Our mission to change the course of children’s lives by stabilizing families and strengthening mental health is woven into everything we do. Our goal is to help youth and families achieve and maintain safety, permanency, and well-being. We provide a continuum of services to help youth and families recover, rehabilitate, and reintegrate to live happier, healthier lives.
Nexus-Kindred Family Healing provides:
Foster Care: for youth with unique needs, ages birth through 21, who can benefit from support with a family setting. Individualized support plans for youth. Careful assessment of youths’ needs to match with a qualified foster home. Assessment of youth’s needs and strengths using the CANS assessment tool- Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths. Special care for youth with complex medical conditions that might otherwise require hospitalization or institutional care. Support services to youth ages 14 and older who are transitioning to independent living.
Adoption Services: Nexus-Kindred Family Healing is designated by the Minnesota Department of Human Services to license adoptive homes and place youth who are under state or tribal guardianship for the purpose of adoption. Services provided free of charge include: Adoption Training and Education, Adoption Home Studies and Updates, Relative Adoption Services, Child-specific Recruitment, Child Placement Services, and Post-Adoption Services.
Childbirth, Breastfeeding, and Newborn Care Courses & Consults
Eliza Michaelson, RN, BSN, PHN, CLC
Birthing and Breastfeeding Services
Doulas and Lactation Services
Stephanie Holthus, Certified Lactation Counselor
Since opening in 2010, the Walker Area Pregnancy Support Center has been dedicated to supporting women and men through unplanned pregnancies, helping them to grow and communicate with one another. Offering a wide variety of services with the goal of supporting each and every person who walks through the doors, and it is the intention that every individual who comes in will learn something new and be able to apply that new knowledge to their everyday life.
Agriculture in the Classroom programs are implemented by state-operated programs. National Agriculture in the Classroom supports state programs by providing a network that seeks to improve agricultural literacy — awareness, knowledge, and appreciation — among PreK-12 teachers and their students. Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) programs seek to improve student achievement by applying authentic, agricultural-based content as the context to teach core curriculum concepts in science, social studies, language arts and nutrition. By encouraging teachers to embed agriculture into their classroom, AITC cultivates an understanding and appreciation of the food and fiber system that we all rely on every day. AITC is unique within the agricultural education community as the lead organization to serve the full spectrum of K-12 formal education. Learn more about the history of Agriculture in the Classroom.
The purpose of the Bemidji Early Childhood Collaborative is to promote culturally-responsive healthy development, quality education, superior childcare, and family support for children ages birth through five in the greater Bemidji community.
DAY TREATMENT
Program Description: Day Treatment is an intensive rehabilitative mental health service for youth whose mental health is significantly impairing their functioning in school, home and community environments. Day Treatment operates for 3 hours a day, 5 days per week, year-round. A youth’s home school district is responsible for academics and ensuring that the youth’s schedule covers core classes during the time they will be on school grounds.
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN SCHOOLS
Description of Services: Therapeutic Services Agency, Inc (TSA) is a community provider who provides mental health services for children, teens and their families in their school environment. TSA Mental Health Therapists and Skills Workers partner with school staff to find the best time in a student’s day to schedule a mental health session and collaborate to determine best ways to support a student in the school environment. TSA provides two types of Mental Health Services in Schools; School-linked Behavioral Health Services (SLBH) and School Based Mental Health services. SLBH services are funded by insurance coverage and/or grant support which is funded by the MN Department of Human Services. TSA SLBH service providers are located in offices at the schools in Pine and Chisago counties. School Based Mental Health Services are routinely provided by TSA staff members at schools within the districts of Forest Lake, Wyoming, St. Paul and Anoka and are funded through insurance or private pay.
INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH
Service Description: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health services are for infants, toddlers, and young children with impairing mental health symptoms and/or developmental needs. These services allow for the assessment and treatment of infants and young children. The assessment process includes a DC:0-5 Diagnostic Assessment. Additional psychotherapeutic services may include Family Psychotherapy, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and/or in-home Family Skills services.
OUTPATIENT SERVICES
Description of Services: TSA provides professional mental health services to individuals and families of all ages. Our clinical staff come from the fields of psychology, clinical social work, and marriage and family therapy and are licensed professionals and/or have advanced graduate training in a mental health field.
Services generally start with a comprehensive assessment to address presenting problems/concerns. This helps to identify appropriate recommendations for service needs. Psychotherapy is one of the services that is most commonly provided in our outpatient setting. This refers to a range of treatments that can help with mental health problems, emotional challenges, and some psychiatric disorders. Psychotherapy aims to assist individuals to better understand their feelings and to provide tools to help individuals cope with difficult situations in a more adaptive way. Psychotherapy services can assist people experiencing a wide range of mental health concerns. Whether you and/or a family member are wanting help coping with individual or family concerns or assistance in enhancing your relationships with others, our professional therapists are committed to helping clients find meaningful, hope-filled lives.
