Ligonier Valley Learning Center, Inc.

Ligonier Valley Learning Center, Inc.
117 Juniper Lane, Ligonier, PA 15658
Main Office - (724) 238-2115    FAX - (724) 238-5584
Counseling Center - (724) 238-5556   FAX - (724) 238-9533
Family Services Unit - (724) 238-0355   FAX - (724) 238-0352
Connections Store (724) 238-9611
Latrobe Kinder-Schull - (724) 537-2565   FAX - (724) 537-7096

"LVLC is a Non-Profit Service Agency" WHERE LITTLE HANDS DO BIG THINGS... Educational Childhood Programs & Mental Health Services Providing Quality Programs To Children and Families for over "20 Years". E-Mail

Ligonier Valley
Learning Center

Pre-K Counts

Latrobe Kinder/Schull

Counseling Center

Connections Store

Organization Chart

New: click here to learn about our Pre-K Counts classrooms
A New Concept In Preschool & Childcare...
Project Activities Cognitive Development Computer Stations Creative Imaginary Play Gross Motor Development Creativity through Art Prevention Curriculum Kindergarten Pre-Readiness	CHILD CARE PROGRAMS: Before/After School-Care Recreational Summer Programs Outside Summer Fun Subsidized Child Care
Family Services Unit Behavioral Health Services Provided by Professional Staff...
Therapeutic Staff Support Mobile Therapy Behavioral Specialist Consultation Eligibility Criteria

TYPE OF SERVICE: Therapeutic Staff Support Services (TSS)

TSS services are supportive, time-limited, one-to-one planned behavioral health interventions directed by a detailed treatment plan. TSS services are to be used for children/adolescents who have been diagnosed with serious emotional disturbance, for whom it is determined that use of professional services alone (e.g. outpatient psychotherapy, Mobile Therapy, or family based rehabilitation services) is insufficient to meet established needs. TSS services are to be used when these other resources and services are documented within the psychological or psychiatric evaluation as insufficient or inadequate to meet the needs of the child/adolescent presents social, emotional, or behavioral issues that result in impairment that substantially interferes with or limits the child/adolescent's role or functioning in family, school, or community activities. The services may be provided in a variety of settings, including the child/adolescent's own home, day care center, school, adoptive or foster home, including a group home, and non-secure juvenile justice placement.

The TSS worker assists in the implementation of planned one-to-one interventions, and planned interventions involving the child/adolescent and family jointly, as designated on the treatment plan. These services are not intended to assist children/adolescents and their families in dealing with the normal and expected behaviors related to the child/adolescent's stage of growth and development.

TSS services are designed to:

prevent the need for more restrictive settings or to provide a time-limited transition as a child/adolescent returns from a more restrictive setting;
provide direct one-to-one, short-term intervention to a child/adolescent as indicated in the detailed treatment plan while the child/adolescent's caregivers (family, school, community, etc.) are acquiring the skills that will be beneficial in managing the child/adolescent's behavior;
assist the caregivers in promoting age-appropriate behaviors;
provide the planned interventions, as specifically listed on the treatment plan, that lead to tapering the services with variation in the length of time depending on individual, family, and community circumstances, thereby decreasing dependence and and reliance on TSS services;
supplement, but not replace, less formal resources such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, designed to be long-term emotional support with the emphasis on relationship building;
provide interventions and activities consistent with the family's cultural values and economic limitations, so that families can continue the interventions and activities when TSS services stop.

Appropriate roles and activies for TSS include, but are not limited to:

Assisting and supporting the primary clinician and the family in their efforts to correct or ameliorate issues identified during the assessment processes;
Providing direct one-to-one interventions with the child alone, and with his/her family and caregivers, as identified in the treatment plan;
Identifying the child's patterns of behavior, based on observations and interventions, to behavioral health professionals and caregivers;
Coordinating efforts with parents, teachers, community program staff, and other adults in their efforts to provide direct supervision, structure, limits, and redirection, identified in the treatment plan;
Accompanying the child/adolescent and his caregiver (family, teacher, community program staff, etc.) for pre-scheduled events (field trips, etc.) when the child/adolescent inclusion in such events are clearly addressed in the treatment plan as in need of behavior management interventions for which the family or other caregiver does not yet have adequate skills.

