About one in five American children has a mental health disorder that is diagnosable. But fewer than half of those kids are getting the support they need. The Behavioral Health Children and Adolescent (BHCA) services in Massachusetts is here to help.
This community-based network offers a wide range of mental health and substance use services to children through age 18, from in-home therapy to family support and training. Services can take place at home, school or out in the neighborhood.
A few of the BHCA services you may have available:
- 24/7 care for all types of behavioral health concerns, including mental health and substance use
- Behavior plans, behavior monitoring, therapy and assessments
- In-home therapy and care plans
- Intensive Care Coordination for children and adolescents who have more than one condition
View a detailed list of BHCA services and Frequently Asked Questions.
For more infomation about BHCA, visit Mass.gov or download a list of BHCA contracted providers.
Basic requirements to qualify for BHCA services:
- Children and adolescents through age 18
- Services must be provided by fully-insured commercial plans and select self-insured plans
- Policies must be based in the state of Massachusetts
- Providers must practice in the state of Massachusetts
- New or renewing accounts on or after 7/1/2019
BHCA services do not apply to:
- Massachusetts residents whose accounts are not based in Massachusetts
- Non-Massachusetts practicing providers
- Administrative Services Only (ASO) accounts that have not opted to “buy-up” the Behavioral Health Children and Adolescent (BHCA) services program.
BHCA Services
Community Based Acute Treatment (CBAT)
Mental health services provided in a staff-secure setting on a 24-hour basis, with sufficient clinical staffing to ensure safety for the child or adolescent, while providing intensive therapeutic services including, but not limited to: daily medication monitoring; psychiatric assessment; nursing availability; specializing (as needed); individual, group and family therapy; case management; family assessment and consultation; discharge planning; and psychological testing, as needed. This service may be used as an alternative to or transition from inpatient services.
Intensive Community Based Acute Treatment (ICBAT)
ICBAT provides the same services as CBAT for children and adolescents but of higher intensity, including more frequent psychiatric and psychopharmacological evaluation and treatment and more intensive staffing and service delivery.
In-Home Therapy (IHT)
Medically necessary therapeutic clinical intervention or ongoing training, as well as therapeutic support; provided however, that the intervention or support shall be provided where the child resides, including in the child's home, a foster home, a therapeutic foster home, or another community setting. Where any Carrier's Family Stabilization Treatment (FST) service is substantially similar to In-Home Therapy, it may be considered to meet the requirements of this Bulletin.
Family Stabilization Team (FST)
The Family Stabilization Team (FST) program provides intensive, therapeutic services in the home setting to assist the family in stabilizing children and adolescents during a period of emotional, behavioral, and/or psychiatric disturbance, and secondarily, after out-of-home treatment, such as inpatient hospitalization or community-based acute treatment. This type of program is designed to treat all members of a family, not just the specific child/adolescent identified as being at risk for continued inpatient care, residential treatment, and/or out-of-home placement. Services are designed to prevent repeated hospitalizations or to enable children/adolescents to move to the least restrictive setting as soon as it is clinically indicated, or to foster a successful family reunification. Treatment decisions must include consideration of the resiliency, strengths, and deficits of the child; the ability of the parents to provide the necessary advocacy for meeting the child’s needs; and the ability of the parents to support individuation in the child. Goals of developing positive thoughts, necessary life skills, and strong self-esteem should be included.
In-Home Behavioral Services (IHBS)
A combination of medically necessary behavior management therapy and behavior management monitoring; provided, however, that such services shall be available, when indicated, where the child resides, including in the child's home, a foster home, a therapeutic foster home, or another community setting and include:
- Behavior management monitoring - monitoring of a child's behavior, the implementation of a behavior plan and reinforcing implementation of a behavior plan by the child's parent or other caregiver.
- Behavior management therapy -that addresses challenging behaviors that interfere with a child's successful functioning; provided, however, that "behavior management therapy" shall include a functional behavioral assessment and observation of the youth in the home and/or community setting, development of a behavior plan, and supervision and coordination of interventions to address specific behavioral objectives or performance, including the development of a crisis-response strategy; and provided further, that "behavior management therapy" may include short-term counseling and assistance.
Mobile Crisis Intervention (MCI)
A short-term, mobile, on-site, face-to-face therapeutic response service that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to a child experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Mobile crisis intervention is used to identify, assess, treat and stabilize a situation, to reduce the immediate risk of danger to the child or others, and to make referrals and linkages to all medically necessary behavioral health services and supports and the appropriate level of care. Mobile crisis intervention includes a crisis assessment and crisis planning, which may result in the development or update of a crisis safety plan.
Intensive Care Coordination (ICC)
A collaborative service that provides targeted case management services to children and adolescents with a serious emotional disturbance, including individuals with co-occurring conditions, in order to meet the comprehensive medical, behavioral health, and psychosocial needs of an individual and the individual's family. This service includes an assessment, the development of an individualized care plan, referrals to appropriate levels of care, monitoring of goals, and coordinating with other services and social supports and with state agencies, as indicated. ICC is delivered in office, home or other settings, as clinically appropriate.
Therapeutic Mentoring (TM)
Medically necessary services provided to a child designed to support age-appropriate social functioning or to improve deficits in the child’s age-appropriate social functioning resulting from a mental health diagnosis; provided, however, that such services may include supporting, coaching and training the child in age-appropriate behaviors, interpersonal communication, problem solving, conflict resolution and relating appropriately to other children and adolescents and to adults. Such services are provided, when indicated, where the child resides, including in the child’s home, a foster home, a therapeutic foster home, or another community setting. Therapeutic mentoring is a skill building service supporting specific elements of one or more goals on the youth’s behavioral health treatment plan developed by the primary treating clinician. It may also be delivered in the community, to allow the youth to practice desired skills in appropriate settings.
Family Support & Training (FS&T)
Medically necessary services provided to a parent or other caregiver of a child to improve the capacity of the parent or caregiver to improve or resolve the child’s emotional or behavioral needs and to parent; provided, however, that such service shall be provided where the child resides, including in the child’s home, a foster home, a therapeutic foster home or another community setting. Family support and training supporting specific elements of the youth’s behavioral health treatment plan developed by the primary treating clinician, and may include educating parents/caregivers about the youth’s behavioral health needs and resiliency factors, teaching parents/caregivers how to navigate services on behalf of the child and how to identify formal and informal services and supports in their communities, including parent support and self-help groups.
Services may include education, assistance in navigating the child serving systems (education, mental health, juvenile justice, etc.); fostering empowerment, including linkages to peer/parent support and self-help groups; assistance in identifying formal and community resources (e.g. after-school programs, food assistance, summer camps, etc.); and support, coaching, and training for the parent/caregiver.
Family support and training is provided by Family Partners, to support supporting specific elements of the youth’s behavioral health treatment plan developed by the primary treating clinician. Services and may include educating parents/caregivers about the youth’s behavioral health needs and resiliency factors, teaching parents/caregivers how to navigate services on behalf of the child and how to identify formal and informal services and supports in their communities, including parent support and self-help groups.