COMMUNITY BASED SKILLS GROUPS
Program Description: Community Based Skills groups are an opportunity for clients to learn and practice important emotional and behavioral coping, social, communication and daily living skills within the context of a group setting with peers of a similar age. Oftentimes, skills groups are an important addition to individual therapy and provide an opportunity for youth to practice skills that will help them cope with various mental health challenges they are facing and working through in therapy.
IN-HOME FAMILY BASED SERVICES
Description of Services: We believe the best way to provide services to a child is through strengthening and empowering the family as a unit. This is the heartbeat of the philosophy of In-Home Family Based Services (FBS). FBS services are unique in that most often the treatment is offered in the client’s homes. FBS services are designed to respond to each family’s unique needs, therefore, the treatment approach is tailored to fit individual families.
DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING SERVICES
Overview of Services: TSA’s Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing Mental Health Program provides culturally affirmative mental health services to children (birth to 22 years), who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing and their families; and who are experiencing difficulties due to emotional or behavioral disorder(s). These mental health services include: comprehensive diagnostic assessment, individual psychotherapy, family psychotherapy, family psychoeducation, and Children’s Therapeutic Services and Supports (CTSS), a flexible package of mental health services for children who require varying therapeutic and rehabilitative levels of intervention and combine psychotherapy (individual, family, group) with skills training (individual, family, group) and crisis assistance to help strengthen the emotional, behavioral, and social functioning of children and their families.
The therapists in the deaf and hard of hearing program have a broad range of understanding about the physical and mental health challenges and needs of children who have mild to profound hearing losses. They understand how these needs influence behavior, school performance, family life, and social relationships. They are well versed in addressing communication needs and language barriers. Therapists in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program are fluent in American Sign language (ASL) and are familiar with Deaf culture.
ASSESSMENTS
Therapeutic Services Agency, Inc provides Diagnostic Assessments, Psychological Evaluations and Specialized Assessments. Diagnostic assessments are required before a client can receive mental health services as they assist with determining therapeutic treatment needs and eligibility for specific services. Psychological Evaluations provide a more in-depth assessment of a client’s emotional, behavioral & psychological presentation. The Specialized Assessments TSA provides focus on the needs of the children in the context of a family unit.
SUPERVISED VISITATIONS
Sometimes families experiencing internal strife or families involved with Child Protection Services need supervised visitation services. TSA provides this service specific to individual family need, as requested. This service may be provided in a community setting (such as a public park), appropriate family home, TSA office or other agreed upon setting. Safety is a must and all parties must agree to primary supervised visitation rules. Supervised visitation services are focused on best meeting the child(ren)’s needs. The adults visiting the children need to cooperate with the professional providing the supervised visitation service with an emphasis on safety, age appropriate interactions with the child, child-centered activity and overall child well being in their experience of visitation.
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING, CONSULTATION AND SUPERVISION
Training Services
Therapeutic Services Agency’s professional staff provide training sessions tailored to meet your group’s training needs. We provide training to mental health service providers, foster parents, adoptive families, GAL’s, County Social Workers, etc. We provide training on the following topics and may also develop additional training workshops in response to your requests.
The Office of Head Start (OHS) administers grant funding and oversight to the 1,600 agencies that provide Head Start services in communities across the country. OHS also provides federal policy direction and a training and technical assistance (TTA) system to help grantees in providing comprehensive services to eligible young children and their families.
Head Start programs prepare America’s most vulnerable young children to succeed in school and in life beyond school. To achieve this, Head Start programs deliver services to children age birth to 5 and their families in core areas of early learning, health, and family well-being.
The Head Start program serves about 1 million children and pregnant women in urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout America. Head Start services are provided in centers, family child care homes, or in the family’s own home.
Currently, OHS is prioritizing four key mission areas: advancing equity, supporting programs’ pandemic response and recovery, investing in the workforce, and reaching more children and families.
Community Mental Health Center:
Provide psychotherapy to adults, adolescents and children as well as Psychological evaluations. Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Service (ARMHS), Children’s Therapeutic Support Services (CTSS) and Care Coordinators to assist with intakes
Substance Use Disorder (SUD):
Individual and group outpatient services for youth and adults; including Comprehensive Assessments.
Foster Care and Adoption:
Supporting adoptive parents with the matching process through finalization of a special needs child. Professional foster care for youth ages 0-21- and 24-hour case management services. Families must meet MN DHS requirements to become a licensed provider.
