CBHI Services: The Swiss Army Knife of Therapeutic Intervention

Creating a lemonade stand on a hot day to help a 9-year-old work on self-esteem. Cooking a meal with the whole family and talking through how the week went. Hiking with a teen while they sort out a rough patch with friends. Coaching a parent over the phone during the fifth tantrum of the day. All in a week’s work for a Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative staff member.

The River Valley Counseling Center’s Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) programs are based in Chicopee and serve Hampden and Hampshire Counties. The team includes three main services:

In-Home Therapy (IHT)
Intensive family therapy delivered at home or in the community by a two-person team: a case manager and a master’s-level clinician.

In-Home Behavioral Services (IHBS)
Behavioral assessments and individualized plans to support children in home and community settings.

Therapeutic Mentoring (TM)
Structured, one-to-one mentoring for youth under 21, focused on their treatment-plan goals and daily life skills.

“Our programs fill the gap where group homes and residential programs used to sit. We work with high-need youth and families who require more than once-a-week therapy,” says CBHI Program Director Ash Reynolds.

Because the needs are complex, each staff member carries a small caseload of 8–12 families. They meet weekly with youth and caregivers, coordinate with other providers, connect families to resources, and stay available throughout the week if needed.

“We’re more than a clinical team. It’s easier to list the things we don’t do,” Reynolds says. “We’ve created a Minecraft group at the library and tracked down a vet who could offer free care for a family’s pets. Whatever helps the child move toward their goals.”

The impact is both practical and personal. Staff meet families where they are—literally—building trust at home, out in the community, and through whatever creative strategies help a young person open up.

“Our staff is clinically skilled, deeply caring, persistent, and wildly creative,” Reynolds says. “They take the time to build real relationships. It takes a special person to do this work, and it’s rewarding in ways that are hard to put into words.”

The team typically works with about 250 families at a time and anyone can make a referral for services.