Behavioral Health Services

 At Serenity at Heart, we understand that children may need extra support at different stages of development, especially when behavioral, emotional, developmental, or social challenges begin to affect everyday life.

Our Children’s Behavioral Health Services are designed to support children and families with compassionate, individualized care that focuses on the child’s strengths, needs, goals, and overall well-being.

We believe that every child deserves to be supported in a way that promotes dignity, confidence, stability, and growth.

Depending on the child’s needs, care plan, service authorization, and program eligibility, Serenity at Heart may provide or coordinate support focused on areas such as:

• Emotional and behavioral regulation
• Social and communication skills
• Daily routines and structure
• Coping skills and healthy responses
• Community participation
• Independence and age-appropriate life skills
• Safety awareness and supervision needs
• Support for children with developmental or intellectual disabilities
• Behavioral challenges that affect daily functioning
• Family and caregiver support
• Coordination with other members of the child’s care team

No two children are the same.

Before services begin, we take time to understand the child’s individual needs, preferences, communication style, strengths, challenges, routines, family dynamics, and current goals.

Our team works to ensure that services are appropriate for the child and that assigned staff are properly matched, trained, and prepared to support that individual.

When appropriate, we may also participate in care coordination with parents, guardians, care managers, healthcare providers, clinicians, schools, and other members of the child’s support team.

Behavioral and developmental needs can affect more than the child alone.

Parents and caregivers often carry a great deal of responsibility, and we believe families deserve support, communication, and respect throughout the care process.

Our goal is to help families feel heard, informed, and confident in the services their child is receiving.

We encourage open communication and work collaboratively with families to support consistency between the child’s care plan, home environment, and community activities.

At Serenity at Heart, we believe successful care begins with the right match.

We do not believe in simply assigning an available staff member to a child.

When possible, our placement process may include:

Staff screening and training → review of the child’s needs → client-specific preparation → parent/guardian meet-and-greet → final placement

This helps us evaluate compatibility, communication, comfort level, experience, and readiness before establishing an ongoing assignment.

Children who may benefit from additional support can include those experiencing:

• Difficulty with emotional regulation
• Challenging behaviors
• Social or communication difficulties
• Developmental delays or disabilities
• Autism or other developmental conditions
• Intellectual or developmental disabilities
• Difficulty maintaining routines
• Increased supervision or safety needs
• Behavioral concerns affecting home or community functioning
• Need for additional community-based support

Our commitment is to provide children and families with care that is:

Compassionate. Respectful. Person-Centered. Reliable. Individualized.

We want children to feel supported, families to feel heard, and referral partners to feel confident that Serenity at Heart takes the responsibility of caring for children seriously.

🧬 Innovations Waiver Services

Under North Carolina’s Innovations Waiver, we provide home and community-based services (HCBS) for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). These Innovations Waiver Services are person-centered, flexible, and designed to promote independence and community involvement.

Supports May Include:

- Community networking & inclusion

- Life skills coaching

- In-home skill building

- Caregiver respite

- Personal assistance

- Supported employment

🏠 1915(i) Community-Based Medicaid Services

For individuals with qualifying behavioral health or developmental diagnoses, our 1915(i) Medicaid services provide an effective alternative to institutional care. We empower clients to thrive safely in their homes and communities.

1915(i) Services Can Include:

- Training in self-care and daily living

- Crisis prevention planning

- Care coordination

- Individual and group skill development

- Transportation and support with accessing resources