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While Bill Wilson Center programs primarily focus on youth, some of our services also include adults and families in order to build a safe, healthy and nurturing community.
Family and Individual Counseling Center
The Family and Individual Counseling Center provides counseling services to individuals of all ages and addresses a wide variety of problems including family conflict, school problems, substance abuse, depression, stress, and out-of-control behavior. Overall, the focus of the Family and Individual Counseling Center is to work with individuals in the community to develop the skills and confidence needed to overcome the crises they face.
A new Parenting Class is being offered which teaches effective parenting skills. For more information, click here (PDF).
The School Outreach Counseling program provides counseling in the Santa Clara Unified School District, and addresses such issues as depression, suicidal ideation, problems at home, poor school performance, drug prevention and sexuality. Part of the program helps recently immigrated Vietnamese youth and their families adjust to their new environment.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter offers short-term housing for runaway, homeless, and other troubled youth (ages 11-17). Individual, group, and family counseling is provided to restore family ties when possible, and to stabilize the lives of homeless youth to avoid victimization from street life.
A new Parenting Class is being offered which teaches effective parenting skills. For more information, click here (PDF).
The Drop-in Center in downtown San Jose helps homeless at-risk youth, ages 12 - 22, by providing basic necessities such as food, clothing, and personal hygiene items. The program also provides more comprehensive services including counseling, living skills training, job readiness training, housing assistance, health education (including HIV prevention) and links to other services, such as access to legal services and health care.
The Transitional Housing Program provides comprehensive services for homeless youth (ages 16 to 22), including young parents and their infants. The program offers long-term shelter, independent living skills training, job readiness skills, and counseling. Teen parents also learn parenting skills.
Independent Living Skills Program
The Independent Living Skills Program teaches youth in foster care the skills they need to become self-sufficient. Youth who are raised in group homes or foster care "age out" of the system at 18 regardless of whether they have a job, money, or the skills needed to be independent. Many end up on the streets and homeless. The ILP program focuses on job skills (resume writing, job searching, interviewing), household management (budgeting, shopping, cleaning), and interpersonal skills.
Prevention/Health Education Program
The Prevention/Health Education Programs focus on HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, pregnancy, and gang violence prevention. Youth are educated about the consequences of their actions and are equipped with the tools to make healthy choices for themselves.
Quetzal House is named after the Quetzal bird, which dies when kept in captivity. Quetzal House provides a stable and nurturing environment for girls who are chronic runaways form the foster care system. The overall program goal for Quetzal House is to work with youth so that they can successfully transition to and maintain a longer-term placement.
Safe Place is a national partnership that provides a safety network for children by joining together government facilities, businesses, schools, and nonprofit agencies. Trained staff and volunteers respond to calls for help 24 hours a day, providing children who are troubled or in danger with a safe haven. Safe Place sites, identified by a large yellow and black Safe Place sign, are available to any child who is in danger or feels unsafe, whether the threat is from a parent, a stranger, or a peer. In partnership with the City of San Jose, businesses, schools, and public and private agencies, there are 350 Safe Place sites in San Jose. To learn more about Project Safe Place, click here.
Safe Place Community Outreach builds on the strength of its participants to develop leadership skills and self-esteem. Youth also learn the value of community involvement and volunteerism. Together both programs strive to make the community a safe and protected place. For more information about the Fall 2007 Semester click here.
The Restorative Justice Program is aimed at providing support to help youth stay out of the juvenile justice system. The program works with the youth to help them make amends, and provides guidance so that they will make better choices in the future.
Founded in 1970 Contact Cares has been listening to Silicon Valley for over 30 years as a 24-hour multi-purpose helpline staffed by trained volunteers who provide listening/counseling, crisis intervention and referral to other community resources. July 1st, 2005 Contact Cares became a program of Bill Wilson Center. For a full program description, click here.
CHAT4Teens is a way for teens in crisis to speak to a counselor through an online instant message format. CHAT4Teens counselors/coaches are volunteers who are there to listen without judgment and to lend support. Teens can log on and talk about anything that’s troubling them: Relationships, parents, school, friends, cutting, suicidal thoughts, pregnancy, depression, abuse, loneliness, or stress. It’s a safe and anonymous place to vent, work through problems and even get information about valuable community resources. For a full program description, click here.
The Centre for Living with Dying
The Centre for Living with Dying is a non-profit agency that provides individual and small group grief support for adults, children and families experiencing life-threatening illness or death of a loved one. Crisis intervention and a broad based educational program on grief and loss are offered. Grief counseling services are provided by highly trained volunteers and a dedicated staff. For a full program description, click here.
Prepares families to parent children with special needs from the child welfare system. The program’s goal is permanency for the child. The placement coordinator works closely with county social workers and approved families to ensure the child’s needs will be met by a family that is willing and capable of parenting the child. Services provided include in-depth home studies, and assist the child and family to form a lasting connection. Additionally, private home study services are available to the community for private adoptions on a fee basis.
Click Here - Learn more about becoming a foster family!!
Provides stable, caring, temporary homes for children of all ages in the social services system. These children have been removed from their birth families because of child abuse or severe neglect and are impacted by trauma, grief and loss. The primary goal of our Foster Care Program is to prepare the child for permanency, which means either their return to appropriate, stable birth family members, placement into an adoptive family, or adoption by the foster family.
Click Here - Learn more about becoming a foster family!!
Parent Child Interaction Therapy
Parent Child Interaction Therapy and Training (PCIT) is a positive and well-respected program designed to help both parents and children. In PCIT, parents and children play together while a therapist talks to the parent through an earpiece. Parents are taught specific skills that will help foster a more positive relationship with their child and help decrease their child’s negative behaviors.
We need
people like you to donate your time, energy, and caring nature in a
variety of areas, including working with children, office support, project
assistance, and more. Together we can prevent child abuse and provide
stable lives and brighter futures for abused and neglected children.
Volunteering with the Case Aide program is a very rewarding experience.
Give us a call and see how you can create positive change in the lives of
local foster children!
Click Here - To see if you are eligible to volunteer!
Clinical and Behavioral Services
Comprehensive mental health services are provided to the community on a sliding fee basis or through Medi-Cal funding. Additionally, services are provided to children and youth in the child welfare system who have experienced abuse and neglect. Therapists and interns assess each child’s needs carefully and create an appropriate treatment plan tailored to meet that child’s individual needs.
Bill Wilson Center Program Brochures
General Brochure (pdf)
General Brochure - Spanish Version (pdf)
Counseling Brochure (pdf)
Counseling Brochure - Spanish Version (pdf)
Shelter Brochure (pdf)
Drop-In Center Brochure (pdf)
Volunteer Brochure (pdf)
ILP Brochure (pdf)
Centre For Living With Dying (pdf)
Healing Hearts (pdf)
Transitional Housing Program (pdf)
Medi-Cal (pdf)
Foster Care and Adoption Services (pdf)
Volunteer Case Aide (pdf)
Parent Child Interaction Therapy (pdf)
This page last updated 06/09/2008 .