Youth and Family Counseling (formerly Greater Lewisville Youth and Family Services) was founded in 1981 by the Police Chiefs of Lewisville, Flower Mound and Highland Village to create a First Offender Program that would serve as a means to divert youthful offenders from the juvenile justice program by providing six sessions of family counseling to juvenile offenders in lieu of being prosecuted through the juvenile justice system. The treatment protocol was subjected to court review and was approved as the only diversion program in Denton County for youth up to age 17 years. In addition to being an alternative diversionary program, the founders wanted to incorporate family participation because of the evidence being gathered that many youngsters' first violations coincided with times of family stress such as a divorce, terminal illness, job loss or arrival of a step parent. The concept was that by using the First Offender Program, resources from the police departments, community, schools, and family could combine to address the initial causes of illegal "acting out" behaviors before crime patterns became habituated. It was determined that a combination education and family counseling program would be the most effective means to address these goals. The First Offender Program is a voluntary program that consists of one group orientation meeting and six family counseling sessions provided to the families at no cost. Families may elect to continue counseling sessions at a cost of $20.00 each and approximately 40% of participating families do so.
Youth and Family Counseling was organized as an independent, not for profit agency operating under tax code 501 (C) (3) which is controlled by a Board of Directors made up of civic leaders in the community. There are up to 24 Directors who serve for two terms. The counseling center serves to benefit at the pleasure of the police departments and courts and they recommend appropriate funding to their respective city councils each year at budget time. The program has been a great success and a source of pride to the communities. A recidivism study conducted by the City of Lewisville in 1989 indicated that of all the youngsters completing the program since its origination, only 17% had been arrested a second time. A more recent, but smaller study by the Town of Flower Mound in 1992 revealed that only 7% of those referred by their Police Department reoffended in that year. Youth and Family Counseling is honored by the fact that requests are received from all over the state of Texas asking for our protocol as other cities design diversionary programs.
In addition to the funding received from the cities, Youth and Family became an affiliate of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas in 1989. The counseling center has also been the beneficiary of fundraisers conducted by the Flower Mound and Lewisville Rotary Clubs, the Kiwanis Club, Flower Mound Women's Club, Community Action League of Lewisville, and the Highland Village Police Officers Association. As the counseling center's reputation has grown, community demand required that we add a Community Referred Counseling Program which provides psychological services on a sliding scale fee basis. The community counseling portion of Youth and Family Counseling service has grown steadily and now accounts for almost 50% of the clients served. The agency operates with a continual waiting list and in 1998 added two additional counseling offices in an effort to increase the number of counseling hours available. The Board of Directors is aware that if current growth in Denton County continues, the center will have outgrown the expanded facility in approximately two years and a long term plan is currently being developed to address that need.
The goal of Youth and Family Counseling is to aid the families and youngsters of Denton County thereby creating healthy and productive individuals, families and communities which will benefit the quality of life for all.