Winnie Way:
Therapeutic transitional living program, providing support to adolescent girls who have been sexually exploited and/or trafficked. Serves girls ages 16-21. Programming is client-centered approach and trauma-informed care model. Residents receive services tailored to their individual needs and treatment goals. Contact: Colbi Ikola @ 218-820-0121
Hawkins Home:
Transitional living program for girls ages 16-21. This home offers supportive and structured living environment with a focus on building the skills and competencies necessary for a successful transition into young adulthood. Programming is individualized and based upon client-identified goals and areas of need. Contact: Colbi Ikola @ 218-820-0121
An Ombudsman is an independent government official responsible for reviewing government and government regulated agencies in an effort to ensure that their practices are fair, reasonable and appropriate. To do this, the ombudsman: Receives complaints, reviews, investigates and if appropriate, makes recommendations to remedy the complaints.
Pregnancy support: free and confidential pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, STI & UTI testing, pregnancy options counseling, moms support group, and material support (maternity and baby clothes, cribs, car seats, etc.)
Mailing Address:
PO Box 635, Bemidji, MN 56619
Our Mission: Providing education, mentoring and support services that build strong individuals and families in the Northland Community School District.
Core Values:
- Education is an important key to building self-sufficient individuals and strong families.
- Every person has value. We operate out of consideration for each individual’s dignity.
- Strong families build strong communities.
- Healthy families and community systems are essential to supporting sustainable change in individuals.
- We strive for communities in which people are interdependent.
- We collaborate with other organizations that support our mission.
The Northland Area Family Services Center was created as a unique way to give rural access to county and educational services, and to meet community needs through innovative programming. Incorporated in 1996 as a 501C3, we serve the Northland Community School District and parts of Leech Lake Reservation. This is a population of 4,474 people (5.26 persons per square mile). In our service area 20% of households make less than $20,000 and 11.9% or 536 people in our community live below the poverty line.
Bemidji’s Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program and School Readiness (SR) are for all families in the Bemidji School District who have preschool age children. We recognize that parents are a child’s first and most important teachers — and that sometimes parents need support and encouragement for this responsibility! ECFE/SR offers a variety of classes for you and your child: infants to pre-kindergarten.
The Pillager Family Center currently serves as a “go-to” for community members. With two offices we serve as the liaison between Cass County and the Pillager School District. Our main office houses our Food Shelf and many County forms and references a community member might need. In addition we offer teleconference video services with County workers, WIC Clinics, Food Shelf, MAC and NAPS distribution, and serve as an information spot. Our satellite office is adjacent to the Pillager Elementary School. From here we coordinate the Little Huskies Daycare, Early Childhood Family Education programs, ECSE, Pre-school, and Head Start. Because we are so centrally located in two different locations, we are able to meet our communities needs in ways other entities may not.
Parking is available in front of the Family Center doors on the south side of Pillager City Hall.
Satellite Office:
Pillager School
323 E. 2nd Street
Pillager, MN 56473
Kinship Partners is a nonprofit youth mentoring organization serving families within Crow Wing county, southern Cass county and Staples/Motley area of Minnesota by providing positive role models to youth in our communities. We partner with local businesses and school districts to provide an impactful smaller-scale mentoring option through our school-based Lunch Buddies program, and we rely on committed individuals, couples and families to be our volunteer mentors for our more robust community-based mentoring program, the foundation of Kinship Partners. Regardless of which program our volunteers and kids participate in, they experience the power of strong, caring relationships.
An interagency initiative of the State of Minnesota, Help Me Grow partners with organizations and agencies statewide. Help Me Grow has many resources about the development of young children for parents and professionals. These resources include information on developmental milestones, YouTube videos, caregiver strategies to support development, screening and evaluation, and how to talk about developmental concerns.
PACER Helps in Many Ways
Through more than 30 projects, PACER provides individual assistance, workshops, publications, and other resources to help families make decisions about education and other services for their child or young adult with disabilities.
PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center® provides resources designed to benefit all students, including those with disabilities.
PACER is for:
- Families and their children or young adults with disabilities or special health care needs from birth through adulthood.
- Educators and other professionals who work with students with or without disabilities.
- Parents of all children and schools working together to encourage family involvement in education .
Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the official U. S. Air Force Auxiliary, is a civilian, volunteer, nonprofit, service organization with almost 62,000 members nationwide. Minnesota is home to 21 Squadrons across the state. CAP Corporation and its members own and operate more than 500 light aircraft, the world’s largest civilian fleet, and volunteers fly about 140,000 hours each year on CAP missions.
