Nestled in 15 locations throughout New Jersey are hubs staffed with professionals to support the mental wellness of the state's youth. The NJ Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) model operates on a hub and spoke system, deploying mental health professionals and other staff throughout communities to provide wellness services and referrals for young people. This newly engineered plan offers three tiers of support, encouraging partnership, coordination, and collaboration among various stakeholders. Each hub serves a specific region, with staff working with several schools and other community members in each school’s vicinity.
NJ4S adopts a preventive approach to youth mental wellness through its three-tiered support system:
Tier 1 provides all-aged wellness information focused on prevention. Students, caregivers, and schools can request workshops, virtual and in-person presentations, and assemblies from pre-K through high school without their child’s school being an NJ4S participating school. Community providers can also access these services if they are open to the public.
Tier 2 offers prevention groups for students in grades 6 to 12 based on various areas of need. A referral application must be submitted for the student(s) by the designated representative at the participating NJ4S school.
Tier 3 includes all supports from Tier 2 plus a brief assessment and counseling for students and their caregivers. Clinicians help connect individuals to other resources such as work readiness agencies, education supports, and ongoing mental health providers. These services are provided in schools, community locations, homes, and through telehealth.
NJ4S hubs are not designed as long-term outpatient centers nor do they provide crisis intervention.
NJ4S hubs host numerous informational sessions and events throughout the year. These Tier 1 events range from sessions on study skills to events addressing grief and are open to the public either in-person or virtually. Despite being public events, each offering targets a specific audience such as middle school students or parents. Accessing Tier 2 and Tier 3 services requires applications from schools officially partnered with local NJ4S hubs. Youth and their parents can speak to administrators, guidance counselors, social workers, or teachers at their school to request participation if it is not already established.
For more information about NJ4S services or accessing local hubs:
Atlantic & Cape May Counties: Acenda Inc.
Bergen County: Children’s Aid & Family Services Inc.
Burlington County: Legacy Treatment Services
Camden County: Center for Family Services Inc.
Cumberland, Gloucester & Salem Counties: Acenda Inc.
Essex County: Family Connections Inc.
Hudson County: Partners in Prevention
Hunterdon, Somerset & Warren Counties: Center for Family Services Inc.
Mercer County: Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton
Middlesex County: Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC)
Monmouth County: Preferred Behavioral Health Group
Morris & Sussex Counties: Mental Health Association of Essex & Morris Inc.
Ocean County: Preferred Behavioral Health Group
Passaic County: New Jersey Community Development Corporation
Union County: Prevention Links
Further details can be found at https://nj4s.nj.gov/s/.
