The ORCA program was created and is funded by Alameda County Public Health Care services in order to address the deficit of suicide focused interventions for youth 25 and under. We aim to support youth who have moderate to severe suicidality. Our program is suicide centered. We aim to help youth decrease their suicidality by addressing the underlying cause of their suicidality.

We ask parents/caregivers to participate in a two hour initial safety planning/assessment meeting and to be in contact with the ORCA clinician on a weekly basis. Although our program is focused on supporting youth, we see caregivers as the experts of their youth, and an integral part of safety and care for suicidal youth.

ORCA clinicians can travel and offer services in Alameda county. We like to meet youth where they are, either in their home, at school, a local park, or even online if that is the best way to connect with them. We also can provide sessions at our office located in North Oakland.

Because ORCA services are suicide stabilization-specific and provided as short term support, we encourage youth to continue to see their current therapist and receive ORCA services as an add-on service.
If a youth is currently working with you as their therapist, we ask the youth and/or family to sign a release of information to work collaboratively with you. You would remain the youth's primary therapist or "therapist of record," and we would coordinate our care so that all care providers and caregiving adults can participate in safety planning. 

ORCA therapy services are specifically aimed to help youth find their own safety without having to go to the hospital (safety provided by others). We aim to help youth not only to stay safe in this moment, but to change their relationship with suicide and help them find a pathway to a life worth living. We are still legally and ethically obligated to consider hospitalization if a youth is in clear and imminent danger of suicide, and are unwilling or unable to engage in safety planning to reduce risk.

The ORCA program is a suicide-specific therapy and we will be addressing the challenges that make it possible for your youth to see suicide as an option. Over the course of treatment, your youth’s relationship to suicide may change, resulting in a decreased risk of dying by suicide. ORCA clinicians will explore with you and your loved one to see if starting with a different therapist to address issues not tied to suicide is appropriate. 

Suicidal feelings can be thought of as being on the spectrum of intensity and risk. ORCA clinicians are trained to work with your youth to assess for risk and to understand the pain points and motivations to suicide through their eyes. This collaborative assessment informs the need for services, as well as the direction and intensity that the therapy will be provided. We can't say if your youth will benefit, but we have the assessment tools and skills to find out.

ORCA Program FAQ for Youth

ORCA Program FAQ for Caregivers