TYPE OF SERVICE: Mobile Therapy Services (MT)

MT is child-centered, family-focused individual and family psychotherapy provided in a setting other than the therapist's or agency's office. The therapist and family within the parameters defined by the interagency team should determine the location. MT services are to be used for children/adolescents who have been diagnosed with serious emotional disturbance for whom it is determined that traditional outpatient psychotherapy is insufficient to meet established needs. MT may be used only when the prescriber and interagency team determine outpatient clinic services are inappropriate or insufficient to meet the child/adolescent and family's needs.

Therapeutic interventions provided by a MT vary according to the individualized needs of a child/adolescent and family. Certain core components are necessary which include the following:

Ongoing review of strengths and therapeutic needs of child/adolescent and family in the context of treatment sessions;
Inclusion of the child/adolescent as a participant in his/her own treatment;
Inclusion of parents or other caretakers as members of the treatment team and as partners in treatment requiring that the family actively participate, in an ongoing manner, in the formulation, development, implementation, and monitoring of treatment efforts;
Support of parental participation in interagency treatment team meetings, treatment plan development/reviews, and Individual Education Plans (IEPs);
Determine, with the family and the case manager, of any needed family support services;
Determination, in conjunction with child/adolescent and family and other involved professionals, of the clinical need for specific evaluations and services, such as medication assessment by a psychiatrist, or psychological testing;
Determination, in conjunction with child/adolescent and family and other involved professionals, of daily routines during times of crisis and transition and a 24 hour crisis plan if needed.

The responsibilities of the MT include but are not limited to the following:

Provision of face-to-face psychotherapy;
Documentation of the child/adolescent's progress through detailed progress notes (maintained in the child/adolescent's record) that directly relates to the child/adolescent's treatment plan;
Interagency, intra-agency treatment team, staff, training, or supervision meetings necessary for the provision of effective treatment for the child/adolescent and family;
Development, with the case manager and other involved professionals, of a plan to obtain needed services that have been identified with the child/adolescent and family;
Collaboration with other involved professionals and agencies in order to provide unified services and continuity of care to child/adolescent and family;

TYPE OF SERVICE: Behavioral Specialist Consultant Services (BSC)

The BSC provides behavioral intervention consultation to a primary clinician and other members of the treatment team for a child or adolescent with a serious emotional disturbance who may need special behavioral management protocols. BSC services must be recommended by the prescriber and the interagency team as medically necessary to assist the primary clinician in developing and implementing specialized behavioral interventions. The BSC, in collaboration with other members of the interagency team, designs and directs the implementation of behavior modification interventions which are individualized to each child's or adolescent's and family's strengths and needs. In accordance with behavorial goals identified by the prescriber and team, the BSC recommends non-aversive behavioral change methods, to be implemented by the primary clinician, and when appropriate, by other members of the treatment team including the family.

Eligibility Requirements

Ligonier Valley Learning Center's behavioral health services are funded through the Office of Medical Assistance. To receive services, the child/youth must be receiving or eligible to receive Medical Assistance. The services must be deemed "medically necessary" by a physician or a licensed psychologist. Behavioral Health Services are provided to children ages 3-21.

Subsidized child care is available for income eligible families. For more information contact the Child Care Assistance Project Office at (724) 836-4580 or 1-800-548-2741. LVLC's Tuition Assistance Program is available for children on a waiting list for subsidized child care.

LVLC \| Pre-K Counts \| Latrobe Kinder/Schull \| Counseling Center \| Connections Store \| Organizational Chart

LigonierValley Learning Center, Inc.
117 Juniper Lane , Ligonier, Pa. 15658
E-Mail: Ligonier Valley Learning Center, Inc.