Clarity Child Guidance Center

8535 Tom Slick
San Antonio, TX 78229

About Clarity Child Guidance Center

Located in San Antonio, Texas, Clarity Child Guidance Center is a nonprofit mental health treatment center. They help kids and their families overcome emotional and behavioral challenges through partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and general outpatient programs (OP). They strive to give kids complete support in treatment so they can thrive.

It can feel scary when your child needs professional care. Clarity eases this anxiety by involving parents in every step of the process. Whether your child is admitted into PHP or OP, you can expect to play a heavy role in treatment. Parents also receive extensive education on their child’s symptoms and diagnoses so they can better support recovery.
Treatment is tailored to your child’s needs, behaviors, and personality. The staff are childcare professionals who recognize that there is no “one size fits all” solution for kids experiencing mental and behavioral health. That’s why they’ve created a welcoming, non-judgmental environment to help kids feel comfortable with their treatment team.

Latest Reviews

Christy

4 weeks ago on Google

My son spent almost 2 wks there for suicidal ideations. They were so caring with him, and very helpful to us as a family.

Mayra Marquez

4 months ago on Google

Excellent place 100% recommended

dizzy fizzy

4 months ago on Google

Worst, most miserable hospital I ve been to. San Antonio Behavioral Health was better and even that place is beyond miserable.The worst part about Clarity is the staff - they work in a CHILD GUIDANCE CENTER yet seem to despise children, and get off on exerting power on them, setting useless, unnecessary rules and then acting surprised when a child snaps and argues back. They seem to consider themselves prison guards, and they do their best to resemble them. These staff are to correctional officers what a pug is to a wolf; sad, inbred mockeries of what they try so, so hard to mimic. They essentially want the children to behave like trained dogs; sit down, don t move, don t speak, and most importantly, never think for yourself, or you ll find out that their guidance is absolute bull.The therapists aren t trained to do much except repeat empty platitudes; I m sorry, that seems difficult, or if they re feeling adventurous, they may recommend that you try GOING OUTSIDE and TRYING NEW THINGS to cure your crippling OCD and MDD. Genius! Why didn t I think of that!?The doctors are emotionless husks of people: no matter what you say to them while repeating symptoms you ve described to them a hundred times prior, you re met with a blank stare, without fail, only to find out the following day that they ve put you on a new medicine without informing you AGAIN. These doctors also seem to think they re above ever contacting the parents of the children they re drugging for a paycheck. I was here for 3 weeks and not once did my doctor bother contacting my mother despite her numerous attempts to do so.Calling this place a hospital would be the equivalent to calling McDonalds a gourmet restaurant. They do not care about your mental health, they do not care about your problems, and they do not care about you, nor do they even bother pretending to; why would they? They get a paycheck regardless - may as well take out their anger on young children for $12 an hour.Some of the staff are not just rude to the children, though. Some of them are so insatiable in their desire to ruin the days of others that they extend their nasty behavior to the parents of the children, too Carly (I believe she s an RN?) being the worst of the (many) examples of this. Upon my mother asking, over the phone, why the staff neglect to inform her of incidents which occurred in the hospital regarding me (for example, ripping my hair out, having breakdowns, etc.), Nurse Carly decided to respond huffily. She sneered, well, if you WANT us to tell you EVERY LITTLE THING It was also not uncommon to hear staff bad-mouthing patients: Lydia was the worst of all, though, and largely hated by the majority of the patients as a result. She would insult patients, calling them stupid and calling one young boy an idiot (IF it wasn t that, it was an insult with similar weight my memory is foggy). Later, she would lie and claim to have never said that. Imagine being tasked to treat traumatized children, many having dealt with gaslighting and emotional abuse, only to FURTHER GASLIGHT THEM.While I m name-dropping, I will note that all of the weekend staff and nurses were spectacular, and I never once ran into issues with a single one of them. Carlos was also nice. Felicia (I think that was her name? I believe she was a nurse) was also very kind to me. I will not forget the compassion they showed me. There were a plethora of other staff that showed me similar kindness, and there were others who showed similar cruelty to what was mentioned above. I cannot name them all, but if you were in the former group, thank you, and if you were in the latter Please, get it together.

Gallery

The facilities at Clarity Child Guidance Center in San Antonio, TX 1

The facilities at Clarity Child Guidance Center in San Antonio, TX 2

The facilities at Clarity Child Guidance Center in San Antonio, TX 3

The facilities at Clarity Child Guidance Center in San Antonio, TX 4

The facilities at Clarity Child Guidance Center in San Antonio, TX 5

Location

Accepted Insurance

Clarity Child Guidance Center works with several private insurance providers and also accepts private payments when possible, please contact to verify your specific insurance provider.

