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  6. Children's Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI)

Who qualifies and how to apply

CBHI is the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative.

It provides intensive support services for people with behavioral issues.

Your child qualifies for CBHI if they are a Massachusetts resident, are under age 21, have MassHealth Standard or MassHealth CommonHealth, are diagnosed with a serious emotional, behavioral, or psychiatric condition, and are in need of home-based services (based on a mental health evaluation).

What you can do:

  1. Ask your family member's doctor to refer you to a mental health professional, like a psychologist or psychiatrist

  2. Schedule a mental health or behavioral health screening with a mental health professional

  3. Decide what type of CBHI service is best for your child

  4. Choose your behavioral health coverage:

      • With MassHealth Standard, you'll first choose a Primary Care Clinician (PCC) or Managed Care Entity (MCE) plan.

      • With MassHealth CommonHealth, you must call Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership (MBHP) at 1-800-495-0086.

  5. Call CBHI service providers directly. You can find listings for your region here.

Click the box below to learn more:

Support services offered through Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) include:

  • Intensive Care Coordination (ICC)

  • In-Home Therapy (IHT)

  • Family Support and Training (FS&T, or 'Family Partner')

  • In-Home Behavioral Services (IHBS)

  • Therapeutic Mentoring (TM)

  • Mobile Crisis Intervention (MCI)

In order to get these services, MassHealth must agree that they are medically necessary. You can help by giving them proof of your family member’s social, emotional, or behavioral disabilities. This can include diagnoses, evaluation reports, or letters from therapists.
For more information, see these resources:

Sources: Federation for Children with Special Needs/Mass Family Voices, MassHealth, MBHP, Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee

Sources: MassHealth, Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee