Don't Underestimate Your Impact! 

Join A Home Within-CASA Therapy Project.

Volunteer California Clinical Therapists Needed for Youth In Foster Care

 

A Home Within-CASA Therapy Project (ACTP) matches volunteer clinical therapists licensed in California with youth in foster care and those who have aged out. This unique volunteer opportunity is open to California therapists (LMFT, LPCC, LCSW, and associates in these fields) who will work pro bono via teletherapy with a youth in the foster care system.

Don't underestimate your ability to enhance their lives. 

Many people can make a phone call and get expert counseling and support. Youth in the foster care system can wait over a year to get that same support. Most, if not all, suffer from anxiety, depression, and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Could you wait a year?

With your expertise, California youth ages 12 to 21 in the foster system and those who have aged out can reach their goals at school or work, improve communication, and increase self-esteem. Help them tackle the issues they are facing.

Requirements

Applicants must have the following licensure: LPCC, LMFT, LCSW, or be associates in those fields in the state of California.

Associates are eligible for free group supervision. All therapists receive free ongoing CEUs and can opt to participate in free consultation groups.

Email elliottnight@cccocasa.org for more information or apply via the link below.

 

Apply Now
 
 

A Home Within-CASA Therapy Project (ACTP) Overview

The Goal

Our overall goal is to develop a systemic solution addressing the shortage of mental health professionals available to work with youth in foster care.

  • The project is open to youth in foster care who are12 to 21 years of age. Those who have a CASA volunteer, as well as those who haven’t been assigned a CASA, are welcome to apply. Youth who have aged out of foster care are also eligible for this program.
  • Our teletherapy approach gives youth the ability to remain with the same therapist no matter how often, or where, they move within California. It also eliminates the need for transportation to a therapist’s office.

The Need

Recent studies show that rates of mental health diagnoses among youth in foster care are as high as 70%, yet fewer than one out of four youth in foster care receive appropriate treatment. 

Youth in foster care can wait over a year before getting a diagnosis (2017 Contra Costa County Grand Jury Report).

The Partnership

Over the last 40 years, CASA of Contra Costa County has established itself as the leading agency that provides individualized one-to-one support for youth in foster care. CASA volunteers currently support up to 200 youth in Contra Costa County.

A Home Within is a 25-year-old national nonprofit that recruits and supports volunteer licensed clinicians who work with current and former foster youth for free weekly therapy. AHW has successful programs throughout California.

The partnership allows AHW and CASA to provide teletherapy services to one of the most vulnerable populations throughout the state.

Measuring Outcomes

Since 2001, the Foster Care Research Group at the University of San Francisco has measured treatment outcomes for the youth in foster care served by AHW. Findings show AHW’s model has contributed to the significant reduction of symptoms including, but not limited to:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Peer Relationships Problems
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Dissociative States      

AHW has secured funding to perform a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to determine the outcomes for youth in foster care who participate in therapy.

What the Therapists Say About the Program

ACTP is changing the narrative of loss, disrupted attachment and inconsistent care that far too many youth in foster care experience. The new narrative it is creating is one of healing, connection and continuity of care. I am so honored to be part of this profoundly impactful program.   –Caitlin 

I love the versatility of providing remote therapy...it allows me to volunteer from my home base. Youth in foster care often have jammed and unpredictable schedules. Teletherapy allows me to be flexible in my availability for when the unexpected meeting crops up in the client’s week.   –Rebecca

I love working to help foster kids that would otherwise fall through the cracks of the system…the supervision group has been a godsend to help therapists provide the best care possible for the kids…Thank you for helping us make a difference for the kids in foster care. 

–Jessica


In June of 2021 A Home Within and CASA of Contra Costa County were awarded a 3-year grant of $900,000 through the Community Reinvestment Grants Program administered by the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. 

The grant will support the expansion of our partnership to provide free, long-term therapy to youth in foster care throughout California.