Aetna

Blue Cross Blue Shield

Cigna

Humana

UnitedHealth Group

Other Forms of Payment

Private insurance refers to any kind of healthcare coverage that isn't from the state or federal government. This includes individual and family plans offered by an employer or purchased from the Insurance Marketplace. Every plan will have different requirements and out of pocket costs so be sure to get the full details before you start treatment.

Self-pay involves paying for treatment out of your own pocket. You can use savings or credit, get a personal loan, or receive help from family and friends to fund your treatment. If you don't have insurance or your insurance plan doesn't cover a specific program, self-pay can help ensure you still get the care you need.

Financial aid can take many forms. Centers may have grants or scholarships available to clients who meet eligibility requirements. Programs that receive SAMHSA grants may have financial aid available for those who need treatment as well. Grants and scholarships can help you pai for treatment without having to repay.

Per session payment lets you pay for each treatment at the time of service. You may also pay for a certain number of sessions up front and then pay for more if needed. This format allows you to tailor the financial investment to your specific needs and avoid having a large lump sum payment due at the end of the treatment program.

Sliding scale payments are based on a client's income and family size. The goal is to make treatment affordable to everyone. By taking these factors into account, addiction recovery care providers help ensure that your treatment does not become a financial burden to you or your family, eliminating one barrier to care.

Medicare is a federal program that provides health insurance for those 65 and older. It also serves people under 65 with chronic and disabling health challenges. To use Medicare for addiction treatment you need to find a program that accepts Medicare and is in network with your plan. Out of pocket costs and preauthorization requirements vary, so always check with your provider.

Military members, veterans, and eligible dependents have access to specific insurance programs that help them get the care they need. TRICARE and VA insurance can help you access low cost or no cost addiction and mental health treatment. Programs that accept military insurance often have targeted treatment focused on the unique challenges military members, veterans, and their families face.

Medicaid is a state based program that helps lower-income individuals and families pay for healthcare. Medicaid covers addiction treatment so those enrolled can use their coverage to pay for rehab. When a program accepts Medicaid the client often pays very little or nothing out of their own pocket.

Addiction Treatments

Levels of Care

Outpatient

Outpatient Programs (OP) are for those seeking mental rehab or drug rehab, but who also stay at home every night. The main difference between outpatient treatment (OP) and intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) lies in the amount of hours the patient spends at the facility. Most of the time an outpatient program is designed for someone who has completed an inpatient stay and is looking to continue their growth in recovery. Outpatient is not meant to be the starting point, it is commonly referred to as aftercare.

Inpatient

Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.

Treatments

Many of those suffering from addiction also suffer from mental or emotional illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorders. Rehab and other substance abuse facilities treating those with a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder administer psychiatric treatment to address the person's mental health issue in addition to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Mental health rehabs focus on helping individuals recover from mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, clinical depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and more. Mental health professionals at these facilities are trained to understand and treat mental health issues, both in individual and group settings.

Programs

Teen Program

Teen programs are designed to address the unique pressures teens face, pressures that can drive them to experiment with dangerous, addictive substances. They need programs that meet them exactly where they are and give them tools for long-term recovery. Therapy can help teenagers understand and work through underlying issues so they can reclaim the life ahead of them.

Adult Program

Adult rehab programs include therapies tailored to each client's specific needs, goals, and recovery progress. They are tailored to the specific challenges adult clients may face, including family and work pressures and commitments. From inpatient and residential treatment to various levels of outpatient services, there are many options available. Some facilities also help adults work through co-occurring conditions, like anxiety, that can accompany addiction.

Program For Men

Men face specific challenges and concerns when seeking addiction treatment. Gender-specific recovery programs help them tackle these issues head-on in an environment that's focused, targeted, and distraction-free. It also gives them the opportunity to connect with and learn from other men who have been through a similar journey and can offer support for the next step.

Program For Women

Rehabs for women provide a safe, nurturing space for female clients to heal. These treatment programs consider the specific obstacles that women can face during recovery and place a special emphasis on mental, social, physical, and reproductive health. They explore how each woman's experience has shaped the trajectory of their substance use, addressing issues such as sexual abuse and past trauma.

Young Adult Program

Young adulthood can be an exciting, yet difficult, time of transition. Individuals in their late teens to mid-20s face unique stressors related to school, jobs, families, and social circles, which can lead to a rise in substance use. Rehab centers with dedicated young adult programs will include activities and amenities that cater to this age group, with an emphasis on specialized counseling, peer socialization, and ongoing aftercare.

