Well-Being Connections
In times of crisis, you don’t have to do it all alone.
When a child experiences a mental health crisis, the whole family is affected. In addition to the immediate mental health needs of the child, families may struggle with changes in their living situation, difficulties in accessing health care, communication challenges with schools and providers, and much more.
EveryStep’s Well-Being Connections program offers FREE support to entire families when a child experiences a mental health crisis occurs. Our team immediately surrounds parents and caregivers with advocacy, assistance and empowerment, so you have what you need to support your child. And we can continue to support you for up to 12 months after the crisis.
Get Help Today
Call 515-271-1311,
M-F, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Email wellbeingconnections@everystep.org, and one of our team members will respond within 1-2 business days.
Who is EveryStep?
Well-Being Connections is a program of EveryStep, a nonprofit human services organization based in Des Moines and trusted by families since 1908. EveryStep is part of a robust and well-connected network of child and family-serving professionals, and we know how to get answers to complex questions.
Our consultants are mental health professionals who have extensive training and experience working with children and families. Well-Being Connections does not provide therapy or psychiatric services, we can aid in helping a family find mental health providers and supports.
Who is eligible to receive services?
Well-Being Connections offers free, voluntary and confidential services to residents of Polk County who have a child in the family experiencing a mental health crisis and/or has a mental health diagnosis.
A mental health crisis involves circumstances in which there is imminent risk of the child to themselves or their family and/or a family has tried everything else and feels overwhelmed.
Every child and family have their own “normal.” Sometimes, developmental challenges show up suddenly in a child’s health or behavior. Well-Being Connections can help parents understand their child’s age and stage and connect them with support.
What services does Well-Being Connections offer?
When our team is contacted, we start by asking you how we can help – and listening to your answers. Our team will take our cues from you to ensure we communicate with you as you prefer and equip you with the resources you need.
All types of health and well-being are connected. When families experience a child’s mental health crisis, related challenges often happen simultaneously. The Well-Being Connections team can assist in many ways, such as:
- Basic needs: Our team helps families identify solutions when there are challenges with housing, food, childcare, transportation, or other essentials.
- Health: We can help coordinate care, connect your child’s providers to each other, ensure continuity of care, or help find appropriate placement. Our team can also:
- identify and help families access Medicaid or other health programs they may be eligible for (i.e. Children at Home).
- access Medicaid benefits they may have available to them (i.e. case management).
- help children or caregivers obtain a mental health diagnosis or obtain appropriate services for their diagnosis.
- help families identify behavioral health providers that match their needs and insurance/payment status.
- Parenting support: We can help parents understand their child’s diagnosis or behavior. We can also:
- identify services to support family functioning (i.e. respite care or parenting programs such as home visiting).
- listen and affirm parenting challenges and be supportive to parents.
- offer assistance to parents in researching and reaching out to programs of interest to the child or family (i.e. youth programs, support groups, family therapy)
- connect families with free grief and loss support services.
- Education: Our team works with schools to ensure the child receives appropriate services, or to adjust services as needed. We also connect families with AEA or other supports when is there a developmental concern.
- Other advocacy: We offer guidance to families who are navigating complex systems like health care, education and juvenile court.
What are my next steps?
It starts with a phone call to our team, at 515-271-1311. Please contact us Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; or leave us a message after-hours. You can also reach us via email at wellbeingconnections@everystep.org. One of our team members will respond within 1-2 business days.