IICAPS

IICAPS provides an intensive in-home family-focused treatment program that helps children and adolescents age 4-18 with complex psychological and behavioral needs returning from – or at risk for hospitalization or placement in detention or a residential treatment facility. The program engages all family members in a strong working partnership between the child, the family, the school and community and includes:

• Home-based individual and family therapy
• 24-hour-a-day/7-day-a-week crisis response
• Reflective parenting and education
• School consultation
• A comprehensive treatment plan
• Trauma informed treatment that helps children learn effective coping and problem-solving skills
• A process for connecting families to ongoing supports in the community
• IICAPS is intended for children aged 4-18 with a significant mental health diagnosis who are at imminent risk of psychiatric hospitalization or residential placement.

The intervention is typically delivered for an average of 6 months and uses a family focused, trauma-informed and mentalization-based approach to child, parent, and family psychotherapy. The program also offers comprehensive psychosocial assessments, case management, school coordination, and crisis intervention.

Children appropriate for the IICAPS interventions are being discharged from psychiatric hospitalization or residential treatment, at-risk for institutionalization or hospitalization, or are experiencing increasing acuity and unable to engage in traditional outpatient treatment. We accept referrals that meet criteria from Inpatient units, PRTF, IOPs, Outpatient Clinics, Department of Children and Families, families.

IICAPS is available to families through geographically dispersed teams at different agencies. Each team covers a larger region of surrounding towns.

Boys & Girls Village
170 Bennett Street
Bridgeport, CT 06605
Phone: 203-330-6790
www.bgvillage.org
Catchment Area: Greater Bridgeport area, Milford/New Haven area

Bridges
Catchment Area: Greater Milford area and the Valley
941-949 Bridgeport Avenue
Milford, CT 06460
Phone: 203-878-6365
www.bridgesct.org

Catholic Charities
Catchment Area: Hartford
896 Asylum Street
Hartford, CT 06105
Phone: 860-522-8241
www.ccaoh.org

Community Child Guidance Clinic
Catchment Area: Greater Manchester area
317 North Main Street
Manchester, CT 06042
Phone: 203-643-2101
www.ccgcinc.org

Community Health Resources
Catchment Area: Greater Manchester area
587 East Middle Turnpike
Manchester, CT 06040
Phone: 860-646-3888
www.chrhealth.org

Family & Children’s Agency
Catchment Area: Greater Norwalk, Stamford and Greenwich areas
9 Mott Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06851
Phone: 203-604-1230 x300
www.familyandchildrensagency.org

Family & Children’s Aid
Catchment Area: Greater Bridgeport area, Greater Danbury area, Greater New Britain area, Greater New Milford area, Greater Shelton area and Valley, Greater Waterbury area, Greater Torrington area and the Northwest Corner
75 West Street
Danbury, CT 06810
Phone: 203-748-5689
www.fcaweb.org

Middlesex Hospital
Catchment Area: Greater Middletown area, Greater Meriden/Wallingford area, Chester, Durham, Essex and Old Saybrook
38 Crescent Street
Middletown, CT 06457
Phone: 203-358-8749
www.midhosp.org

Village for Families and Children:
Catchment Area: Greater Hartford area
331 Wethersfield Avenue
Hartford, CT 06114
Phone: 860-236-4511
www.thevillage.org

Wellmore, Inc.
Catchment Area: Greater Waterbury area, Greater Torrington area and Northwest Corner
141 East Main Street
Waterbury, CT 06702
Phone: 203-575-0466
www.wellmore.org

Wheeler Clinic
Catchment Area: Greater New Britain and Plainville area, Greater Hartford area
91 Northwest Drive
Plainville, CT 06062
Phone: 860-793-3500
www.wheelerclinic.org

Yale Child Study Center
Catchment Area: New Haven and Greater New Haven, Guilford, Madison, Clinton
230 George St
New Haven, CT 06511
Phone: 203-785-6862
https://www.yalemedicine.org

Newport Mental Health
42 Valley RD
Middletown, RI 02842
Phone:401-846-1213
www.newportmentalhealth.org

IICAPS Model Development & Operations is the clinical and operations quality assurance and improvement arm of the IICAPS Network. MDO faculty provide training and consultation including:

• 4 monthly live-zoom Learning Sessions, interspersed with action periods of practice and continual improvement over a 6-8 month period, for new Affiliate Agencies or major expansion
• Reflective Clinical Supervision Group
  1 monthly live-zoom Learning Sessions for supervisors to present clinical material

• On-line, guided, web-based Learning Modules incorporated as part of the Learning Collaborative and for ongoing training
• Reflective Clinical Consultation and Technical Assistance
  Individually with each affiliate agency

Every year, tens of thousands of children with complex mental health challenges receive intensive home-based treatment. Yet, research on these key interventions remains limited (Moffett et al., 2018). This gap stems partly from the unique and diverse needs of IHBT families, requiring highly individualized care and resulting in progress across various life domains (Decker et al., in press). Over the past decade, IICAPS has been at the forefront of empirical research in this complex field, leveraging a transdisciplinary team to conduct rigorous, mixed-method, practice-based research. We continuously evolve IICAPS clinical practices based on high-quality mixed-method research conducted by our transdisciplinary research team. We are dedicated to the continuous evolution of our clinical practices to ensure the highest standards of care [link to research page].

Our data reveal that 75% of families enrolled in IICAPS successfully complete treatment. For those who discontinue, many are supported in transitioning to more appropriate levels of care. Notably, on average children experience 60% reductions in hospitalizations, 70% reductions in inpatient days, and 50% reductions in emergency department, accompanied by marked improvements in child functioning and mental health.

A key outcome for children and adolescents is their ability to function well in school. More than 30% of children in IICAPS were chronically absent from school before treatment, putting them at particular risk of poor academic and professional outcomes. Our research shows substantial improvements in attendance, particularly among children whose school absenteeism was considered secondary to other behavioral concerns (Conway et al., 2022).

As a family-based intervention, IICAPS recognized parents as essential to child development and integral partners in treatment. Our studies show that parents often face significant challenges, including high rates of childhood trauma (Conway et al., 2024), as well as current stressors like health issues, housing insecurity, and employment concerns (Holland et al., in press). These factors can impact their ability to care for their children in the way that they would like and may make it more difficult to participate in treatment. To address these challenges, we assess family needs, connect them with resources, and employ structured clinical tools that empower parents in supporting their child’s development (Decker et al., 2023; Stob et al., 2019, 2020).

The relationship between parents and clinicians is critical to success. Our research indicates that shared understanding of the child’s needs at the outset of treatment enhances outcomes (Decker et al., 2021). We prioritize transparency, respect, and collaboration, ensuring families define the goals that matter most to them (Stob et al., 2022).

To support clinicians in their work, IICAPS continuously refines its training and supervision processes. One notable innovation is a novel clinical observation tool designed to assess and support parental mentalizing, a key focus of modern interventions with complex families (Decker et al., in press; Stob et al., 2023).

Through these efforts, IICAPS remains committed to advancing the science and practice of IHBT, ensuring better outcomes for children and families alike.