allcove^™ Palo Alto

A space for youth to find community, support, advice or even just a moment of pause.

What is allcove?

allcove™ is developing 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.
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 specialist 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, and they offer peer–based mentoring and emotional support, 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.

For more information about allcove, please visit www.allcove.org  or email us at info@allcove.org.

For questions specifically regarding allcove Palo Alto, you can email us at info@alumrockcc.org.

Counseling Internships

Nurturing the Next Generation of Mental Health Professionals

ARCC provides internship opportunities for 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 to 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. Interns 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.

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

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

Cultural Broker Program

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

The Cultural Broker Program is a partnership with the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) 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 DFCS or JPD and receive services for a minimum of 2 months and maximum of 6 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 needed community supports in order 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, in the 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, and 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 Alum Rock Counseling Center. It is a drop-in center dedicated to promoting a safe, supportive, and youth-focused environment for young people ages 12 to 25.

Services include brief behavioral health support, peer support, workshops, well-being groups, 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) 294-0500 or email info@alumrockcc.org.

Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Therapeutic Services and Home Visitation

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

This specialized program for children (ages 0-5) supports parents with young children exhibiting behavioral issues, developmental delays and/or those who 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 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, our clinic, and/or in the community. We even provide services through 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. Youth can be seen in one or both of our programs that we provide, home visitation and/or therapeutic services. Home Visitors offer support, guidance and coaching for youth’s challenging behaviors, while strengthening the child’s development and social-emotional well-being. Therapeutic service providers 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, 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 & truancy, which can contribute to school failure and school dropout. The program promotes school achievement by helping youth to 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 youths’ and families’ needs in order to increase school attendance and connectedness.

The program utilizes the Botvin LifeSkills Curriculum, which is 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

Mentors are volunteers from the community who act as role models and guides to their mentees, 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: Group Mentoring and One-on-One 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 6 hours per month (ideally, 2 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 to provide a space for mentors to meet with groups of youth. Group Mentoring sessions focus on academics, team-building, 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

Provides 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. Services are provided on a continuum of care from Wellness level clients to Intensive Outpatient clients, thus services provided can range from case management to ensure clients remain stable or if needed 2x weekly for a high level of care. These services are primarily clinic-based but also can take place in the community, homes, and schools. Youth may have had previous enrollment in mental health programs or currently receiving therapeutic behavioral services (TBS). Clients must meet medical necessity and have long-term treatment needs. Youth must 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 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 varied lived experiences with the child welfare system and has 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.

Prevention & Early Intervention Services

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

The PEI Program provides services in East and Central San José 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, PEI 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. PEI serves up to 185 students enrolled at one of the 22 identified schools in Santa Clara County and their families. Individual staff members can serve about 15 families at any given time.

East: Alum Rock School Union School District and Mt. Pleasant School District

Central: Oak Grove School District

Evidence-Based or Promising Practices Utilized

Triple P-Positive Parenting Program®
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Strengthening Families Program (SFP)
Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT)

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

School Linked Services

We help students improve mental health symptoms to enhance academic achievement and school engagement.

The School Linked Services (SLS) program supports 1st-8th grade students in the Alum Rock Unified School District. The SLS program provides support to the following schools:  Lee Mathson, Joseph George, Ocala, Sheppard Middle school, Ryan, Ida Jew, August Boger, and Robert Sanders SLS also supports 9th-12th grade students attending Latino College Preparatory Academy (LCPA) and Roberto Cruz Leadership Academy (RCLA).The program provides risk assessments, individual therapy, family therapy and case management. The program promotes the development of healthy coping skills, social skills, crisis intervention and case management. Services are delivered in schools as well as community settings. The goals of the program are to increase school engagement, attendance, and achievement; and decrease at-risk behaviors. SLS helps promote natural support systems and healthy families.

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.

Therapeutic Behavioral Services

Helping youth improve challenging behaviors, in order to increase positive communication and behavior within the home environment.

Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS) are available for youth who need behavioral support in addition to other mental health services they are receiving. TBS’s goal is to help youth avoid being hospitalized or placed in a higher level of care. The population TBS serves is youth under the age of 21 who have a primary existing specialty mental health service and require additional behavioral support. This treatment is a coaching model that always includes the caregiver. Multiple hours of treatment per week can be provided as needed to stabilize targeted behaviors. Youth must have full-scope Medi-Cal.

Evidence-Based Practices Utilized

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

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