Children's Mental Health
Children's Intake
616 America Ave NW
Bemidji, MN 56601
Phone: 218-333-8245
email
Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm
Monday through Friday
Beltrami County Children's Mental Health (CMH) team is a voluntary program that works with families to identify community-based resources to help meet their specific needs. That may include making necessary referrals, coordinating communication between families and service providers. If more intensive services are needed, the CMH worker will help the family navigate to identify additional services to provide the level of care needed.
Referral/Intake
Children's mental health must be requested by a parent or legal guardian or referred by a person working with a child. All requests for CMH begin with calling Beltrami County Children's Intake at 218-333-8245.
The intake social worker will ask you a variety of questions to gather the referral information. Those questions may include:
- What are you concerns regarding your child's mental health?
- What behaviors from the child have been observed by parents or others?
- What services have been tried so far?
You may also complete the CMH Referral Form and email it.
Eligibility
To be eligible for Children's Mental Health Services, a child must be a resident of Beltrami County and under the age of 18.
A current (within the last 180 days) diagnostic assessment must also determine that the child meets the criteria for a severe emotional disturbance (SED).
A diagnostic assessment is defined by State Statute MN Statute 245.4871,Subd.11. as a written evaluation by a mental health professional that includes:
- The child’s current life situation, including sources of stress and reasons for referral to services
- The history of the child’s current mental health problem or problems, including important developmental incidents, strengths, and vulnerabilities
- The child’s current functioning and mental health symptoms
- The child’s mental health diagnoses, including a determination of whether the child meets the criteria for a severe emotional disturbance
- The mental health services needed by a child (including case management services)
Children with a severe emotional disturbance may be eligible for an array of therapeutic and supportive mental health services, including case management. “Severe emotional disturbance” is defined by Minnesota Statute, MN Statute 245.4871,Subd.6., and includes:
- A child diagnosed with psychosis or clinical depression
- A child at risk of harming themselves or others because of an emotional disturbance
- A child that has been admitted within the last three years or is at risk of being admitted to inpatient treatment or residential treatment for an emotional disturbance
- A child who, as the result of an emotional disturbance, has significantly impaired home, school, or community functioning that has lasted (or will likely last) more than one year