Resource Type: Community Resource

The Family Tree

Community Education

As a primary prevention service, the Community Education program utilizes professional facilitators for a variety of classes teaching individuals to incorporate new skills into their lives and relationships, resulting in improved coping and healthier family systems. Classes are held at various locations in the Acadiana community, usually in the evening, with topics chosen in response to the specific needs of various areas. Topics include parenting for targeted groups such as parents of teenagers or school age children; divorce, co-parenting and stepfamily issues; relational problems; and anger management for adults and adolescents. The Education Calendar is planned on a quarterly basis to provide a schedule of classes.

We also offer multiple trainings that last from 1 hour to 3 hours and can be taught either at our location on onsite at your location. Topics include: Active Listening, Nurturing Parenting, Understanding Feelings, Defense Mechanisms, Holistic Wellness, Positive Disciple, the Positive Parenting Program and many more! Click on the link below for a detailed list of trainings and don’t forget to call the office to schedule one tailored just for you!

Counseling

The counseling program is comprised of licensed counselors and/or counselors working towards licensure, who provide assistance and guidance in resolving personal, social, or psychological problems and difficulties. Counselors provide a variety of assistance to individuals, families, step-families, single parents, couples, senior citizens, teens and children ages three and older. Topics include: relationships, parenting challenges, LGBTQIA, coping with divorce, recovering from a crisis or disaster, coping with grief or loss, anxiety, depression, addictions, and stress and anger management.

Sessions are based on a sliding fee scale with a $40 minimum session fee. Proof of income required for sliding fee sessions. Dates and times vary. If you or someone you know is interested in counseling, you should start by filling out intake paperwork available here. You can then call the office at (337) 981-2180 to schedule your appointment.

Healthy Start

Healthy Start is a free program for expectant mothers and women with children up to two years of age who live in Acadia, Evangeline, Iberville, Lafayette, St. Landry and St. Martin parishes. The program focuses on supporting moms and assisting parents with the challenges of a growing family and raising small children.

Healthy Start is a way to ensure that your child gets the healthy start on life that he or she deserves by providing individualized assistance and information specific to your needs. This includes home visitation, case management, health education, support services and fun, family-friendly events. We know that becoming a parent brings many new questions and decisions, so Healthy Start was developed with a desire to give you the support you need, when you need it, so that you have the best chances for a healthy birth outcome and maintaining physical and mental health. It can provide information to help you better understand pregnancy, prepare for labor and delivery, and meet the challenges of parenting a newborn and toddler.

Healthy Start is a program supported in part by Project No. H49MC27810 from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Title V, Social Security Act).

Project H.O.P.E.

Project H.O.P.E. is a program available through a partnership with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office that is designed to strengthen the relationship between the incarcerated parent and their child to promote a functional relationship upon the inmate’s release. These programs have been shown to reduce recidivism. Family Tree clinicians make weekly visits to the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center and work with inmates who are also allowed a contact visit with their children. Participation in the program is voluntary and is offered to both mothers and fathers.

TIKES

Tulane Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Support and Services (TIKES) is under the supervision of Tulane University. The program serves to increase the quality of child care and early learning initiatives for all children across the state and provide child care staff and parents with tools to understand and command higher quality child care for children.

Centers participating in TIKES are eligible to receive mental health consultations. The Family Tree employs full-time licensed mental health professionals, trained in infant and early childhood issues (0-5 years old), who work closely with teachers on-site and serve as a resource for child care providers and parents as they foster and enhance children’s early development through education, training, identification and intervention.

 

Therapy Center of Acadiana

TCA is a premier provider of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services. ABA methods are the most scientifically validated treatment approaches, have the strongest and broadest evidence-base, and are considered the gold standard of treatment services for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Our therapies incorporate the latest ABA findings to develop tailored programs that address the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families in the home, school and community. TCA is an experienced resource to help those with developmental needs in such ways as:

-Our family-focused programs are designed to teach language, social skills, self-help and independence within natural daily activities and family routines

-We work with school districts to provide support and training to school personnel

-In partnership with state and local funding sources, we provide clinic-based programs for early intervention, social skills and positive behavioral support

-We contract with insurance companies to provide services and also work privately with families, providing ongoing support to parents and siblings

Please be assured that our staff is highly educated, experienced and licensed by the state of Louisiana. They bring a diverse clinical experience to the ongoing development of our programs. We take great pride in what we do and always promise to hold ourselves to the highest professional standards possible.

How can ABA Help?

As a science, Applied Behavior Analysis (insert website link) is able to either increase or decrease any observable behavior.  ABA Therapy at TCA is divided into two general areas: increasing skill acquisition and decreasing problematic behavior.  Some common behaviors that TCA addresses include:

  • developing joint attention skills and eye contact
  • increasing receptive and expressive language skills
  • increasing gross and fine motor movements
  • promoting appropriate social and play skills
  • developing classroom readiness behaviors such as sitting at a table and working for an extended period of time or attending to a teacher

TCA also addresses any disruptive behavior that may be causing problems at home, school, or work.