CAP won fame during World War II for its coastal patrol and other all-volunteer civilian defense activities. Today, CAP members perform more than 95 percent of inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. CAP also conducts a wide variety of emergency service missions including disaster relief and counter-drug activities.CAP volunteers take a leading role in aerospace education and conduct one of America’s finest youth programs, the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program.
The Cadet Program is open to youth ages 12-18 years of age. Cadets have opportunities to participate in many activities including search and rescue, disaster relief, survival training, radio communications, land navigation, model rocketry, leadership training, first aid, physical fitness, orientation flights (aboard a CAP or military aircraft) and much more.
Civil Air Patrol instills the organization’s Core Values in its cadets — integrity, volunteer service, excellence and respect. CAP’s 23,000 cadets are drug-free role models in their communities and schools. The cadet program also offers youth in-depth training in leadership and enables them to apply classroom principles to real-world needs.
You don’t have to be a pilot or need military experience to join Civil Air Patrol. Civil Air Patrol re also not obligated to join any branch of the military service.
The mission of the Oshki Manidoo “New Spirit” Center is to be a healing place with a holistic approach for Native American youth and non-Native American Youth to begin to embrace healthy behaviors and attitudes that will transform them, their families and communities.
Program emphasis includes substance use disorder, cultural foundations, physical wellness and strengthening family connections.
Youth will return to their community following successful discharge with a new outlook, understanding their importance as an integral part of the larger community, chemical free and able to sustain sobriety and continue their journey toward healthy living.
Operated by the White Earth Tribal Council
All Club activities support youth development in at least one of three key program areas:
- Academic success to help youth achieve academic goals, stay in school, explore career interests, learn new skills and consider post-secondary education options.
…Project Learn engages Club members in tutoring, homework help, service projects and fun learning activities.
…Power Hour, ages 6-18, time set aside for working on homework, every day after school.
…Tutoring, ages 6-18, trained tutors work with Club members in specific subject areas.
….Bemidji Area Reading Canines, ages 6-12, read aloud to a specially trained dog to help youth build confidence in their reading skills.
….Technology Lab, ages 6-18, builds digital literacy by teaching kids how to use basic software and be safe online.
….Career Launch, ages 14-18, provides a range of services to guide Club members as they work toward high school graduation and prepare for post-secondary education and career success.
….Money Matters, ages 6-18, builds basic personal money management skills, including budgeting, saving and investing.
….National Fine Arts, ages 6-18, encourages artistic expression through drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, collage, mixed media and sculpture.
2. Healthy lifestyles to help youth engage in positive behaviors that nurture well-being, set personal goals and grow into self-sufficient adults, including daily physical activity, healthy food choices and an appreciation for the outdoors.
….Triple Play activities promote a healthy mind, body and soul.
….Healthy Habits, ages 6-18, incorporates healthy living and active learning in every part of the Club experience with an emphasis on good nutrition, regular physical activity and improving overall well-being.
….Club greenhouse, ages 6-18, on-site greenhouse engages youth in gardening, including cultivation and harvesting, planning healthful meals and snacks and selling fresh produce to area businesses and the Bemidji School District.
….Laketrails, ages 12-18, introduces up to 15 Club members to the wilderness with an eight-day canoeing adventure on Lake of the Woods.
….Goals for Growth, ages 6-12, builds skills needed to set and achieve goals and maintain motivation.
….SMART Moves, ages 6-18, helps youth resist the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and avoid premature sexual activity.
….Leadership Club, ages 12-18, engages Club members in leadership within the Club. Participants assist Club staff in the gym, game room and kitchen and volunteer within the Club and the community.
3. Character and leadership to empower youth to become engaged in the Club and the community, sustain meaningful relationships, respect one another and participate in the democratic process.
….Torch Club, ages 11-13, a small-group leadership and service club that focuses on service to Club and community, education, health and fitness and social recreation. Clubs can compete nationally for service awards.
….Keystone Club, ages 13-18, provides teens an opportunity to gain leadership and service experience as they conduct activities in three areas: academic success, career exploration and community service.
….Youth of the Year, ages 14-18, to recognize a teen Club member who exemplifies excellence in service to the Club, commitment to community and family, academic success, strong moral character, life goals and public speaking.
….Youth for Unity, ages 6-18, promotes and celebrates diversity while combating prejudice, bigotry and discrimination. Youth of all ages learn to appreciate themselves as unique and special individuals, understand diversity in society, recognize bias and unfairness and take personal leadership confronting bias.
….Year of Service Initiative, ages 6-18, focuses on a variety of events that provide opportunities for youth to engage as volunteers in the community or at the Club.