• Ruth Dykeman Children's Center is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, Inc. and is a member of the Child Welfare League of America. The center has been a program of United Way since 1922.

Youth and Family Services

Ruth Dykeman Children's Center’s Youth and Family Services offers services to youth and their families to help with a variety of challenges they may be facing. Currently, Youth and Family services include:

• Individual, Group and Family Counseling: support for youth and their families from counselors
• Alcohol and other drug assessment and treatment: supportive, evidence-based substance abuse assessment and treatment for youth
• School-based counseling: Ruth Dykeman Youth and Family has counselors in local schools to help youth get the services they need to be successful in school.
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: real-time skill coaching for parents with children who have behavior problems
• Aggression Replacement Training: classes for youth to teach social skills, anger management and moral reasoning.
• Family Preservation Services and Crisis Family Interaction therapy: In-home, short-term, intensive counseling services to help stabilize families in crisis and avoid out-of-home placement of children.

For more information about these services, please call the Intake Screener, at 206-243-5544 x311.

Individual, Group and Family Counseling and Alcohol and Other Drug Assessment and Treatment

The Mental Health counseling program provides services to youth and their families. Ruth Dykeman Youth and Family uses a strength-based approach to help youth and their families build on their natural and community resources to promote and support long term change. Often, youth and their families are facing multiple problems which complicate their mental health issues including substance abuse, socio-economic challenges and issues related to social justice and racial inequity. Ruth Dykeman Youth and Family has an integrated mental health and substance abuse program. Most of the counselors are cross trained in dual diagnosis. This allows people to receive blended services through one point of entry rather than having to go to different sites to receive treatment. The alcohol and other drug assessment and treatment program is based on “The Seven Challenges an evidence-based practice. This program supports youth as they learn about why they are using substances, how it has been affecting their life and empowers them to make their own decisions about their use.

These services are the services offered in the school-based counseling program. Currently, RUth Dykeman Youth and Family has counselors at Cascade Middle School, Tyee High School, Showalter Middle School, Foster High School, Chinook Middle School and Beverly Park Elementary. Counselors will also go to the school their customer attends to reduce transportation barriers.

Parent Child Interaction Therapy

Ruth Dykeman Youth and Family provides Parent Child Interaction Therapy, an evidence-based practice, to parents with children six and younger who are experiencing severe behavioral problems. This therapy model strengthens the parents’ relationship with the child by building on the positive aspects of their relationship. The therapist watches the parent(s) and child interact through a one-way mirror and coaches the parent through an earpiece to assist them in using positive praise to help build the relationship with their child and to help them develop more effective parenting techniques.

Aggression Replacement Training

Aggression Replacement Training (ART) facilitates the development of social skills, anger management skills and broadens moral reasoning for youth ages 12 to 17. ART is a thirty session training led by two certified ART trainers drawing on discussions and personal perspectives of the youth involved. ART meets twice a week for an hour each session during the school year and three times a week for an hour each session during the summer break.

To be eligible for participation in ART, the youth must be within 12 to 17 years old. Concerns such as struggles with anger control, peer relationships and decision making are the preferred basis for referral. Upon referral, the youth will meet with the ART trainers to obtain a summary of the program and its expectations. Following this meeting it is determined whether the referred individual is committed to positively participate throughout the entire 30 sessions of the training.

During the school year, ART groups will be in specific schools in the Highline and Tukwila School Districts. The current or future schools providing ART can be identified by contacting Ruth Dykeman Youth and Family Services. Additionally, a male ART group is generally offered on-site at Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center during the school year in the afternoons. During the summer break, various groups are offered at Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center depending on the amount of referrals received.

Family Preservation Services and Crisis Family Intervention therapy

Crisis Family Intervention and Family Preservation Services are home based services utilizing the Home Builders model designed to prevent out of home placements for children and families in crisis and/or facilitate successful reunification. Therapists provide therapy in-home to help manage crisis and work with families in real-time to address issues causing conflict.