Date of Conferral

3-23-2026

Degree

Doctor of Human Services (D.H.S.)

School

Human Services

Advisor

Sarah Matthey

Abstract

There is a lack of acute crisis services for youth in the United States. In San Luis Obispo County, California, there are no designated facilities with crisis stabilization services near family homes for children in acute crisis. Grounded in Stroul et al.’s system of care approach for children and families, the purpose of this qualitative force field analysis study was to explore human service administrators’ perceptions of the services youth in acute crisis need to stabilize within San Luis Obispo County. Directors at youth human services county departments and nonprofits were contacted to help recruit a purposeful sample of 11 individuals who (a) worked as a human service administrator at the time of this research; (b) resided in San Luis Obispo County; (c) had experience designing, supervising, or implementing services that may stabilize youths with acute crisis; and (d) had worked with youth with behavioral health needs for at least 3 years. Data collected from administrators via questionnaires were analyzed using Saldaña’s four guiding steps. Nine of the participants then ranked the eight themes in order of importance related to youth crisis stabilization services. The ranked themes were as follows: (a) a local safe place for youth to be during an acute crisis, (b) easier access to preventative care, specifically in-home behavioral health services, (c) youth are separated from families and transported out of county for inpatient beds, (d) partnerships and collaboration within the SOC, (e) education and training for families, (f) staffing concerns and needs, (g) effective initial crisis interventions, and (h) school-based services can help with prevention and stabilization. The study results may lead to positive social change by providing children and families to improved crisis stabilization services within the county.

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