Access Family Services is a community mental health agency that primarily serves children and their families. At our location in Asheville, NC, we have five programs: office-based outpatient therapy, school-based outpatient therapy, Intensive In-Home, Family Centered Treatment, and Applied Behavioral Analysis. In all of these programs, the identified client is the child, ages 5 through 18. In office-based outpatient therapy, we also serve some adults and couples. Most of our clients are Caucasian and Hispanic because our geographic area is primarily white, but we have some Spanish speaking clinicians who serve Hispanic families. The main diagnoses that we support are anxiety, depression, trauma, oppositional defiant disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The vast majority of our clients use Medicaid insurance, so we serve clients who often cannot access services elsewhere due to limited practitioners accepting Medicaid. We also accept Blue Cross Blue Shield and a limited number of other private insurances. Our staff consists of Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Mental Health Counselors, Qualified Professionals, and administrative staff.
Special Placement Information:
The Agency is accepting MSW 1st year students, MSW 2nd year and Advanced Standing Clinical, (Clinical). Students who complete their practicum or internship with Access Family Services should have their own transportation in order to travel to the office or the school that they are assigned to. If a student has limited transportation, telehealth sessions or being assigned to a single location are possibilities in order to accommodate the student. The office is accessible by bus, with two stops close by. Travel is not reimbursed by the agency at this time and no stipend is available.
Students are expected to have liability insurance. Video and audio taping is permitted and encouraged for clinician development. AFS has a form for guardians to consent to this or students can use a version from their school. The official business hours are 8:30am to 5:30pm, but sessions sometimes start earlier or end later. Students are able to make their own schedule, including weekends or evenings. We primarily serve school-based clients, so most internship hours take place during the school day.