Children's mental health
Programs and services
Children with mental health needs and their families should be able to get the right services at the right time.
To access services, contact your child's health care provider, health care plan, county or tribe for information and referrals.
Need help right now? Our Get Help page will connect you with crisis services.
Behavioral health home services
Behavioral health home services provide a team approach that assists people with navigating and coordinating across primary care, mental health, substance use disorder treatment, long-term services and supports, and social services. See the list of current behavioral health home services providers.
Case management services
Case managers help children and youth with severe mental illness and their families get the help they need. Case managers assess a child's needs and help connect the child and family to appropriate community resources, such as mental, educational, health, vocational, recreational, social, and other necessary services. Contact your child's local county agency or tribe for more information about case management services.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC)
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) are community clinics that offer mental health and substance use disorder services as well as a range of other services. They provide outreach, increase access, improve services, and serve as a “one-stop-shop” within a defined service area. For more information, see the CCBHC fact sheet (PDF).
Children's Therapeutic Services and Supports
CTSS offers therapy and skills training to children and youth ages 0-21 who have psychological, emotional and intellectual challenges. CTSS that may include:
- Individual, family and group therapy
- Individual, family or group skills training
- Crisis assistance
- Mental health behavioral aide services.
See the list of current 2022 Community CTSS Providers.
Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services
The Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services program in Willmar provides inpatient psychiatric hospital services. It offers a safe setting for youth who need crisis stabilization, comprehensive assessment and intensive treatment of specialized mental health problems.Children’s Intensive Behavioral Health Services (CIBHS)
Children’s Intensive Behavioral Health Services (CIBHS) is a comprehensive mental health service covered by Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP). CIBHS establishes policies and practices for certification and coverage of mental health services for children and youth who require intensive levels of intervention.
Children’s Residential Treatment
Children's mental health residential treatment is a 24/7 program with clinically supervised services provided in a community setting to prevent placement in more intensive, expensive or restrictive settings. Care and treatment are designed to help the child improve family living and social interaction skills and/or gain skills to return to the community. To search for children's residential mental health treatment facilities, go to DHS Licensing Lookup.Day treatment
Children's day treatment is a site-based mental health program, consisting of group psychotherapy and skills training services, intended to stabilize the child's mental health status and develop and improve independent living and socialization skills. See the list of current day treatment providers (XLS).Early childhood mental health services
Early Childhood Mental Health Grants provide mental health services to young children, ages birth to five, with a focus on uninsured and underinsured families. DHS awards grants to many communities to create comprehensive mental health systems and services to meet the needs of young children and their families. See a map of early childhood mental health grants.Education, prevention and support
Education, prevention and support services provide information about mental health needs, treatment resources and emotional support to help children and families increase their understanding and improve their skills in dealing with mental illness.
First episode psychosis
First episode psychosis programs serve people 15 to 40 with early signs of psychosis. The word psychosis is used to describe conditions that affect the mind when there has been some loss of contact with reality. Psychosis can include hallucinations, paranoia or delusions, and disordered thoughts and speech, and can affect people from all walks of life. Psychosis can be treated, and early treatment increases the chance of a successful recovery. In Minnesota, there are currently two Twin Cities pilot sites
- Hennepin Health
- U of MN Psychiatry
Identifying mental health concerns
Sometimes it’s hard to know what is normal development for a child and when behavior becomes something to be concerned about. Fortunately, there are ways to learning what could be happening and how to help. For more information about diagnostic assessments and screenings.
Intensive Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (IRMHS)
Youth Act / Intensive Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (IRMHS) are nonresidential services for youth ages 8 through 20 with a serious mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorder. A multidisciplinary team provides a variety of services, including medication management, psychotherapy, and mental health case management.Mental health and addiction treatment
Integrated dual disorders treatment professionals provide treatment to support recovery when mental illness and substance use disorders, such as alcohol or drug abuse, occur together. They use specific listening and counseling skills to guide awareness of how mental and substance use disorders interact and to foster hopefulness and motivation for recovery from both disorders.Mental Health Behavioral Aide
A Mental Health Behavioral Aide helps a child with an emotional disturbance practice skills, as taught by the professional or practitioner, in the child's home, school or community setting. See the list of current CTSS providers with MHBA services (XLS).Minnesota Intensive Therapeutic Homes
Minnesota Intensive Therapeutic Homes provide a unique alternative to institutional placement for children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance and serious acting out behaviors. Services are provided within a family foster setting.Outpatient mental health
Services provided on an outpatient basis to children who live outside a hospital can include individual, group and family therapy; individual treatment planning; diagnostic assessments; medication management; and psychological testing. Go to DHS Licensing Lookup and under "License Type," select "Mental Health Center/Clinic."
