Bay Area Clinical Associates (BACA)
Community SubscriberBay Area Clinical Associates (BACA) is a mental health agency committed to providing integrated, scientific, empathetic mental health treatment for kids, teens, young adults and their families. We work to take the “mystery” out of psychiatric care, provide education regarding mental illness, and have a relaxed, fun, caring environment at our clinics. BACA has clinics in Berkeley, San Jose and via telehealth.
BACA offers Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) for teens and young adults with moderate to severe mental illnesses and Child, Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry. Please read more about us at www.baca.org or call for a Free Screening: (844) 560-5616.
Hi--
I am sorry that your son is struggling. It can be so exhausting/demoralizing/frustrating to find appropriate resources for teen mental health. We have had good experience with Bay Area Clinical Associates in the East Bay. They do have a primary mental health focus, but I believe they can provide an initial assessment and recommendation to other local resources if appropriate.
A few other places that we have had positive experiences with are Coyote Coast,Team Wonder, and Evolve Treatment Centers (I believe they now have IOP or PHP services in the East Bay). Good luck!
Hello - Our teen/family had a really positive experience with both the intensive outpatient program and the individual therapists at Bay Area Clinical Associates (BACA) in Berkeley (https://www.baca.org/). They specialize in working with youth, and services are being provided in-person again. There may be a waitlist, but they are most definitely worth a try. Good luck!
I'm so sorry to hear that your son (and you) are going through this. We had a similar need for something more intensive than weekly therapy but less so than residential treatment. I believe that BACA (Bay Area Clinical Associates) has what you are looking for. https://www.baca.org
Best of luck to your son in getting the help he needs!
Our teen attended an IOP at BACA this past Spring. As she was finishing the program they announced that both of the core therapists from the program had resigned.They waited until the last week to notify us though they had known for weeks and had apparently stopped bringing new kids in.
The program was shut down with almost no notice. This meant no transitional services for our child including no groups and no other kids she had bonded with. After that several other staff members in the general outpatient program also left. Our kid fell apart as there was no appropriate transition. She is only just recovering several months later.
We later learned the program had ongoing issues with staffing and turn over because of conflicts with the administration. Now they apparently have restaffed. I would warn others about the precarious nature of this agency. Fragile kids/young adults dealing with mental health issues need a strong stable program.
I only recently became aware of a treatment option that falls between weekly therapy and residential treatment. It is called Intensive Outpatient Therapy (IOP). It is a program for a few hours a day, 4 or 5 days/week. BACA (Bay Area Clinical Associates) will do a free assessment and suggest what treatment plan they recommend. They also know of many other programs in addition to their own. If you have Kaiser, you will need to get a referral from a psychiatrist or therapist. If you can keep her out of foster care, that would be better for everyone. Good luck!
Check out the organization called BACA, Bay Area Children’s Association. They have pediatric psychiatrists. If they accept your insurance it is worth making the trip to Oakland.
otherwise there are a couple at children’s Bos. We really preferred BACA, it then our insurance changed. Good luck.
Try BACA (Bay Area Clinical Associates) in Oakland. They have been treating my daughter for the last three (3) years and we have seen great progress and they offer counseling for the entire family. They are wonderful and extremely helpful. Don't know where we would be today without them.
My 19 year old daughter suffers from anxiety and on medication. Not sure if you have thought to go this route. She is also in therapy with Bay Area Children Association in Oakland and has done well there so not sure if you are doing therapy yet, but it will help him and the rest of the family. Yoga would also help. Any form of exercise helps a person with anxiety. Just remember to listen and not try to fix everything for him. You can be there to listen, hold his hand, and gently push, but be very gentle. Start reading on anxiety, there are many on line articles and they help. As for the what if's, - part of this is being 12 and part is the anxiety. When he get's in his head, take him for a walk, get him out of his everyday world. Ask him if he wants to talk, but do it away from the house. Don't create bad energy in the house. Anxiety can go into a panic attack very quickly so getting him outside away from the house really helps. Even if he does not want to go, make him go, tell him you need the walk and the company. Share with him your day, get him thinking outside the box. Find out his interests and expand on them. I hope this helps. Just love him. Give him time and space. I know what you are going through, it's hard and sad.
Bay Area children's association
BACA
The Kaiser children's mental health program didn't work for our daughter. There was not enough focus on her issues or our parenting -- just a lot of group programs that didn't help her. On the other hand, we've been extremely pleased with the child therapy and family therapy at Bay Area Children's Association (BACA) in Oakland. The initial evaluation process is intensive and expensive (four sessions, $1,900), but very worth it, as the psychologist and psychiatrist came away with a pretty clear understanding of her issues. Even though we have Kaiser, we actually purchased an Anthem Blue Cross plan for just our daughter to use at BACA. The premium (about $375 per month) plus the minimal copay was far less than the out of pocket costs of the intake process. We also save money this way for our typical month of services (two sessions per week, once with just her, once with her dad and I). Good luck!
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