Intensive Treatment

Our residential treatment programs are for youth ages 12-18 whose emotional and behavioral difficulties are impeding their ability to succeed in their current setting.

We provide an individualized, holistic treatment approach where psychological, spiritual, social, and educational needs are assessed and addressed through a relationship model focused on engaging youth in a validating, supportive, and nonjudgmental manner. We utilize a relationship based, trauma informed model of care which assists youth with strengthening their coping skills and managing their behaviors. We offer an open residential unit along with a locked Community Treatment Facility.

Through our therapeutic approach, teens are assisted with identifying effective solutions for their problems which enable them to safely and successfully return to their families, schools, and community.

Our programs also provide career counseling and exploration in various fields, vocational and life skills training, and a variety of rehabilitation classes and activities. One of our most popular offerings is the Music Program, which seeks to inspire teens to invest themselves in their own personal and educational development. In addition to music therapy, we offer individual and group music lessons in various instruments, choir, band practice, lyric writing, and music recording classes. These provide teens with safe and creative new coping skills and expose them to potential future career paths.

Please see brochure for additional information.

The Therapeutic Music Program at Vista’s Intensive Treatment Residential Facilities is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.

The Therapeutic Music Program at Vista’s Intensive Treatment Residential Facilities is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.

Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) was created for youth in the foster system who have a greater need for therapeutic and social work services due to heightened emotional or behavioral issues. The program serves as an alternative to institutional care by assisting children and youth in a home setting.

Along with Vista’s team of social workers, therapists, and in-home support staff, ISFC Foster Parents play a vital role in the child’s treatment. ISFC Foster Parents participate in monthly meetings, home visits, and receive an increased monthly reimbursement.

Wraparound is a program funded by the LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH) that supports youth referred by the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) and the LA County Probation Department. This team-based approach focuses on stabilizing youth in the community through individualized, strength-based strategies.

Using the Core Practice Model, the Wraparound team works with each youth to develop a personalized mission statement, guiding them toward their goals. The team includes:

• Family Facilitator – Coordinates the team, ensuring clear communication between the family, the Wraparound team, the referring agency, and other support systems.
• Child and Family Specialist – Acts as a mentor, helping youth develop essential life skills, from building friendships to preparing for college and career opportunities.
• Parent Partner – An advocate for the caregiver with lived experience in DCFS or Probation, offering guidance and support.
• Clinician – Provides therapy and mental health education to the youth and family, supporting the team in meeting the client's needs.

Like Wraparound, Intensive Field-Capable Clinical Services (IFCCS) is a program funded by the LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH) that uses a team-based approach to support youth. IFCCS focuses on helping youth who are transitioning out of hospitalization or exiting foster placements without an identified caregiver.

Using the Core Practice Model, the IFCCS team collaborates with each youth to create individualized, strength-based strategies that align with a personally crafted mission statement, guiding them toward their goals. The team includes:

• Intensive Care Coordinator (ICC) – Organizes the team and ensures clear communication between the client, the IFCCS team, the referring agency, and other support systems.
• Rehabilitation Worker – Acts as a mentor, helping youth develop essential life skills, from building friendships to preparing for college and career opportunities.
• Clinician – Provides therapy and mental health education to the youth and family, supporting the team in meeting the client's needs.

MAT is an LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH) funded program. This program’s focus is on assessing a youth, providing recommendations for treatment and making referrals, when needed. Youth are referred for a MAT Assessment when it is their first time having an open case with the Department of Child and Family Services. For this reason, our MAT assessors often work with infants and very young children but may also assess school aged and teen youth as well. The team consists of:

• Assessor – Conducts a thorough assessment of the child and family, summarizes the findings with a focus on strengths, and provides treatment recommendations. The Assessor presents these findings in a meeting with the family, DCFS, and DMH.
• Case Manager – Facilitates referrals to connect youth with mental health and other community resources.

The Vista Del Mar Intensive Community Based Services Department has an In-Person, 24 hour Mobile Crisis Outreach Team called “MCOT” to better serve children and adults experiencing a Mental Health Crisis.

The Mobile Crisis Outreach team (MCOT) is a 2-person team made up of a Clinician and a Peer Support Worker, who provide in-person crisis response to anyone in the SPA 5 area experiencing a mental health related crisis. All calls are dispatched to the Vista team by the Department of Mental Health Emergency Response office. Once the call is received the Vista team will respond within 60 minutes (or less)with an in-person visit to deescalate the individual or possibly issue a hold so that immediate hospitalization can occur. The clinician completes an assessment to determine if a 5150/5585 hold is needed. Then planning begins for immediate safety and transport to an urgent care or hospital setting. The goal of MCOT programs is to dispatch mental health experts to emergency calls to reduce calls to Law Enforcement as well as reduce the response time for persons in crisis to 50 minutes or less.

The Team consists of:

• Clinician – Provides crisis stabilization and completes an assessment to determine if client meets criteria for an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization. Provides psychoeducation and a safety plan to the consumer and family, when appropriate.
• Peer Support – Provides crisis stabilization and assists with case management, assessing the need for referrals to resources in the community. Provides 1-2 follow up case management contacts with the consumer and/or family.

The Commercially and Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) Advocacy Program is a Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) funded program. The program serves children in foster care in Los Angeles County who have been identified as Commercially and Sexually Exploited or at risk for exploitation. Referrals come to the program in two ways. When the police pick up a child who is being exploited, and identify that they are a foster youth, our Advocates are contacted and go out to meet the youth at the police station immediately (day and night) and begin providing support. This is called the First Responder Protocol (FRP). Youth identified through the FRP program will stay in the program to receive case management services and support from their Advocate. The second way referrals come to the program is through DCFS. If a DCFS Social Worker believes a child is being sexually exploited, or at risk, they can refer them to this program. In addition to case management, this program provides Empowerment Activities and Parent Support Groups. The team includes:

• Youth Advocate – Participate in an on-call system for the First Responder Protocol and carry a caseload of 20+ youth to provide support and case management.
• Parent Advocate – Someone who has personal experience with CSEC. The Parent Advocate carries a caseload and runs the Parent Support Group.

The Los Angeles Training Consortium (LATC) is a partnership of five Wraparound agencies in Los Angeles County that assures high quality training in Wraparound care for the workforce. The five-day basic curriculum course is offered on a monthly basis and includes optional intermediate and advanced training in the values, principles, and skills of Wraparound.