Partial hospitalization
Partial hospitalization is a time-limited program of psychotherapy and other therapeutic services that may be provided in an outpatient hospital facility or Community Mental Health Center. The child or youth continues to live at home but travels to a treatment center for services. The goal of this program is to resolve or stabilize an acute episode of mental illness.
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTF)
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities provide inpatient treatment, such as therapeutic services and discharge planning to children and youth under age 21 with complex mental health conditions in a residential facility rather than a hospital.
Psychiatric units
Short-term medical, nursing and psychosocial services are provided in an acute care or psychiatric hospital. The Minnesota Department of Health's website has a database of Minnesota's licensed, registered or certified health care providers and hospitals, by county.
Respite care
Respite care supports children with emotional or behavioral disturbance to stay with the child's family or long-term primary caretaker. This type of support can also be used on an emergency or crisis basis. Respite care services provide temporary care for children with serious mental health needs who live at home. Access to this type of program gives families and caregivers a much needed break while offering a safe environment for their children. Contact your local county agency or tribe for more information about respite care. See a map of respite care grants.
School-linked behavioral health services
School-Linked Behavioral Health Grants connect behavioral health services with schools so that more children can get the help they need earlier and easier. Find out more about School-linked behavioral health services.
School mental health services in special education
Minnesota schools can now use Medical Assistance (MA) funding for mental health services provided to students with disabilities who are enrolled in MA, specifically school social work services and supports. This will build the capacity of schools to provide more and better mental health services to students. Learn more on the mental health services in special education webpage.
System of Care
The Minnesota System of Care initiative is a new way of helping children and youth with complex mental health needs and their families by connecting and coordinating the work of:
- Child-serving agencies
- Families and youth advocates
- Counties, tribes and collaboratives
- Service providers
- Health plans
- Policymakers and legislators
Traditional Healing For Native Communities
Information page (PDF)
Traditional healing is an approach to mental health and substance use disorder treatment designed and delivered by American Indians, for American Indians. Research has found that traditional healing practices to be very successful, having outcomes equivalent to conventional treatment for non-American Indians.
10 Tribal Nations are receiving grants to support traditional healing. Legislation also includes funding for five urban American Indian organizations to be awarded based on a competitive process.
Grantees include seven Anishinaabe nations:
- Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
- Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
- Red Lake Nation
- White Earth Nation
And three Dakota nations:
- Lower Sioux Indian Community
- Prairie Island Indian Community
- Upper Sioux Community
Five urban Indian organizations were awarded grants:
- American Indian Community Housing Organization
- American Indian Family Center
- Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center
- Northwest Indian Community Development Center
- Native American Community Clinic
Contact a grantee for more information about services.
Transition services
Transition services refer to mental health services for youth ages 14 to 25 that promote movement from school to post-school activities, including postsecondary education, vocational training, employment, continuing and adult education, adult mental health and social services, other adult services, independent living, or community participation. They help prepare youth to live independently.
Trauma informed care
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) addresses the needs of children and youth with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or other significant behavioral problems related to traumatic life experiences. This evidence-based approach helps children and youth to process trauma and manage their distressing feelings and behaviors.
Related services
Education, prevention and support
Education, prevention and support services provide information about mental health needs, treatment resources and emotional support to help children and families increase their understanding and improve their skills in dealing with mental illness.
Identifying mental health concerns
Sometimes it’s hard to know what is normal development for a child and when behavior becomes something to be concerned about. Fortunately, there are ways to learning what could be happening and how to help. For more information about diagnostic assessments and screenings.