About
The Children’s Center was founded in 1871, in Erie, Pennsylvania, by a group of women interested in helping orphaned and homeless children. Sarah A. Reed was an original member of this group who founded “The Association for Improving the Conditions of the Poor, and a Home for the Friendless”. Miss Reed served as President for 45 years from 1889 to her death in 1934. Her contributions to the agency’s early development were so substantial that in 1935 the Center was renamed in her honor.
Over a period of thirty years the organization evolved. In 1961 Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center 
The Children’s Center serves a geographic area to include all counties in Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York State. The agency serves over 900 children and adolescents per day at our 7 program facilities, area school districts and community-based services.
Residential Treatment
Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center offers residential treatment services for boys and girls ages 5-18 experiencing significant psychiatric and/or trauma related issues.
Our Residential Treatment Program is structured for children whose needs and safety concerns require a 24 hour treatment environment.
The Residential Treatment Program provides comprehensive services. Each child’s individualized treatment plan is developed by the child and family team. This team includes the child, family, psychiatrist, therapist, nurse, case manager, education representative, and representatives from child-serving agencies.
Four living units provide a total of 64 licensed beds on a six-acre campus in Millcreek Township, Erie, PA.
For more information about Residential Treatment Services please contact:
Intake
2445 West 34th Street
Erie, PA 16506
814-838-1954
Partial Hospitalization
The partial hospitalization program at Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center provides children (ages 3-5) and their families an opportunity to engage in a comprehensive treatment experience designed to treat the “whole” child. The program offers a level of care that enables stabilization of the child’s emotional and behavioral disturbances with a therapeutically supported diversion from inpatient care. The goal is to restore a level of functioning that enables the child to successfully return to a regular preschool setting, re-enter the community and improve overall family functioning.
Children and families receive high quality treatment services delivered by board certified child/adolescent psychiatrist, masters level therapist, certified teachers, and various mental health professionals. The program provides all mental health treatment and early childhood education throughout the day. We believe that active participation is the key to treatment success. Families participate through regularly scheduled meetings as well as monthly Parent Nights. Utilizing the Sanctuary Model®, the program embraces the 7 Commitments of Sanctuary® and the S.E.L.F. Model. Services occurring throughout the day and week may include any combination of the following:
- Therapeutic art activities
- Recreation activities
- Social skills training
- Individual, family, and group therapy
- Small and large peer group learning
- Psychoeducational groups
- Individualized academic instruction
- Psychiatric assessment and medication monitoring
The program is located at our Hamilton Campus and runs Monday through Friday, 9:30am-3:30pm and operates 12 months a year.
Outpatient Behavioral Health Services
Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center provides Outpatient Therapy services to children and adults through the Outpatient Program located at 1611 Peach Street, Suite 185. Clients may be referred for individual, family, couples and group therapy by schools, physicians, psychiatrists, other social service providers, or by the clients seeking services for themselves. The Outpatient Program provides a wide range of Evidence-Based Interventions, including: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Alternatives for Families Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT), among others. In addition to providing therapy services at our main location in the Professional Building, we provide services at our Hamilton Campus located at 2931 Harvard Street and our Main Agency at 2445 West 34th Street. We also provide school-based outpatient therapy in the Fairview, Fort LeBoeuf, Millcreek Township, Union City, and Wattsburg school districts, as well as at Villa Maria Academy High School.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Matt Bogardus (835-3126 or mbogardus@sarahreed.org).
Outpatient Behavioral Health Services Offered:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Eye Movement Desensitization nd Reprocessing (EMDR)
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Trauma Focused – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Alternatives for Families: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT)
Mobile Therapy
Behavior Consultant
Community and School Based Behavioral Health
Phycological Testing
School Based Programs
Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center has developed partnerships with local school districts to provide Mental Health Support Services within school district buildings. These partnerships allow children to have direct access to needed supports during their school day and throughout the school year.
SELF Program
The SELF (Sanctuary® Education for Learning Fundamentals) Program is collaboration between Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center and Erie’s Public Schools. The SELF Program is a behaviorally based program for students in grades 3-8 who are experiencing difficulties in their home school. Students duration in the program varies and is determined on a case-by-case basis. The main goal of the
program is to focus on behavioral issues that impede academics and help the students learn to adapt with difficult or stressful situations in a positive way rather than by displaying acting out behaviors. Utilizing the Sanctuary Model® developed by Dr. Sandra Bloom, the program is based on the 7 Commitments of Sanctuary® and the S.E.L.F. Model. Each classroom is staffed by an Erie’s Public Schools’ teacher and two Sarah Reed staff members. A mental health professional works with the students providing group and family therapy, and can also offer on-site outpatient services for interested students and families. Rather than a punitive placement, SELF is viewed as a therapeutic opportunity to help students develop positive coping mechanisms and good problem solving skills to enable them to be successful in their home, school, and community.
The SELF Program is located at the Erie Intervention Center at 816 N. Park Ave. in Erie, PA.
Program hours are: Monday through Friday 8:45 am until 3:00 pm. The program runs during the school year.
Alternative Education Programs
The Alternative Education programs are approved by and aligned with Pennsylvania Department of Education standards. The programs are based on the Sanctuary Philosophy and provide hands-on experiential learning opportunities to help students develop a positive sense of future and success in school. The AEP is a highly structured and controlled academic setting with an emphasis on the core curriculum, life/social skills, and counseling to provide students a unique hands-on learning experience in a therapeutic environment. Our goal is to improve self-esteem, give new purpose and
direction to education, and develop needed pro-social skills to help students to be more successful in their home schools. The staff works collaboratively with parents to ensure a positive and impactful school experience.
