YES Tacoma – Youth Engagement Services
Guiding Principles of Youth Engagement Services (YES) Tacoma
Mary Bridge Youth Engagement Services Tacoma (YES Tacoma), an addition to the emergency department which will provide intensive support services to Tacoma Public School (TPS) families when their children are at risk of harm to self/others, incarceration, inpatient psychiatric treatment or foster care due to underlying behavioral or mental health concerns. YES Tacoma is a team of licensed mental health professionals. Members of this team will provide screening and community referrals, brief counseling/therapy, intensive case management services, and therapeutic support services to include monthly staffing with a community Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) to review progress and clinical recommendations for services and support. A three-tiered approach will help identify students who are at risk of interrupted learning due to severe behavioral health risk factors by early identification and access to community stabilization services.
Determining Eligibility for YES Tacoma
Students age 13 and up who have been identified by TPS school district personnel (counselors/teachers) as having a complex behavioral health presentation can be referred to YES Tacoma via the Kids’ Mental Health-Pierce County (KMHPC) web portal or triage line. For this pilot, complex presentation will be defined as:
- Youth with high-risk behaviors or risk factors such as self-harm
- Youth involved in two or more systems (juvenile justice, mental health, substance use disorder, foster care, etc.)
- Youth who have been identified as high utilizers of the crisis mental health system based on frequency of emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations
- Any other complex psychosocial presentation that would benefit from multidisciplinary team review
YES Tacoma Program Overview
Tier 1: Screening and Community Referral
Screenings provided to youth at Tier 1 will be triaged by the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Care Coordination Team. Within this tier, a screening assessment will occur, and determination will be made regarding community referral to more specific social or mental health support services and/or referral on to Tier 2 or 3 services.
Tier 2: Referral to KMHPC Community Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)
The KMHPC MDT is a community-based, family-focused multidisciplinary team of at least one Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), community behavioral health providers, and advocates who aim to assist school personnel and families with complex behavioral health presentations, care coordination and case planning. The MDT assists with tasks such as: outpatient service recommendations, care coordination needs, behavioral management strategies, safety planning strategies, transitional planning, discharge planning and family engagement strategies for youth and families who reside in Pierce County.
TPS Personal can make a referral directly to the MDT with parent permission. TPS students can also be referred by the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Care Coordination Team or parent/caregiver.
See KMHPC MDT Guide & FAQ for additional information
Tier 3: Behavioral and Education Support Team Intervention (BEST)
Students with greatest needs will be referred to a wraparound team which will include an LICSW and case manager to provide brief interventions for up to 90 days with the goal of developing a treatment plan that will provide the youth the necessary resources and supports to remain safe within their school and community. The LICSW will conduct a student/family assessment and, with the collaboration of the student and family, develop a family treatment plan aimed at stabilizing the mental health symptoms that are contributing to the youth’s disruption in education and other functions. The LICSW will provide brief interventions which could include one-on-one counseling, family sessions, and/or safety/crisis planning. Prior to case closure, the LICSW will develop a transitional plan to ensure connection to other community resources
Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Youth Engagement Services (YES Tacoma) Referral Form
Mary Bridge’s Youth Engagement Services Tacoma (YES Tacoma), an addition to the emergency department provides intensive support services to TPS families when their children are at risk of harm to self/others, incarceration, inpatient psychiatric treatment or foster care due to underlying behavioral or mental health concerns. YES Tacoma is a team of licensed mental health professionals. Members of this team will provide screening and assessment, brief counseling/therapy, intensive case management services, and therapeutic support services to include monthly staffing with a community Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) to review progress and clinical recommendations for services and support. A three-tiered approach will help identify students who are at risk of interrupted learning due to severe behavioral health risk factors by early identification and access to community stabilization services.