The Child Mind Institute in New York City hosts a website that reports latest developments in children and adolescent mental health research and intervention.
The National Institute of Mental Health provides information and resources on specific disorders, the latest research and how to access treatments.
The US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a number of web resources including a Behavioral Health Treatment Locator and the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
Behavioral Health Treatment Locator
Programs and Practices
The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health offers a wealth of resources and free membership.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Virginia offers opportunities that support, educate, and empower other families with children and youth with mental health needs while also promoting family driven and youth guided policy throughout the child serving systems.
Community Services Boards (CSBs) throughout Virginia offer a range of services for adults and youth with mental health challenges, as well as for those with intellectual disabilities and substance abuse problems. Emergency services are available.
Community Service Boards
Virginia’s Children’s Services Act provides for services to children and youth who are in foster care or require foster care preventive services, who require placement in private schools to receive special education, who have behavioral and mental health challenges, or who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Beacon Tree is a Richmond-area foundation that is dedicated to being an advocate for the family, providing education and financial resources to help heal children struggling with mental health.
The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) supports Children’s Regional Crisis Response program, 24-hour rapid response to youth (17 and younger) who are facing a mental health and/or substance use crisis. This service is offered via HopeLink Behavioral Health.
Counselors provide phone screening and face-to-face assessment, intervention, and support.
The free service is also available by calling 571-364-7390.
This fact sheet by Formed Families Forward discusses the mental health challenges that can affect foster, adoptive, and kinship families.
Mental Health Needs in Formed Families Fact Sheet
Accessible HTML version
Virginia Medicaid administers Developmental Disabilities Waivers jointly with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. This landing page from Virginia Medicaid (Cardinal Care) provides fact sheets on each of the three types of DD waivers, updated as of 2025.
Landing Page for DD Waiver information