Family Based Mental Health Services
The highest level of care a child can receive while still living at home — helping families stay together, or bring a child home from placement, across New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties.
What Family Based Is
Family Based Mental Health Services (FBMHS) is the highest level of care a child can receive while still living at home. The goal is simple and important: to prevent the need for out-of-home placement — or to help a child transition home from placement.
Because change happens within relationships, this level of care asks several family members to take part in therapy each week, not just the child. Our team works where life actually happens — in your home and community — so new skills take root in the real world.
Why Families Get Stuck
No one plans for this to happen. When stress, conflict, trauma, loss, or a mental health concern affects one member of a family, the whole family feels it — and over time everyone can get stuck in the same painful patterns. Family Based helps change those patterns so relationships become a source of support instead of stress.
Children don’t grow up in isolation
A child’s progress is tied to the people around them — so we work with the whole system, not the child alone.
Patterns can change
Families learn new ways of communicating, solving problems, and setting structure that outlast our involvement.
Relationships become the support
The aim is lasting change the family sustains on its own — not long-term dependence on professionals.
A Two-Therapist Team
Each family works with a dedicated team of two master’s-level therapists who use the Eco-Systemic Structural Family Therapy (ESFT) model — each with at least three years of training in that approach.
Anyone important to the child is welcome to take part — grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, cousins, anyone the family identifies as part of their support. Our goal is to help the parent help the child, and to strengthen the whole family’s ability to support lasting change.
A Typical Week
Your team provides three sessions each week, scheduled around work, school, and activities. At least half of all sessions happen in person — therapists can meet at home, at school, in the community, or virtually, and can transport clients when needed.
A session with the child
One-on-one time that helps the child build skills and feel heard.
A parent / caregiver session
We help the adults create structure, provide support, and lead the change.
A whole-family session
The backbone of the program — the family practices new ways of talking and solving problems together.
Is Family Based Right for Your Family?
Family Based is often most effective when it starts before a family feels that out-of-home placement is the only option left. It’s also a strong fit after outpatient, TSF, or MOT services without enough progress, or when a child is coming home from placement.
Family Based works when…
- The family is ready to make changes together
- The adults can commit to weekly sessions
- Important family members will take part
- The goal is stronger, more supportive relationships
- A child is returning home from placement, or hasn’t progressed in outpatient, TSF, or MOT
It may not be the right fit when…
- The family isn’t looking to make changes
- There isn’t time or commitment for weekly sessions
- A guardian has dementia or significant active substance use
- The family is waiting for the child to be placed out of the home
- There are two identified clients in one family
How Family Based differs from other care
| Outpatient | TSF / MOT | Family Based (FBMHS) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setting | In our offices | Home, school, community | Home & community (≥50% in person) |
| Intensity | Typically weekly | Varies by program | 3 sessions per week |
| Duration | Ongoing as needed | Varies by program | 8 months (time-limited) |
| Who takes part | Individual (or family/couple) | Child & family | Whole family + two-therapist team |
| After-hours support | No | Varies | 24/7 on-call |
For Referral Partners
Social workers, schools, and community providers: here’s how to refer a family to Family Based in Delaware.
Talk with the family first
Family Based is very different from what most families have experienced, and the expectation of guardian involvement is crucial. Set that expectation before submitting a plan of care.
Confirm county openings
Availability varies across New Castle, Kent, and Sussex (Sussex has East and West teams). Call our office to check current openings.
Submit the plan of care
Once the family understands the commitment and a spot is confirmed, submit the POC and we’ll take it from there.
Ready to refer, or have questions?
Call our Delaware office at +1 (302) 384-7843 to check county openings and start a plan of care. Family Based is delivered through Delaware’s Division of Prevention & Behavioral Health Services (DPBHS) and requires PBH authorization — the resources below explain the process.
Families can get unstuck — we’ve seen it happen
Whether you’re a parent looking for help or a professional making a referral, our team will help you find the right starting point.
In crisis? Call or text 988 anytime. For a child in crisis in Delaware, the Mobile Response Stabilization Services (Child Crisis) line is 1-800-969-4357, available to all families regardless of insurance.