Counseling is ideal for addressing issues such as Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Stress Management, Relationship Challenges, Disruptive Behaviors and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Sessions are typically held weekly or bi-weekly, fostering a continuous, supportive relationship between the counselor and the client. This process helps clients navigate life’s challenges and build resilience over time.

At LFCS, our counseling services are tailored to children and families’ unique needs, ensuring evidence-based care that promotes growth and healing. Learn more here.

Psychiatry is particularly effective for managing conditions such as ADHD, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Adjustment Disorder, Psychotic Symptoms, and Anxiety. Psychiatrists conduct comprehensive evaluations and develop personalized treatment plans, which may include prescribing medications to stabilize symptoms. Follow-up sessions are typically less frequent than counseling sessions and focus on reviewing and adjusting treatment as needed.

LFCS psychiatry services provide children and adolescents with access to specialized care, including evaluations, medication management, and care planning. Learn more here.

If you or someone you know is seeking mental health support, LFCS is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about our services and take the first step toward a brighter future.

How Music Therapy Supports Healing And Growth

Many children in North St. Louis face challenges that include complex trauma, and for these young individuals, music therapy is an invaluable tool. By reducing hyper-arousal and avoidance behaviors, music therapy creates a safe environment where kids can engage socially, develop new skills, and build supportive relationships. Providing this service allows our students to relax and open up, making it possible for them to express themselves and form positive connections with peers and mentors.

Benefits of Music Therapy

Music Therapy Adds To Our Wrap-Around Approach To Care

Every note played, every rhythm felt, and every song sung is a step towards healing and self-discovery. This holiday season, we are immensely grateful to offer the gift of music therapy, knowing that its positive impact will resonate in our children’s lives long after each session.

Thanks to Midwest Music Therapy and St. Louis County Children’s Services Fund for their support in making this transformative program possible. Together, we’re building brighter, stronger futures for the children of Hilltop Child and Family Development Center!

With September being both National Suicide Prevention Month & National Self-Care Awareness Month, LFCS wants to share six different types of self-care strategies you can easily implement into your daily routine:

Physical Self-Care: Laying the Foundation

Physical self-care is the foundation of overall well-being. It involves activities like regular exercise, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and attending to any medical needs. When we prioritize physical health, we enhance our ability to cope with stress, which can significantly reduce feelings of hopelessness and despair. Encouraging individuals to engage in physical self-care can be a powerful step in suicide prevention, as it directly influences both mental and emotional health

Mental Self-Care: Stimulating the Mind

Mental self-care focuses on stimulating and engaging the mind in positive ways. Activities like reading, solving puzzles, or engaging in creative hobbies can help keep the mind sharp and alleviate feelings of boredom or restlessness, which can sometimes contribute to depressive states. By promoting mental self-care, we encourage people to find joy and fulfillment in intellectual pursuits, which can provide a valuable buffer against suicidal thoughts.

Social Self-Care: Building and Maintaining Connections

Social connections are crucial to our mental health. Social self-care involves nurturing relationships with friends, family, and community. Isolation is a significant risk factor for suicide, so fostering a strong support network can be life-saving. Encouraging social self-care helps individuals feel connected and valued, reducing the sense of loneliness that often accompanies suicidal ideation.

Spiritual Self-Care: Finding Meaning and Purpose

Spiritual self-care involves seeking a deeper sense of meaning, whether through religion, meditation, or spending time in nature. A strong sense of purpose can provide individuals with the motivation to keep going, even in difficult times. By supporting spiritual self-care, we help individuals find peace and direction, which can be vital in preventing suicide.

Practical Self-Care: Managing Everyday Responsibilities

Finally, practical self-care focuses on managing everyday responsibilities, such as organizing finances, maintaining a clean living environment, or setting and achieving personal goals. When individuals feel in control of their daily lives, they are less likely to feel overwhelmed by stress. Practical self-care empowers people to handle life’s challenges more effectively, reducing the risk of reaching a breaking point.

The following story was submitted by an LFCS behavioral health counselor.

I met Albert when he was in 4th grade. His teacher referred him to our school counseling program for anger and social skill issues. At that time, he and his mother were living with his mother’s father, Albert’s grandfather. However, his mother was rarely home. Albert never saw his father. Albert was struggling in school.

Social interactions were hard for him, so he did not have many real friends. It did not help that he was often angry, and wasn’t able to control his temper very well. Albert had reasons to be angry – one of which was he had been physically abused by two of his mother’s boyfriends.

Work Ethics instill a stigma in workers that prevents them from seeking help. According to the New York Times, “In a 2017 paper, nearly 40 percent of physicians reported being hesitant to seek mental health care because they worried it would harm their chances to get or renew their medical licenses.” This shows that the expectations set by the medical field paints a perspective in the physicians’ minds. It makes them think that if any higher ups in the field figure out that a physician’s mental illness is impacting their ability to work in any way, the opportunity of that physician attaining or keeping their job could plummet. But you’re probably thinking, “The fact that only 40 percent of them felt that way probably means that the other 60 percent wasn’t nervous to seek out help.” While that could be true, the fact that a large percent of people were still uncertain about seeking help is shocking. With how things are now, you would think that being able to seek mental help would be the least of people’s worries, but no. The ethics established in the medical field push physicians to limit, to the point where they’re skeptical about trying to improve their own mental health! If they don’t make sure their health is in check, how can they help with someone else’s’ health?

Sadly, the ever-expending stigma surrounding mental health issues continues to restrain people from seeking the help they need. Even though stigma persists and surges, there are ways to help reduce it. Talking about your struggles and how you handled them could help someone else find the courage to overcome theirs. When you see someone struggling, help them out. Encourage them. Cheer them up. It might make their day even just a little bit better.”

Seek professional help.

If the symptoms or issues that your child is experiencing are interfering with their daily activities, seeking a mental health professional to help would be advised. LFCS offers tailored behavioral services for children and evidence-based approaches to help your child overcome their challenges. For more information about our mental health services or to schedule an appointment, please visit lfcsmo.org/counseling.