WHO WE ARE
For 45 years, the Youth Service Bureaus (YSB) have provided a continuum of services to help families address the challenges of growing up.
We are the community mental health arm of Urban Services YMCA, specializing in counseling for youth and families, crisis intervention, prevention programs for at-risk youth, parent education and support, truancy prevention, and community resources linkage services.
Youth Service Bureaus Programs
Clinical Based
Individual, Couple and Family Counseling
Diversion/Probation
Family counseling for youth referred by community police departments for 10 sessions and management of additional services if recommended
C.A.L.M
An anger management group for youth provided in the clinic and on campus
First Stop / TRACK
A substance abuse education and prevention program for youth who are first-time offenders.
Friendship Club
On-going socialization group for elementary-aged youth
Girls United
Group that teaches middle school-aged girls how to create healthy relationships and avoid making self-destructive decisions.
Juvenile Sexual Responsibility Program
Complete assessment and treatment program for male youth, ages 12-17 that have a documented or suspected history of perpetrating sexual abuse.
Parent Education Group Program
Ongoing/open Spanish speaking parent group.
School-Based Counseling
Individual and group counseling/crisis intervention.
Victim Impact Awareness Program
Group counseling co-lead with a juvenile probation officer. Seven-week closed group.
School Safety Advocate/TSCS Middle School
Individual and group counseling with case management for high-risk students at local middle schools.
South San Francisco Youth Service Bureau
ADDRESS: 1486 Huntington Ave., Suite 100, South San Francisco, CA 94080
PHONE: (650) 877 - 8642
San Mateo Youth Service Bureau
ADDRESS: 1650 So. Amphlett Blvd., Suite 115, San Mateo, CA 94402
PHONE: (650) 877 - 8642
WHO WE SERVE AND WHAT WE DO
We work in over 50 schools across San Mateo and San Francisco counties providing on-site counseling and assessment, crisis intervention, on-campus violence prevention, and adolescent life skills/support groups. In San Francisco we work throughout the city on school campuses with permanent services offered in 11 of those sites.
We work as a therapeutic partnership with the San Mateo Department of Probation providing diversion counseling for first-time juvenile offenders, alternatives to incarceration and re-entry programs for youth in the juvenile justice system. In San Francisco we offer intensive clinical case management for probation-involved youth.
We are a clinical training center for Trainees and Interns working toward licensure in their professional fields of Social Work and Marriage & Family Therapy. Annually we train more than 25 graduate students.
Meet Maddie and Natalia, two clinical case managers who work with the San Mateo Youth Service Bureau.
Traineeship Program
The Youth Service Bureau Training Program has been in existence for over 30 years. We offer an intensive training program that helps support, nurture and train new therapists.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR TRAINING PROGRAM
- Flexible school-based hours on site within San Francisco elementary and middle schools in a friendly atmosphere.
- Training in diagnosis, Medi-Cal documentation and billing, treatment planning and administering comprehensive strengths-based psychosocial assessments
- Stellar supervision and training. Group and individual supervision are conducted weekly as are trainings which vary in topic throughout the year and become more specialized as the school year progresses.
- Opportunities for providing individual, group and family therapy.
- Trainees gain everything they need to place them in the market as an impressive contender for employment in San Francisco’s community health agencies, boasting a clinical ID with the county, a working knowledge of Medi-Cal and the city’s Avatar database, and key experience employers regularly look for.
- Complimentary gym membership at any YMCA of San Francisco.
- Traineeship commitments run yearly from mid August to mid-June. Caseloads run September through May with an opportunity to extend traineeship throughout the summer.
Our program has three components to prepare the therapist and develop/enhance their professional growth.
Training
Trainees begin with 5 days of training and orientation in August. This begins their foundation for the program by providing training on policies, procedures, crisis intervention, and paperwork.
Trainings continue throughout the year with weekly mandatory trainings that enhance the trainees practicum learning experience.
Supervision
The clinical supervisors have licensed psychotherapists with backgrounds and training in individual, couple and family therapy. Individual and group supervision with case discussion is provided by one of our licensed supervisors.
The agency recognizes and adheres to requirements for the supervision upheld by the Board of Behavioral Sciences and Ethical Standards upheld by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
Supervision is a critical piece of the therapists training. It is an expectation that the staff comes to supervision prepared to talk about their clients, transference, counter-transference, interventions, treatment planning, and diagnosis every week.
Evaluation / Core Competencies
Twice yearly evaluation of trainee on their professional growth, challenges, and learning experience.
The purpose of identifying core competencies is to assist staff to become skilled and successful psychotherapists.
It is the goal of Urban that each staff will make adequate progress in achieving competency in all areas identified during their training with Urban.
TRAINING GROUPS
Schools
The school based program focuses on working primarily with elementary and middle school aged children.Trainees work closely with the school administration and teachers to provide services to the youth.
Groups
Groups are conducted at the clinic as well as at the schools. Some of the groups that trainees facilitate are, C.A.L.M, First Stop, Social Skills and Girls United.
Clinic
Clinic: We provide therapeutic counseling services to families, individual youth and adults.
TRAINING TOPICS
Presenting topics that trainees focus on in counseling:
- Domestic Violence
- Child Abuse
- Substance Abuse and Addiction
- Anxiety And Depression
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Violence/Anger Management
- Adolescent Defiance
- Family Communication
- Social Skills
- School Challenges
- Grief and Loss
- Trauma
- Co-Parenting
HOW TO APPLY?
To apply for a traineeship, please submit a cover letter and resume to YSB Training Team at ysbtraining@ymcasf.org
Meet Our Staff
Jane Chandler
Senior Director of Mental Health
Urban Services YMCA
About Jane
With ten years of experience working with youth and families, Jane Chandler is recognized for her thoughtful and committed approach to me
Margaret Hitchcock
Director of Clinical Services YSB of San Mateo
Urban Services YMCA
About Margaret
Margaret has worked with youth and families with complex trauma through the majority of her career, working with inpatient and outpatient/community based youth involved with probation and foster care in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. She believes that anti-racist and anti-oppression work is an essential part of trauma-informed care and believes in the abolition of incarceration as a solution for youth with problematic behaviors.
Christina Hoepke
Althea Garcia
