Treatment Foster Care

Services offered for clients include:
Mesilla Valley Hospital’s Treatment Foster Care (TFC) is a family-based treatment alternative to institutionalization for troubled/challenged children. The program provides a setting for youth ages 2-18 with a variety of behavioral and mental health challenges to receive treatment and care in a treatment home with professionally-trained parents.

TFC is designed to address and implement changes in children’s social, emotional and behavioral needs. The TFC parents provide a home environment in which a child will have the opportunity to engage in pro-social behaviors, learn new, positive skills, develop appropriate and nurturing bonds between youth and family members, meet individual needs and avoid illegal and inappropriate behaviors.

TFC parents provide 24-hour supervision, discipline that encourages responsibility and care, transportation to activities and appointments, participation in school and community activities, advocacy on the youth’s behalf, role-modeling and parenting education.

TFC parents receive:
Forty hours of pre-service training on the following topics: Education on effects of trauma and how to reduce symptoms, CPR, CPI, 1st aid certification, behavioral management, crisis intervention and management, training to handle grief and loss, concerns for TFC clients, recognition of abuse and neglect symptoms and appropriate reporting of abuse and neglect concerns, cultural competency and responsiveness, prevention and de-escalation of aggression and anger, education on uses and side effects of psychotropic medications, agency requirements for documentation and state standards and compliance requirements.

Ongoing support after a parent is licensed includes weekly supervision, in-service training and support services, including 24-hour on-call staff.

For information about referring a child to Mesilla Valley Hospital Treatment Foster Care or becoming a Treatment Foster Care Parent, please contact:

Terry Lopez, LPCC
Program Manager
Business phone: (575) 556-8488
(575) 202-6176

OR

Monica Nava
Admission Coordinator
Business phone: (575) 556-8474
(575) 644-6262