Milhous Children's Svc Inc, also known as Milhous Children's Services, sits on a ranch with one thousand acres in Nevada City, California, and has a long history of helping children and seniors who need care, running different programs out of their one main practice location and a few satellite spots in places like Concord, South Sacramento, and Penn Valley; they have about 188 employees and four doctors who practice across seven areas, like adolescent medicine, psychiatry, and neurology, with staff who speak English, German, and Spanish and offer language services in Spanish so people feel more comfortable during their stay. The place first served kids in one house but grew into a bigger spot with many services, especially for kids and teens who have severe emotional problems; now they have enough room to help both boys and girls, particularly ages 12 to 18, who live in a home environment while getting therapy, and for teens and young adults, there are both outpatient and residential treatment options, including special programs for those with serious emotional disturbance.
Doctors and trained staff provide things such as emergency mental health help, psychiatry, psychotropic medication management, and integrated treatment for teens with both mental health and substance issues; others help with activities of daily living, especially for seniors who need help with things like bathing, dressing, or memory care, and they provide care for people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia in a safe space designed just for that, with both independent living and assisted living setups. The nonprofit keeps its services grounded in evidence-based treatment, using therapies like Individualized Psychotherapy, CBT, DBT, trauma therapy, and even Christian-Based Treatment if that's what families want, mixing these with group, family, and behavioral rehabilitation services where therapists and teachers work together; teachers get thorough in-house training that matches what the mental health workers get, which means everybody knows what to do and how to support the kids, with class sizes kept small-around six students per teacher-for special education.
Milhous runs their programs with a focus on nature, teamwork, and helping people move beyond destructive behaviors; the ranch environment means there's plenty of chances for outdoor activities like ropes courses, backpacking, hiking, climbing, and canoeing, giving kids and even certain high-level residents some big experiences outside, while indoors staff work on skills in thinking, feeling, and daily tasks, always aiming for an environment that's as close to a family home as possible. Milhous also works with counties to accept children for residential care, provides education for those living on-site, and gives mental health services for those placed by agencies; besides therapy and education, they also offer crisis intervention, therapeutic behavioral services, after-care, companion care, respite, and hospice for seniors.
There's a big list of jobs at Milhous too, with positions like Mental Health Worker, Teacher, Therapist, TBS Coach, housekeeper, and caregiver, offering both part-time and full-time roles, plus things like free on-site sleeping spaces at Nevada City for staff, and they even handle jobs around housekeeping, pet care, dog walking, tutoring, and more, reflecting the ranch's need to cover many daily living needs for both children and older adults. The center's finances show it operates as a large nonprofit with revenues and expenses topping $11 million in 2024, guided by leaders like CEO Dan Petrie, CFO Richard Milhous, and Director of Program Alan Petrie, aiming to keep things steady and focused on improving life skills, self-esteem, and positive behavior changes for everyone who needs some extra support, no matter their age.