ABA at TCA

ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis.  It is a research-based treatment for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental delays.  We teach our patients the skills they need by providing a safe, controlled environment in which learning is fun! Common skills that addressed are:

  • cooperation and compliance skills
  • visual performance
  • receptive and expressive language
  • gross and fine motor skills
  • social and coordinated play skills
  • classroom readiness
  • self-management

We also address individuals that struggle with “melt-downs” or other problematic behaviors.  Each intervention is based on our patient’s needs.  Each therapy session will incorporate a 1:1 therapy model, in which one patient will be working with at least one registered line therapist.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to remain involved with their child’s progress and will be given guidance on how to incorporate skills learned in therapy at home.  More information on ABA treatment can be found here (insert website link).  If you have specific questions about ABA therapy, please contact us at (337) 233-1167.

Townsend Recovery Center

Addiction is a chronic, progressive disease of the brain – not a moral defect.

Townsend uses a unique way of approaching treatment for addiction involving drugs or alcohol. We view addiction as a chronic disease of the brain. Getting addiction help at a Townsend outpatient or residential treatment center is unlike programs anywhere else. We treat addiction as a medical condition using The Townsend Way. This approach is the guiding principle and innovative medical treatment model that shapes our perspective about treating addiction as a brain disease. We can help you or your loved one feel better fast with professional addiction care and affordable services at one of our nine (9) treatment locations located throughout South Louisiana.

Genetic Components

Pioneering Treatment
At our inpatient and outpatient treatment centers, we use groundbreaking innovations developed by Howard Wetsman, MD, a New Orleans-based psychiatrist and addiction medicine expert. Dr. Wetsman pioneered the use of genetic testing and proprietary medical monitoring to collect scientific data that addresses and stabilizes you or your loved one’s addiction and related complications. Dr. Wetsman has served as chief medical officer for Townsend and now is the medical consultant.

Personalized Medical Care
At Townsend Treatment Centers, once your acute medical condition has stabilized, our medical approach offers treatment customized to your individual needs. With a medical focus on the uniqueness of all of our patients, Townsend devises unique, effective, and long-term plans to keep their addiction in remission – which is freedom worth experiencing.

UL Lafayette Clinic for Counseling & Personal Dev.

The UL Lafayette Clinic for Counseling and Personal Development (CCPD) is the clinical training facility for the graduate students of Counselor Education. The Clinic for Counseling and Personal Development utilizes graduate level interns and practicum students working under faculty supervision to provide counseling services and community referrals to the students, faculty, employees of UL Lafayette and their immediate families, and to members of the Acadiana community.

The UL Lafayette Clinic for Counseling and Personal Development offers a wide variety of counseling services including:

  • Individual Counseling
  • Family Counseling
  • Couples Counseling
  • Group Therapy
  • Play Therapy

The UL Lafayette Clinic for Counseling and Personal Development charges a one-time intake fee of $25.00 in the form of check or money order, and all subsequent services are FREE.

The mission of the UL Lafayette Clinic for Counseling and Personal Development is to promote excellence in the training of Counselor Education graduate students in order to facilitate the provision of quality counseling services and community referrals to members of the Lafayette community and surrounding areas.

The CCPD is located on the second floor of the newly opened Cecil J. Picard Center in the University’s Research Park, situated between the LITE Center and University Medical Center.

Current Counseling Staff

Irv Esters, Ph.D.
LPC-S, Professor and Department Head of Counselor Education

Latifey LaFleur, Ph.D.
LPC-S, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, Clinic Director,
Assistant Professor of Counselor Education

Marc Bourgeois, Ph.D.
LPC-S, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education

David Spruill, Ph.D.
LPC-S, LMFT-S, Associate Professor of Counselor Education

Katherine Turner-Hermann, Ph.D.
PLPC, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education

Contact Us

Keep calm and call a counselor at 337-482-1018 today to schedule your appointment.

Building Location: 2nd Floor in the Cecil J Picard Center
Physical Address: 200 East Devalcourt Street, Lafayette, LA 70506
Phone: 337-482-1018

UL Speech Services Dept

We offer valuable clinical services to the public through the UL Lafayette Speech Language Hearing Center, which serves as a setting for our students to learn valuable clinical skills as well as a laboratory for clinical research to improve the assessment and treatment of individuals with communicative disorders.

This clinical research by both faculty and doctoral students is supported and disseminated through the Doris B. Hawthorne Center. Faculty and students are active presenters of new research at conferences held throughout the year and have numerous publications in books, edited volumes and academic journals.