Child Program

The providers who specialize in the children's rehab space understand the specialized needs that this population faces. School-based and social services such as tutoring and family counseling are often central to treatment. Child programs may also address the needs of youth experiencing substance abuse in the home, including a parent's or sibling's addiction.

Hearing Impaired Program

A sensory disability, such as hearing impairment, can compound the challenges of addiction recovery. Drug rehabs that are specially designed to accommodate the needs of persons with hearing impairments will include special accessibility features and accommodations to make treatment as comfortable and effective as possible. This may include access to American Sign Language interpreters.

Clinical Services

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.

Treatment that takes a dialectical behavior therapy approach focuses on four strategies. Distress tolerance will help you accept and tolerate intense emotions. Emotional regulation will teach you to manage those emotions. Mindfulness will keep you in the present moment instead of regret or worry. Interpersonal effectiveness will teach you to manage your relationships.

Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.

In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.

Whether a marriage or other committed relationship, an intimate partnership is one of the most important aspects of a person's life. Drug and alcohol addiction affects both members of a couple in deep and meaningful ways, as does rehab and recovery. Couples therapy and other couples-focused treatment programs are significant parts of exploring triggers of addiction, as well as learning how to build healthy patterns to support ongoing sobriety.

Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation.

The right life skills training will help you build the skills you need for recovery. You'll learn how to solve problems, improve your social life, enhance your mental health, and make good decisions. This is a key component of drug rehab programs in Texas.

Nutrition therapy, aka medical nutrition therapy (MNT), is a way of treating physical, emotional, and medical conditions through diet. Specific dietary plans are designed by professional nutritionists or registered dietitians, and patients follow them in order to positively affect their physical and mental health.

Amenities

Recreation Room
Art Activities
Yoga Studio
Meditation Room
Residential Setting
Private Rooms
Music Room
Hiking
Day School

Contact Information

(210) 616-0300

Website

8535 Tom Slick
San Antonio, TX 78229

Get Help Now - 800-985-8516

Who Answers?

Edited by:

Peter Lee, PhD

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Reviews of Clarity Child Guidance Center

3.1/5 (205 reviews)

Google Reviews

3.1 (205 reviews)

4 weeks ago

4 months ago

Kenny

I was admitted here 6 months ago due to a attempt and self harm,the staff were very rude.they didn t care abt the patients or me at all.The staff only told us to take pills or either just got mad if you tried to do anything else.

ROSEMARY Cruz

5 months ago

Was very disappointed to hear they turned down my 14 yr old child. He was admitted to university hospital due to some seizure issues and were getting his seizures controlled but while there he was evaluated was highly suicidal and in depression and needed urgent attention. The hospital referred him to this hospital and denied him and from my understanding are not able to accept a patient that is still trying to be controlled with his seizures. I can understand that part but at the same time my son s need was truly important and needed mental health asap. We have been at the hospital waiting to find a mental hospital to take him in for past 2 days but still have had no luck to any others for the same issue of the seizures. It s just crazy how kids sometimes are in desperate need of mental health and no one will take them and be more worried of liability of a child with seizures than mental health assistance and not try to attempt some kind of help. Trying to understand how this works in mental health but is difficult to understand how no one was able to help and turned my child away and will just be discharged out of hospital. Just disappointed at mental hospitals.

Janie L Valero

T Enoch

I saw an extreme change within a few days. Staff is caring, considerate and informative. 10 out of 10 would recommend!

Alana Gazaway

6 months ago

This place is terrible and the lack of communication between them all is terrible. My son has been coming here for over a year. For a while everything was good he was on medication and getting better. Now it has been MONTHS that my son has been off medication because of lack of communication at this place. The last appointment my son had prescription was sent out and when i called to see if it was ready they stated the insurance needed for the doctor to sign off on it so it would be covered and that they sent the paperwork to them through email and all i had to do was wait. I waited a few days and called again and they say theres no answer from docs office. I call the office and they claim they haven't gotten anything from the pharmacy. Alright back and forth of this between pharmacy and doctor for weeks. I call the office and they finally say they got it after i tell them i got a physical copy from the pharmacy that i can bring by. They assure me itll get to the doctor. I wait a few days and nothing still. When i get to my sons appointment hoping to speak with the doctor to clear this up i get shamed for going so long without his medication when ive been trying. Sends out the prescription and the same thing happens again. You cannot leave a message directly for the doctor its so hard to get ahold of anyone besides the front office lady. Any emails to doctor are forwarded to her i guess because she calls back when i try. This place will let your child slip through the cracks without a second thought. I am finding my son a new doctor.

