Mental Health Services We can help.

A youth's mental health is important.

We provide services that will address mental health needs throughout a youth’s life, including prevention and early intervention for kids and families, and intensive, outpatient mental health services, trauma informed care and case management for youth ages 12-25 who are experiencing homelessness or running away from home. We also work with children and their families to improve adult-child relationships both at school and in the home.

Last year, the team helped 1,193 youth through outreach.

Our team works with children and their families to improve adult-child relationships both at school and in the home.

ECBHC Contact

1870 Cordell Court
Suite 101
El Cajon, CA 92020

Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Evenings by appointment

Call our team @ (619) 448-9700

Make a Referral

East County Behavioral Health Clinic

The East County Behavioral Health Clinic provides trauma informed, outpatient mental health services, and case management to youth (4-21 years old) and their families who are low-income or uninsured, full scope Medi-Cal beneficiaries, or eligible for services through the Mental Health Service Act. As a Full Service Partnership program, we provide comprehensive, culturally responsive services to assist youth and families in achieving their goals. These behavioral health services are part of SchoolLink, a partnership between school districts and the County of San Diego.

View/Download Brochure PDF

We provide services at our clinic, over the phone, in a youth’s school or home, or in a community setting.

Services Offered

Clinic and Tele-Health Services

School-Based Services

On-site, school-based services are provided during the school day to select schools in the following districts:
Santee School District: Carlton Hills Elementary School, Carlton Oaks Elementary School, Chet F. Harritt Elementary School
Lakeside Union School District: Lakeside Middle School, Tierra del Sol Middle School
Grossmont Union High School District: El Cajon Valley High School, El Capitan High School, Monte Vista High School

A Family Therapy Approach

The clinic uses a family therapy, strengths-based approach to empower youth and their families to improve their overall wellbeing. This approach emphasizes the interconnection between all family members and uses those connections to assist families in successfully overcoming various difficulties. This approach recognizes the inherent strengths and important role that family members have in each other’s lives and supports the uniqueness of the family system.

Program Funding

Prevention and Early Intervention

Our East County Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) team works with children and their families to improve adult-child relationships both at school and in the home. All services offered are free!

PEI now provides services to children and families at Avondale, Kempton, Bancroft, La Presa, Rancho, Highlands, Sweetwater Springs, La Mesa Dale, and Lemon Avenue elementary schools within the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District.

The program’s goals are to prevent behavioral problems and serious mental illness in elementary school-aged children and to support families who are struggling with these concerns.

East County PEI uses the Incredible Years evidence-based model to improve the lives of children and families in the community.

Why would I participate?

Classroom Activities

Child Behavior Groups

Parenting Support Groups

Parents and family members are introduced to similar strategies the PEI team uses with the children during classroom activities and Child Behavior Groups. These strategies include positive discipline and how to effectively teach your child new positive behaviors.

Skills learned can be used to improve parent-child relationships and help children succeed. Participants also build a support system by getting to know other parents in the community.

Family Workshops

Program Funding

PEI Contact

Our East County Prevention and Early Intervention team works with children and their families to improve adult-child relationships both at school and in the home.

3845 Spring Drive
Spring Valley, CA 91977

Questions? Call our team @ (619) 258-6877 x3253

Make a Referral

Sunny Days Contact

For inquiries about the Sunny Days program, please reach out to:

Alex Swanson, LCSW
Program Manager

aswanson@sdyouthservices.org

Call Alex @ (619) 679-3171

Sunny Days Program

Sunny Days offers a holistic, trauma-informed approach to building resilience and promoting emotional wellness among youth ages 6 to 25 who have experienced homelessness, involvement with the child welfare and/or justice systems, and disconnection from school or employment. The program provides individual, family, and group counseling, as well as psychiatry services, tailored to meet the unique needs of each young person.

In addition to direct services for youth, Sunny Days also offers support and resources for parents and caregivers of children receiving services through San Diego Youth Services. These offerings are designed to strengthen family systems and promote healing across generations. Sunny Days equips youth with the knowledge and skills to support their mental health, recover from institutional trauma, and thrive.

Sunny Days Program Now Offers Equine Therapy & Learning

As part of the Sunny Days program, our ground-based trauma-informed equine assisted services offers children, teens, families, and groups a powerful path to healing and growth. Through this unique experience, participants learn to set healthy boundaries, reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and develop essential social and emotional skills. Whether attending individually or as part of a group, this program supports lasting improvements in mental health, relationships, and overall well-being.

Equine Learning & Therapy

As part of the Sunny Days program, our trauma-informed equine services offer children, teens, families, and groups a powerful path to healing, learning, and growth. Through this unique experience, participants learn to set healthy boundaries, reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and develop essential social and emotional skills. Whether attending individually or as part of a group, this program supports lasting improvements in mental health, relationships, and overall well-being.

Who Can Take Part

Statistics & Sources

Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) have demonstrated significant benefits for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. These therapies focus on ground-based interactions with horses to support emotional regulation, social skills, and healing from trauma.

Below are evidence-based findings:

Reduction in Problematic Behaviors
- A study of 30 traumatized children and adolescents found a 63% reduction in problematic behaviors after EAP sessions. (Eastern Kentucky University Study)
Improved Psychosocial Functioning
- Equine Facilitated Therapy for Complex Trauma (EFT-CT) has shown potential for enhancing psychosocial functioning in youth with complex trauma histories. (National Center for Biotechnology Information)
Increased Confidence and Self-Esteem
- Adolescents in EAP programs have reported increased confidence, self-esteem, and assertiveness, along with decreased anxiety and depression. (SAGE Journals)
Enhanced Emotional Regulation and Social Skills
- Research highlights improvements in emotional regulation and social functioning in children and adolescents who engage in equine-assisted therapy. (ResearchGate)

Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6132374/

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1359104515572379

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283239107_Equine-Facilitated_Psychotherapy_With_Children_and_Adolescents_An_Update_and_Literature_Review

Become a Volunteer

Equine Therapy Contact

For information or to get involved, contact Alex Swanson.

Contact Alex

Mental Health Tools

Tools for youth and their families to address and manage mental health concerns.

Soluna App

California's free mental health glow-up app for 13-25 year olds. Soluna is your space to destress, bounce back, and reset.

BrightLife Kids

Personalized support for California families. Kids ages 0–12 get free, expert coaching for sleep issues, worry, social skills, and more. Live, 1:1 video sessions, secure chat, on-demand content, and more.

For informational purposes only, a link to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments web page is provided here. The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires that detailed information about payment and other payments of value worth over ten dollars ($10) from manufacturers of drugs, medical devices, and biologics to physicians and teaching hospitals be made available to the public. It can be found at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.