate has had lived experiences with the child welfare system and been successful in reunifying with his/her children. This helps build an almost immediate sense of trust between parents and their advocates. Parent Advocates help parents navigate through the child welfare process while maintaining honest and open communication about issues and the status of the case. This approach is one that fosters a hopeful path for parents during a process that is often painful, confusing, and overwhelming.

Evidence-Based or Promising Practices Utilized

• Motivational Interviewing (MI)
• Seeking Safety
• Danger Assessment

To find out more about this program, please call (408) 294-0500 or email info@alumrockcc.org.

School-Based Early Intervention (SB-EI)

Preventing, Reducing, and Eliminating Mental Health Illnesses to Increase Academic Success

The SB-EI program provides services in San Jose in partnership with the Santa Clara County Department of Mental Health and designated school districts. This program is focused on identifying schools and targeting high-risk youth and their families. Using practices that are proven to make a positive impact on students and their families, SB-EI offers:

• Free parent and family workshops
• Behavior support services for students
• Parent support services
• Student and family therapy
• Connections and linkage to resources

The goal of the Program is to prevent, reduce, and eliminate mental health symptoms that may be negatively impacting academic success and family wellness. The program supports elementary and middle school students in the Alum Rock Unified School District at the following schools:

• Adelante Dual Language Academy II
• Aptitud Community Academy at Goss
• Linda Vista Elementary
• Lyndale Elementary
• O. S. Hubbard Elementary
• Ocala STEAM Academy
• Renaissance at Mathson
• Russo/ McEntee Academy
• San Antonio Elementary
• Thomas P. Ryan Elementary
• William Sheppard Middle School

The program supports Oak Grove School District at the following schools:

• Christopher Elementary
• Edenvale Elementary
• Hayes Elementary
• Parkview Elementary
• Stipe Elementary

Individual staff members can serve about 15 families at any given time.

Evidence-Based or Promising Practices Utilized

• Triple P-Positive Parenting Program®
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Strengthening Families Program (SFP)

To find out more about this program, please call (408) 294-0500 or email info@alumrockcc.org.

School-Based Outpatient (SB-OP)

Helping Students Improve Mental Health Symptoms to Enhance Academic Achievement and School Engagement

The School-Based Outpatient (SB-OP) program helps promote natural support systems and healthy families. The program supports elementary and middle school students in the Alum Rock Unified School District at the following schools:

• Adelante Dual Language Academy II
• Aptitud Community Academy at Goss
• Linda Vista Elementary
• O. S. Hubbard Elementary
• Renaissance at Mathson
• Ocala STEAM Academy
• San Antonio Elementary
• William Sheppard Middle school.

The program also supports Christopher Elementary and Davis Intermediate School in the Oak Grove School District, as well as 9th-12th grade students attending Latino College Preparatory Academy (LCPA) and Roberto Cruz Leadership Academy (RCLA).

The SB-OP program provides risk assessments, individual therapy, family therapy, and case management and promotes the development of healthy coping skills, social skills, and crisis intervention. Services are delivered in schools as well as in community settings. The goals of the program are to increase school engagement, attendance, and achievement and decrease at-risk behaviors.

Evidence-Based Practices Utilized

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

To find out more about this program, please call (408) 294-0500 or email info@alumrockcc.org.