ChildSavers of Richmond

ChildSavers’ mission is to provide comprehensive mental health and childhood development services that holistically embrace the needs of children and those who care for and educate them. They offer a broad range of services to children and their families and caregivers through Central Virginia, and never turn anyone away for inability to pay. They also provide a broad range of support services (including professional development training and credentialing, nutrition education, and a child care referral service) to those who care for and educate preschool children.

Programs Supported by the Community Action Fund:

Outpatient Mental Health Services for Children is the only community-based, nonprofit mental health program in Richmond that focuses exclusively on the evaluation and treatment of children with emotional and behavioral disorders. The program’s Master-level clinicians and Board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist work with children between the ages of two and seventeen using a proven child guidance model that comprises elements of psychiatry, psychology, and social work. Therapeutic techniques vary depending on the diagnosis and child, but might include cognitive/behavioral therapy, art therapy, and/or client-led play therapy, through which children act out their feelings and depict their experiences using toys and/or a sand tray. Play therapy allows children to process their experiences and gain some measure of closure. Staff also work with the child’s family and other support systems to determine how to best meet each child’s needs. This combination of psychiatric services, therapeutic services, and parental education and consultation is instrumental in effectively meeting the needs of these vulnerable children and their families.