We meet kids and families at the most challenging times of their lives and help them overcome some of life’s most difficult circumstances – abuse and neglect, complex emotional and behavioral issues, family crises. We restore hope, help children find joy in daily living, and improve families’ chances at making a better life for themselves and at finding a place in their community where they can be successful.Casa Pacifica is committed to children unconditionally over time and through all of life’s ups and downs.
Jenny came to us six months ago. She had a lot of trauma in her past and because of that trauma, found herself in the foster care system. After arriving she presented with suicidal behavior, often swallowing glass. “She was pretty resistant to being here,” Hannah, a Casa Pacifica clinician remembered. “She would say ‘I don’t need to be here’ and ‘I don’t need treatment’ and generally just minimize her symptoms. She is a kid whose trauma has led to a lot of self-doubt and poor self-esteem.”more...
11-year-old Tony struggled with aggression. His outbursts were usually directed towards his mom, threatening to harm not just her but himself. Tony’s challenges led to him being removed from the home. Once he returned home, Tony and his mom continued to find it difficult to connect in a positive manner. Tony’s frustrations resulted in several calls to the police, risk of probation, and risk of being removed from the home again. more...
Julie came to Casa Pacifica’s Short Term Residential Treatment Program (STRTP) at age 14. Prior to Casa Pacifica, Julie had several other unsuccessful residential treatment placements. Julie struggled with aggression due to the tremendous amount of abuse she had suffered. When Julie first arrived, it was a very tumultuous time on campus. There were a lot of headstrong personalities causing unrest. Julie had a hard time adjusting to the various personalities and friendships that existed which resulted in her lashing out. A few of her outbursts led to police involvement which was not received well. One of her more severe outbursts led to her spending a month in juvenile detention. more...
As a volunteer and then employee at Court Appointed Special Advocates of Ventura County, Michelle Morgan was familiar with the foster system. CASA of Ventura County (not to be confused with Casa Pacifica) recruits, screens, and trains volunteers who advocate for court-dependent children. As the CASA Program Manager, Michelle began to manage and follow the cases of several foster youth. Although she only knew the youth and families on paper, many of the stories were the same: biological parents with mental health or addiction problems, neglected youth, multiple placements, or failed family reunification attempts.more...
Casa Pacifica’s Wraparound program takes a team-based approach to provide intensive, family-centered services to families in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The services target foster, probation and youth who are at-risk of being removed from a home for a variety of reasons. Since July of this year our Wraparound team has been providing services to a family of 7, the Roscos, Jade 5, Anna 9, Lee 3, Ian 10 and Alicia 7, mom Clair and father Joe (all names changed for privacy). more...
What happens to kids once they age out of the foster care system? Most 18-year-olds aren’t ready to live independently, much less kids who have had such a tumultuous childhood. Casa Pacifica’s Transitional Youth Services, more commonly known as the “TYS Program” was created in 2012 to bridge this exact gap. Foster youth are at high risk for dropping out of school, homelessness, unemployment, early parenthood, and crime. Our TYS Program aims to lessen these risks by connecting youth to educational opportunities, employment, housing options, personal and community relationships, and health care, specifically mental health care.more...
Angie entered the foster care system at age 13. Her parents divorced by the time she was two - she had no relationship with her absentee mother and moved out of her dad’s home to live with relatives when she was 12 due to rising tensions. But that didn’t work out either, Angie did not feel safe and asked to be placed in a group home at age 13.more...
Our Safe Alternatives for Treating Youth, or SAFTY program is designed to respond to at-risk youth experiencing a mental health crisis, to preserve families, and strengthen communities through collaboration with law enforcement, schools, and/or existing treatment teams to prevent psychiatric hospitalization, juvenile detention, or placement in out-of-county facilities. We respond to mental health crisis at all levels. Whether someone is violent, suicidal, self-harming, or prone to other unsafe behavior related to mental illness, please take it seriously and call a professional – either Casa Pacifica’s Santa Barbara County SAFTY Hotline, the crisis text line, or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, please reach out.more...