Suffolk County Juvenile Court Clinic (left) and  Norfolk County Juvenile Court Clinic (right)

Juvenile Court Clinic Operations (JCCO)

William James College operates Juvenile Court Clinics (JCC) under an agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) and the Administrative Office of the Juvenile Court.  WJC staffs the JCC covering Norfolk county while the JCC covering Suffolk county is jointly staffed by WJC and DMH.  The JCC provide court-ordered evaluations of youth and families in Care and Protection cases (alleged child maltreatment), Delinquent and Youthful Offender cases, Child Requiring Assistance cases (runaway, truancy, stubborn child, habitual school offender, sexually exploited child), and involuntary civil commitment for urgent psychiatric care or substance abuse treatment.

Mission

The mission of the JCCO is:

• To provide high quality evaluations for the Juvenile Court to rely upon in making potentially life-altering decisions
• To access behavioral health care for children and families with unmet needs
• To support positive youth and family development

Providers

The JCCO’s forensic clinicians collaborate with state agencies, community providers, and schools to access behavioral health, medical, educational, and other services for court-involved youth and families.  JCCO’s forensic clinicians also train and supervise graduate and post-graduate students from William James College and other graduate programs in juvenile forensic mental health practice.  A Juvenile Forensic Case Manager facilitates accessing behavioral health services and other positive youth and family resources to stabilize and support positive development of court-involved persons, many of whom are in crisis at the time of referral.

Who We Serve

The Juvenile Court Clinics operated by William James College provide clinically and forensically sound evaluations ordered by Juvenile Courts in Suffolk and Norfolk Counties, and provide recommendations and referrals in response to the complex needs of court-involved youth and families. 

Methods

The JCCO relies upon “best practices” approaches to juvenile forensic mental health work which include: increasing implementation of evidence-based screening and assessment tools; developing the cultural competencies required for a highly diverse urban population; and, offering evidence-based short-term interventions.  The JCCO also builds upon community resources to support access to positive youth development assets to improve outcomes in education, personal and community safety, medical and behavioral health care, engagement in community activities, and relationships with positive adults and peers.

More Information

For more information about the Juvenile Court Clinic Operations at William James College please contact:

Pooja Khialani, PsyD
Program Director
617-788-6472 (Suffolk Office)
781-329-1500 x244 (Norfolk Office)
pkhialani@jccwjc.org

For more information regarding the training program please contact:

Celine Crespi-Hunt, PsyD
Director of Training
617-788-6702
ccrespihunt@jccwjc.org