Vision

To have quality mental health services available to every child in Delaware; to reduce the incidence of emotional problems in children.

Mission

Delaware Guidance Services for Children & Youth, Inc. exists to provide quality mental health services for children, youth and their families. We believe that all children have a right to good mental health and should have access to quality therapeutic care, regardless of their ability to pay.

How the DGS Team Works

When a child is referred to the clinic, an intake worker collects the necessary information and schedules an appointment with a therapist. For most cases, therapists are scheduled on a rotating basis; however, requests for specific therapists will be honored whenever possible. The therapist evaluates the child and family and helps the family determine the need for treatment.

If treatment is needed, the therapist, in partnership with the family, develops a treatment plan, which may include the enture family, the child alone, or a combination of family members. Other DGS professional staff may be involved as needed.

Delaware Guidance Services' staff of therapists strictly adheres to a professional code of ethics, which forbids discussion of individual clients or their problems, except by consent.

DGS' schedule of fees follows a sliding scale and is based upon the individual family's income and ability to pay for services. A fee rate is established at the client's first visit, and payment is expected at each visit thereafter. Many insurance plans cover a portion or all of Delaware Guidance Services' treatment programs.

When a child is struggling, there is a cause for concern. Delaware Guidance Services is ready to help. There are many reasons why families seek assistance from DGS - behavioral problems, impulse control problems such as ADHD, family conflicts, divorce-related issues, troubles in school, and substance abuse. Other reasons may include a child's destructive behavior, such as setting fires, vandalizing property, or violence against self or others.

Many children and families decide on their own to come to Delaware Guidance Services; others are referred by schools, doctors, community organizations, or other agencies.

The DGS Team

Delaware Guidance Services offers comprehensive outpatient mental health services with a multidisciplinary treatment approach - in other words, we provide a team approach to help children and their families. Our clinical staff includes child psychiatrists and psychologists, clinical social workers masters level therapists, and advanced nurse practitioners. The highest standards of professional conduct are maintained at DGS, and we are one of the few mental health facilities for children in Delaware fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

Services

DGS offers the following services at five clinics throughout Delaware; comprehensive assessment; psychological and psychiatric evaluation; individual, group, and family counseling; parenting education; counseling for adults; family and school liaison work; and medication, when necessary.
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History

Delaware Guidance Services for Children & Youth, Inc. opened its doors in September 1953 as the Wilmington Child Guidance Center. The Center was established through the efforts of the Wilmington Junior League and Wilmington Pediatrician Dr. Robert O. Y. Warren to promote mental health by offering psychiatric diagnosis and treatment for emotionally disturbed children.
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