Sierra Vista Child and Family Services

About Sierra Vista Child and Family Services

Sierra Vista Child and Family Services is a nonprofit mental health and substance use treatment provider based in Modesto, California serving Stanislaus County communities. They offer perinatal substance use disorder services, youth specialty mental health care and court ordered programming as well as foster care residential treatment and prevention support. I like that their approach is holistic and trauma informed, emphasizing recovery, family stability, children’s wellbeing and community strength.

Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Support for Moms

Sierra Vista’s First Step Program focuses on pregnant, parenting, or injection drug using women, delivering outpatient treatment tailored to perinatal and postpartum substance use. It includes parenting education and onsite childcare, recognizing the challenges many women face in finding care that fits both recovery and motherhood.

Treatment involves relapse prevention, drug and alcohol education, individual and group counseling, and case management. Licensed clinicians, peer advocates, and behavioral health teams work together to address both substance use and underlying mental health concerns, ensuring women receive support around trauma, parenting stress and childcare responsibilities.

Youth Mental Health and Residential Therapeutic Care

For children and adolescents aged 0 to 21, especially foster youth ages 6 to 13, Sierra Vista offers specialty mental health services, including a state licensed Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP). These programs address serious emotional disturbance with intensive support in residential settings or through outpatient assessment, therapy, and crisis intervention.

Sessions incorporate both group and individual therapy, embedded with intensive community support and an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) component. The treatment goes deeper than symptom relief, it aims to build resilience, provide safety, and restore functioning through evidence based, trauma informed modalities.

Community, Courts and Prevention Care

Beyond intensive treatment, Sierra Vista engages families and adults in services like domestic violence treatment, anger management, family maintenance and child abuse offender treatment, often court ordered or mandated. These services also use group work, psychoeducation, and individual therapy to support behavior change and accountability.

Their network of Family Resource Centers serves as prevention anchors by offering counseling, support groups, health and literacy education, parental training and case management. These create accessible, community based support before crises escalate.

Serving Kids and Families in Stanislaus County

Sierra Vista operates in Modesto and throughout Stanislaus County, California, offering services in-person at multiple locations as well as outpatient and residential settings. They serve English speaking and Spanish speaking populations, foster youth, and Medi-Cal beneficiaries with state-licensed staff, clinicians, therapists including Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and specialty residential licenses.

Programs like First Step for qualifying women and youth mental health services are often available at no cost through county or Medi-Cal funding. Other court ordered or community services offer sliding scale options or are publicly funded. Payment depends on eligibility and type of service.

Addiction Treatment Programs

Dual Diagnosis
Many people with addiction issues also have a mental health diagnosis, which is known as a dual diagnosis. Be sure to find a rehab in California that can treat both. Whether you need detox, inpatient treatment, or outpatient care, a dual diagnosis program will offer specific support for your mental health needs alongside traditional substance use treatment.
Young Adult Rehab
Young adult rehabs in California address a wide range of substance use issues while also helping clients transition into adulthood. Whether you need detox, inpatient treatment, or outpatient care, a young adult program will offer specific support for your emotional, mental, and social needs.
Men's Rehab
Choosing a men’s rehab in California can be a great way to manage gender-specific issues while also addressing substance use. Whether you need detox, inpatient treatment, or outpatient care, a men’s program will offer specific support for your emotional, mental, and social needs.
Women's Rehab
If you’re a woman struggling with substance use, consider a women’s rehab program in California. Whether you need detox, inpatient treatment, or outpatient care, a women’s program will offer specific support for your emotional, mental, and social needs.

Insurance Coverage

Self-pay options
Paying the full cost of rehab in California yourself is called self-pay. Some people write a check, some electronically send payment to the treatment center, and others get a medical loan. There may be different fee structures depending on the level of care.
Private insurance
Paying for rehab in California is easier if you use private insurance. Keep in mind that coverage levels may vary, and it’s important to try to find a center that’s in-network with your plan. Be sure to ask about your out-of-pocket costs, such as copayments and deductibles.
Medicaid
One way to pay for rehab in California is to use Medicaid if you qualify for the coverage. You can find treatment centers that accept Medicaid offering multiple levels of care, including detox, inpatient, and outpatient. You may pay little or nothing out-of-pocket.
Medicare
Medicare is a good way to pay for substance use treatment in California. Your Medicare plan can pay for some or all of the costs of rehab, although you will want to check on the full details. You may have some out-of-pocket costs such as copays or deductibles.

Levels of Care

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Outpatient Rehab
Attending outpatient treatment in California allows you to get evidence-based care without living in the facility, helping you establish long-term recovery. Building a new life for yourself takes time, and it’s important to have enough support throughout the process. Outpatient treatment allows you to have more intensive or less intensive help, depending on your needs.

Therapies

Cognitive Behavior Therapy
In California, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you identify wrong thinking that can create impulsive actions. This makes it much easier to reach long-term recovery. Substance use treatment includes detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient care, and CBT may be a part of each of these stages. The goal is to help clients identify distorted thinking, replace it with rational thinking, and change their responses accordingly.
Family Therapy
Attending family therapy in California is a way to address broken relationships and dysfunction, helping you establish long-term recovery. There are several goals in family therapy. Some sessions may be focused on specific past events, while others address current broken relationships or how good intentions have gone astray. Over time, family relationships can be restored, making recovery easier.
Group Therapy
Attending group therapy in California is a way to overcome shame and isolation, helping you establish long-term recovery. Substance use treatment includes detox, inpatient treatment, and outpatient care, and group therapy may be a part of each of these stages. The goal is to help clients support each other, provide accountability, and relate to each other’s experiences.
Individual Therapy
During individual therapy in California, clients work with a professional to address specific individual concerns. Some of the topics covered in individual therapy include developing healthy coping skills, addressing past events that may have played a part in substance use, and building a support network.