Jacqueline Schiehsl directs a new program at Northern Rivers Family Services, a mental health and foster care agency, called the Youth Assertive Community Treatment (Youth ACT).

The goal of the program and her work is to treat children with complex mental health issues in their homes and communities, and keep them out of inpatient psychiatric facilities.

“Kids do best when they’re in their own homes," Schiehsl said. "The Youth ACT program provides numerous services. We provide clinical therapy, medication management, youth peer support, family peer support and clinical support, which is kind of like skill-building."

One unique part about the program is that all of the services are part of one team.

“I like to call it a one-stop shop. There is no other program like this where all of these services are in one place. So I always say, one agency, one program, all these people," Schiehsl said.

This year, the state gave $21 million to support 15 Youth ACT programs across New York. The program serves children ages 10 to 21, whose symptoms of mental illness lead to serious difficulties in major areas of life. Schiehsl said keeping kids surrounded by their families and in their communities can only help them.

“The cool thing about the Youth ACT is that we can deliver our services anywhere," she said. "We can push into and meet with kids at school. We can meet at their homes. We can work on their goals in a community-based setting, like going for a walk or on a trail. We could go to the local YMCA. There’s just so much flexibility."

The Youth ACT team Schiehsl works with is new, so it only has around six kids. But it has the capacity to help 36, which she thinks they’ll get up to eventually.

“I want these kids to be happy and content with their lives and on the road to recovery. I want them to be healthy, out of the hospital and grounded in their communities with their families and loved ones, and safe, to know that they’ve built the skills to keep themselves safe," Schiehsl said.