Susie Gonzalez

I am disgusted with this place. My grandson was brought in by school staff due to him wanting to commit self harm written in a journal . We noticed a change of behavior this February 2024 and because he admitted writing it last year they took his word for it which was clearly not true therefore he was considered an out patient (should of been in patient ) A prescription was sent to the pharmacy which they never informed us of. The pharmacy couldn't prescribe because of more info needed they sent them a form which took them a week later to respond . The lack of communication among them is horrible, seems they point the finger at each other. The more time he spends there the less interest he has in wanting to return to school due to the fact he does nothing there. Clarity helps turn children's lives around , no its more like turn their lives upside down so they can come back and continue to run the nonprofit mental health treatment with patient insurance.

Sarah May

7 months ago

This is one of my favorite places on earth idk how there is only 3.something stars. I went there when I was 13 and the staff and people were so nice. I love this place with my heart and soul thank you clarity for everything you've done for me.

Daisy Laparra

We had to take our daughter to the crisis center at around 8pm one night. Throughout the evaluation, where we could stay with her, we discussed her recent medication change due to it causing abnormal EKGs. After the evaluation, they decided she needed to be admitted but didn't have beds immediately available, so they placed her in the observation unit, telling us one parent could stay with her. I ended up staying, making sure to read all the paperwork carefully before signing.Settling into the observation room took until about 10pm. They mentioned she needed a physical check before she could sleep, which ended up pushing sleep time way past 11:30pm, way later than ideal for her state. The room was super cold, and we weren't allowed to bring blankets or anything. The "pillows" were just thin cotton blankets stuffed into pillowcases, which was far from comfortable. We initially asked for more pillows, only to be told they were all out due to being full. It felt odd, but after insisting, they somehow found some extra pillows within 30 mins.Come morning, there was a bit of a mix-up with the rules about shoelaces. My daughter needed to use the restroom, so she put her shoes on (we were initially asked to keep them outside of the room b/c they had laces) and accidentally brought them back into the room, forgetting the rule against it. Oddly enough, this and her keeping a silicone fidget toy with her all night went unnoticed by staff, even though it seemed to go against their safety policies.A major hiccup occurred when a nurse brought in medication, including the one that caused the EKG issues. I was quick to point out she shouldn't be on that medication anymore. It turned out, my signature had been photocopied onto consent forms for medications I hadn't agreed to when signing. This raised a huge red flag for us, clearly showing a mishandling of consent and a serious breach of trust. After discovering this, we decided it was best to take our daughter home, feeling the facility's shortcuts on something so critical made it unsafe.There was also a bit of confusion over phone use rules. My husband was told differently about being able to use his phone, which contradicted what we were told the night before.The Director of Nursing later called, apologizing profusely for the mix-up with the medication and acknowledging the seriousness of altering consent forms. His willingness to take responsibility and ensure it wouldn t happen again was a good step, but the whole ordeal had us thinking hard about the level of care and safety at the facility.Despite the apology and the talk of changes, we were left considering legal action but ultimately decided against it due to the continued stress it would cause. I'd advise anyone thinking of using this center to weigh these experiences carefully. It's a tough call, but being informed and vigilant is key in these situations.

Yvette

8 months ago

If anyone has their children here, I would definitely look into the kind of care that is being provided. This place simply just wants to charge your insurance and be paid without providing proper diagnosis and therapeutic care. My son is currently under their supervision for assaulting me, and attempting to push me down a flight of stairs, I have not received one phone call from a physician or a licensed medical doctor or provider from this facility. I ve got one phone call from a nurse asking to give my son melatonin to sleep one call from a lady asking for my email and that was it .I am now receiving a phone call to come and pick my child up , even though we have not had a family counseling session which is scheduled for the following Day at 4 pm . they are requesting that I pick up my child who assaulted me attempted to push me down a flight of stairs, basically attempting to kill me without conducting a family counseling session prior to his release. without making contact with me to provide me an official diagnosis or let me know the status of his mental state and behavior, while in the facility. they just want me to pick up the person who assaulted me attempted to kill me without giving me any information on his mental state .Shannon is being told by the care coordinator Elva that they cannot provide me the medical directors or licensed physicians information so they are refusing to give me the name of the doctors the name of the medical Director information that should be public record and should be provided to parents with no issue . Before leaving your child here, you should ask for the medical directors, information, physicians information, and what licenses they carry to provide mental health Before leaving anyone here!!!

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