Child & Family Services

Some special services are offered at the Guilford Center :

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services
Finding one’s way through mental health services can be an intimidating experience for anyone; for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, the experience can be particularly frustrating. Guilford Center has professionally trained staff who can help. Depending upon the consumers’ needs, we can provide services directly or refer them to other resources to better match their unique situations. We serve as a service portal for the North Central Region of North Carolina and work with clients throughout the region.

Among the services offered by our Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services are:

• Providing consultation with psycho-educational and psychotherapeutic assessments and diagnostic evaluations.
• Providing consultation for child, adult, group and/or family mental health treatment.
• Providing consultation for substance abuse assessment, diagnosis and treatment.
• Offering referrals to service providers and community resources.
• Advocating for mental health treatment, community resources and accommodations.
• Consulting with mental health centers and individual service providers to increase accessibility to deaf and hard of hearing clients.
• Providing training and presentations regarding deafness, deaf culture, mental health treatment issues, communication, interpreting, advocacy, and service coordination.

In addition to serving consumers in Guilford County, our Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services unit also serves residents living in the following counties: Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin. For information on this program, contact: Deb Nicoli, Mental Health Consultant.

The Guilford Center
201 North Eugene Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
Phone: 336.641.3579 (voice)
TTY: 641.8020
Fax: 336.641.3580
E-Mail: DNicoli@GuilfordCenter.com

For more information on our programs, call our ACCESS line at 1.800. 853.5163,
or 1.866.518.6778 (TTY number for deaf and hard of hearing consumers).

---

Court Liaison Program
The Court Liaison serves as a link between the Department of Social Services, Department of Juvenile Justice, the Guardian ad Litem program, the Public Defenders’ office, the District Attorney’s office, the courts and the Guilford Center.

The liaisons regularly attend juvenile court to provide information about our agency’s services and how to access them. All parenting assessments requested through the DSS are scheduled through Court Liaisons. In addition, Juvenile Justice requested psychological assessments and court-ordered forensic screenings are also scheduled through Court Liaison Services.

The program operates out of our Greensboro and High Point locations.

Specialized Treatment of Perpetrators (S.T.O.P.)
Our Specialized Treatment of Perpetrators (S.T.O.P.) is a treatment program specifically designed for the assessment and treatment of court-involved youth who have committed sexual offenses. The program serves youthful sexual offenders between 12 and 17. Adjudication is required and must occur before the offender’s 16th birthday and prior to referral to the program. In addition to those services, STOP also provides treatment for children under 11 who demonstrate sexually reactive behaviors, but have not been adjudicated.

The program’s goals are to:

• Confront illegal sexual behavior.
• Provide high quality treatment.
• Assist the client in developing skills to manage abusive behaviors.
• Prevent future offenses.

Referrals to the program must be submitted in writing. Along with the referral form, the following documents and information are required:

• Police report and victim statements.
• Court orders.
• Collateral information including social history, offense history, available mental health treatment history and recent psychologicals.

After the referral packet is completed, the information is reviewed by the S.T.O.P. Team and an initial interview is scheduled or a referral made to a more appropriate resource.

About S.T.O.P’s Treatment Services
Group therapy is the treatment of choice for youthful sexual offenders except in cases where the child’s unique disabilities or challenges would prevent this type of treatment. Groups meet weekly and are composed of six to eight clients.

In addition to treatment groups, family education and therapy are important to the client’s treatment. If needed, individual therapy may also be provided. A community treatment team is involved on an ongoing basis in decisions about offender treatment and supervision. This team includes S.T.O.P. Program staff, the offender, parents, court counselor and other service providers. The course of treatment is 12 to 18 months.

For more information, call the ACCESS line at 1.800.853.5163