Our Mission

Using Sanctuary practices and principles, we help youth and families overcome adversity and build positive futures within a safe, Christian environment that respects and promotes individuality and strengthens community.

Catholic Charities

Harborcreek Youth Services is affiliated with Catholic Charities, Diocese of Erie. Admissions, provision of services, and client referrals are made without regard to race, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin (including limited English proficiency), age, or sex.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Erie

Our Program

Harborcreek Youth Services is a fully accredited child and family social service agency recognized for achieving the highest standards of professional practice in child residential treatment services and family preservation and treatment services.

Mental Health

Clinical services are a major part of each client’s treatment program. Upon admission, each youth is assigned a master’s level clinician who serves as the leader of his treatment team. Treatment therapists assess the youth’s treatment needs and develop an Individual Treatment Plan (ITP). They monitor treatment progress and coordinate treatment services through regular quarterly treatment reviews. Each client participates in weekly individual therapy and group counseling five days per week. Clinical staff provides case management and specialized individual and/or group therapy when indicated by the treatment team.

Sexual Counseling Services

Sexual Counseling Services (SCS) provides treatment for male sexual offenders, sexually reactive males and males with sexual adjustment disorders. Harborcreek Youth Services has long been a recognized leader in the treatment of juvenile sex offenders and victims of sexual abuse, or who have admitted to or have been adjudicated for committing a sexual offense. Among the tools we use to evaluate and treat our clients is the Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest-2, a comprehensive, sex-specific psychological evaluation and treatment tool specifically designed for use with adolescents.

Nationally credentialed therapists deliver SCS in five phases:

Psycho-educational
Sex education
Victim awareness
Offender dynamics
Relapse prevention.

Click here for detailed information about each of these phases.

The time required for the treatment process depends on the client's response to treatment, but the average length of stay is twelve to fifteen months. Some clients work harder and grasp concepts faster than others; however, all clients are given the same opportunity to succeed in the SCS programs.

Because of the serious nature of the offenses committed by some of these clients, we restrict their access to the community. Home visits are not permitted until the therapist has determined that treatment has proceeded far enough that risk is manageable. When home visits are permitted, the client must remain under eyesight supervision of his parents or guardian until the therapist has determined that he has earned unsupervised time in the community.

Regular family contact and counseling is provided in-home or on-site to families, or by phone when distance makes in-home visits unrealistic. We offer transportation service to Allegheny and Erie County families so parents can be involved in their children's treatment and can also make arrangements for transportation from other counties.

Families are an integral part of our clients' treatment process and are expected to support our clients' treatment goals. In addition, we strongly encourage regular attendance at our monthly parent education and support groups. Clients are required to apologize to their victims whenever possible and always in cases where the victim is a family member. Family reunification meetings are a part of the treatment process if clients are to return to their families.

When reunification is impossible, alternative resources are sought with the help of the placing agency. Community-based group homes and independent living programs are also a part of the continuum of care offered by Harborcreek Youth Services and are available to clients who require these services. Release from the agency is recommended when disposition planning is complete and all treatment objectives have been met.

For more information about SCS at Harborcreek Youth Services, contact Sev Frankhouser, Director of Clinical Services, at (814) 899-7664, Extension 356.

Psychiatric Services

Psychiatric services are available to all clients at the recommendation of the treatment team. These services may provide evaluations, assessments, diagnoses, consultations, medication monitoring and/or treatment. Psychotropic medication intervention and management are available to those clients for whom they are indicated.

Psychological Services

Psychological services are available to all clients and include evaluation, assessment, diagnoses, consultation and/or treatment as determined necessary by the treatment team. Psychological evaluations may provide information regarding intellectual functioning, achievement levels and personality traits or problem identification. Psychological consultation is available to the treatment team to assist in modifying treatment plans, anticipating future needs, maintaining gains or preventing further deterioration.

Individual, Group and Family Therapy

Harborcreek Youth Services’ treatment program integrates individual, group and family therapy with recreation therapy, education and vocational training to provide a total treatment milieu for our clients. In addition, highly specialized courses of treatment are provided for clients who are sex offenders or who have a history of drug and/or alcohol abuse.

Clients participate in regularly scheduled individual and group therapy. The length and frequency of the groups varies according to need and curriculum. A master’s level clinician and treatment staff conduct all therapy sessions and treatment groups. Treatment staff work under the clinical direction of the therapists when providing counseling and other group services. Refer to the chart below for more information about the therapies we offer.

	LEVEL 1	LEVEL 2	LEVEL 3
	MOST INTENSIVE (ACUTE)	INTERMEDIATE (SUB ACUTE)	HONORS/DISCHARGE PHASE
	Primary DSM IV Diagnosis Requires active support to ensure coping skills Highest therapy types and frequencies	DSM IV Diagnosis Developing coping skills Intensity of therapy reduced Requires continued supervision	DSM IV Diagnosis Has attained most of the skills of independent living Requires minimal staff support
INDIVIDUAL	2 to 3 sessions per week	1 to 2 sessions per week	2 sessions per month
GROUP	3 to 4 sessions per week	1 to 2 sessions per week	2 sessions per month
FAMILY	2 sessions per month	2 sessions per month	1 session per month
SPECIALIZED THERAPY	2 sessions per month	2 sessions per month	2 sessions per month
THERAPEUTIC MILIEU	Daily	Daily	Daily

Our treatment philosophy strongly encourages family participation in the treatment process. We expect our clients’ parents to participate in planning, implementing and evaluating our clients’ treatment. In addition, we facilitate regularly scheduled support groups for parents of clients.

Regular family visitation time is on Sundays from 1 PM to 4 PM, or at other times by request. We offer no-cost, twice-monthly bus transportation from Allegheny County to Harborcreek Youth Services on Sundays so parents can visit their sons and participate in family therapy. In addition, we deliver family therapy in the family home whenever possible. (In-home therapy is not always possible, due to the constraints of distance or the inability of the client to safely participate in family therapy in his own home without jeopardizing the treatment process.)

For more information about services to clients and families residing in or near Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, contact Frank Porter, Southwest Family and Court Liaison, at (412) 585-0352.

For additional information about our treatment program, contact Sev Frankhouser, Director of Clinical Services, at (814) 899-7664, Extension 356.