Services Provided
AHCS provides mental health services that are responsive to community need. The agency provides these services through its Outpatient Department. The department’s experienced staff provides a broad range of services including: psychotherapy, psychological testing and evaluation, psychiatric evaluation, and medication therapy. Services are available to any age group and can help individual, groups, families and couples.
The emphasis of counseling is to assist people in identifying problem areas, developing self-awareness and then using this knowledge to resolve problems, and to improve general life skills.
Programs and services are available for those who wish to address a variety of problems that may be associated with:
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•Marital and family difficulties •Childhood disorders •School and employment adjustments •Drug or alcohol abuse •Low self-esteem •Feelings of guilt, unhappiness, or depression •Thoughts of suicide •Feeling nervous, uptight, or anxious •Continual worry or fear •Feelings of frustration, anger, and aggression •Disturbing personal behavior or thoughts •Child abuse •Mental illnesses like depression, anxiety and schizophrenia
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•Stress Management
•Substance Abuse
•Support Groups
•Parenting
Crisis Intervention and Emergency Services
Crisis Intervention is a unique 24 hours per day, 7 days a week emergency program dedicated to providing immediate mental health and substance abuse services to any individual who is experiencing a “crisis” situation. “Crisis” is the urgent perception that the difficulty has reached such intolerable proportions that it exceeds the resources and coping abilities of the individual. The crisis has the potential to overwhelm one to the extent that it may result in serious pathology, including suicide and homicide. Often, because of the nature and intensity of the pain, the person is compelled to seek help.
Crisis Intervention Services are designed to provide immediate, intensive, time-limited therapeutic services that seek to return the individual to a pre-crisis level of functioning, assist in developing more effective coping skills, and to enable growth and the opportunity to attain a better quality of life.
Assistance is delivered effectively through:
•Brief Emergency Counseling and Assessment
•Intervention, Information, Referral and Problem-Solving
•Arrangement for psychiatric hospitalization or chemical detoxification as needed
•Consultation and community education
•Outreach to schools, hospitals, prison, police departments, etc.
The Crisis Intervention Services of Adams-Hanover Counseling Services, Inc. is certified by the American Association of Suicidology.
These services are available in the Hanover, Gettysburg and York areas and can be accessed by calling 717-637-7633, 334-0468 or 1-866-325-0339 for non-local calls. AHCS is an approved Lifeline center. Contact: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services
The Drug and Alcohol Program is designed to help individuals recognize that drug and/or alcohol dependency is a disease which affects their total functioning as well as their family and social systems. The overall goal is to help individuals accept, regain, and maintain personal control and responsibility for their own actions and choices.
Individuals are given the chance to address problems without leaving their homes, jobs, families, and communities. Treatment focuses on identifying problems and increasing self-awareness while developing coping mechanisms to resolve difficulties and produce more effective lifestyles.
Through outpatient drug and alcohol counseling, individuals and their families can be educated about the physical and psychological consequences of substance abuse and, therefore, increase their awareness of the drugs’ effects. With knowledge, an individual may be better able to prevent the disease from evolving. Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Services address issues of chemical abuse and dependency, co-dependency, and personal, vocational, and family issues relating to these problems.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) enables local employers to provide access to cost-effective mental health and drug and alcohol services for their employees.
This approach not only allows industry to contain health care and training costs, but also provides managers with an effective tool to promote a healthy, productive work force instead of ignoring or resorting to employee dismissal. Our EAP services are available in several convenient locations and include 24-hour Crisis Intervention Services, highly trained professional staff, and assured confidentiality. We are networked with other providers in many states and can meet the EAP needs for companies with locations outside the immediate areas.
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EAP Services may include:
•Marital and family problems
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Student Assistance Program
The Student Assistance Program (SAP) is a state-mandated program that was developed in Pennsylvania to serve students who are having difficulty in school due to alcohol/drug use, depression or other mental health problems. SAP services involve an active partnership between AHCS, area school districts, students, their families, and other community resources.
AHCS program philosophy emphasizes the following points:
•Children and adolescents have the right to grow in a healthy and safe environment and to develop into citizens who can contribute to their communities.
•Families and schools are the building blocks in teaching and supporting children to become responsible and productive citizens.
•When children and adolescents have difficulties that affect their school performance and personal growth, they deserve supportive services that are appropriate and accessible.
•Families and school can be active partners and invaluable resources for the support and treatment of their children and adolescents.
School-Based Clinical Intervention Program
The School-Based Clinical Intervention Program is an expansion of the Student Assistance Program. This program seeks to provide mental health and chemical abuse treatment services by utilizing a cross-trained professional, stationed on a full-time basis in the school.
The following services are provided by this program.
Mental Health Services:
•Individual Counseling
•Family Counseling
•Specialized Group Counseling
•Crisis Intervention Services and Referrals
•Multi-system Coordination and Referrals
•Postvention Services
Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services:
•Assessment
•Individual Counseling
•Family Counseling
•Group Counseling
•Evaluation and Referral
Family-Based Mental Health Services
Family-Based Mental Health Services (FBMHS) is an intensive in-home therapy and support service for families who have emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children. This service provides short-term, intensive, community based counseling to families with children or adolescents who are at risk of removal from the home due to severe emotional or behavioral problems. FBMHS also assists families to transition children/adolescents back into the home. The goal of the program is to prevent hospitalizations or residential placements of the child and to reunite families with their children who have already been removed from the home for treatment.
Community Support Services provide a variety of services designed to assist people with persistent mental disorders assimilate into the community successfully.
Housing Programs
The Residential Program is designed to assist adults with persistent mental illness to live in a safe, home-like environment in order to promote independence based on an individual’s own potential. This program provides a structured “group home” setting, while providing training in symptom management, interpersonal skills, and daily living skills. The program is a three-step, transitional program with two individual sites (New Dawn and Sunrise), with the Supported Housing Program being the final stage of “transition”.
Community Hospital Integration Project Program (CHIPP)
This program provides stable, community-based housing to adult individuals formerly living in a state hospital setting. The individual receives support and supervision while living in their own apartment. The program is located in three individual clusters in Hanover, York, and McSherrystown.
Adult Treatment Programs
Partial Hospitalization Program (Progressions)
This program is designed to provide service for individuals who need more intensive treatment. It is a highly structured treatment program for individuals who are transitioning back into the community from, or are at risk of admission to an inpatient psychiatric facility. Progression services offer group therapy, physical/mental health education, creative art therapy, individual therapy (as needed), family therapy (as needed), and symptom management/reduction.
Social Rehabilitation Services (New Visions) This social rehabilitation center provides day programming in a structured setting. There are educational, daily living skills, recreational, and social classes that take place on a daily basis. These classes are designed to incorporate life skills, vocational goals, and educational opportunities to enable consumers to live and contribute to their community of choice. Consumers may choose an individual service plan of treatment that fits their specific interests and needs.
Drop-In Center – The BBC – Breaking Barriers Center
This is a non-structured, social drop-in center where individuals can come together for peer support, social and recreational activities.
In 2003, the Forensic Program began focusing on the men and women incarcerated at Adams County Adult Correctional Facility in the Work Release Program where we provide on-site Stress/Anger Management Groups, Individual sessions for group members and on-going Women's Mental Health Group. We continue our program of outpatient individual therapy, psychiatric services and transitional counseling (counseling with family members) for those approaching release. We are forming a working relationship with Juvenile Probation to complement an established relationship with Adult Probation and State Parole. We anticipate MISA groups and services for children of incarcerated parents in the upcoming year.
Health Psychology Services for Mind-Body Health
Confidential help for modifying attitudes, emotions and behaviors that affect health. Learn how to understand and remove barriers to making lasting lifestyle changes. We offer short-term individualized services to address a variety of problems that affect your physical health including:
Chronic Pain Evaluations and Management
Sleep Behaviors
Stress Reduction and Management
Chronic Illness Management and Support
Weight Management
Bariatric Surgery Evaluations and Follow-up
Smoking Cessation
Holly Kricher received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Kricher utilizes a cognitive-behavioral approach, combined with warmth and non-judgmental acceptance that creates an effective environment for change, growth and support.
The Peer Support program helps individuals with chronic mental illness progress toward recovery. A Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) provides Peer Support Services.
A CPS is an individual diagnosed with a chronic mental illness, who has learned to manage or recover from that illness, and is trained to help others in the recovery process.
The CPS works one-on-one to help individuals identify their goals and then supports and encourages progress in achieving them. The CPS may offer education on recovery, skills training, vocational support, help with developing a support system, and individual advocacy, depending on the consumer's desire and need.
The service is offered for consumers who are interested in working toward recovery. Choice is important. In York and Adams counties both Adams-Hanover Counseling Services and Bell Socialization Services offer Peer Support Services.
AHCS has internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as post-degree clinicians seeking licensure. Internship sites/rotations can include:
▪Outpatient Psychotherapy ▪Health Psychology Services ▪Partial Hospitalization Program ▪Crisis Intervention Services ▪Social Rehabilitation ▪Substance Abuse Services ▪Children's Services (Student Assistance, School Based Clinical Intervention, Family-Based Mental Health, Behavioral Health Services) ▪Residential Housing ▪Shelter and Clinic Visitation Program ▪Mobile Therapy-CORE.
Contact Dr. Paul Mazeroff, Director of Training at 717-632-4900, extension 1413, email: pmazeroff@ahcsinc.com.
