A Caring Alternative, LLC

10/07/2025

Join us Saturday, October 18th for the 2025 Recovery Rally! We’ll have resources for mental health and substance use services in Burke County!

📣 Burke Recovery Rally – New Date!

The Burke Recovery Rally has a new date, and we’re excited to join! 🌟

Come see us there for Hope4NC information, resources, and support for our community. We can’t wait to connect with everyone and continue helping our neighbors in need. 💙

09/08/2025

🕙 Open Access Fridays
Every Friday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, individuals with Medicaid are welcome to walk in and be scheduled for a CCA to determine which services they qualify for.
📋 Services We Offer
We currently provide the following NC Medicaid-supported behavioral health services:
Community Support Team (CST)
A team-based service for adults with serious mental health or substance use disorders.
Eligibility: Must have a qualifying diagnosis (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder), functional impairments in daily living, and a history of frequent hospitalizations or crisis episodes.
Peer Support Services (PSS)
Recovery-focused support delivered by individuals with lived experience.
Eligibility: Adults (18+) with a mental health or substance use disorder who are willing to engage in recovery-based services.
Intensive In-Home Services (IIH)
Family-centered treatment for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances.
Eligibility: Ages 3–20 with a DSM diagnosis, at risk of out-of-home placement, and requiring multiple weekly contacts with a clinical team.
Outpatient Therapy Services (OPT)
Individual, group, or family therapy is provided by a licensed clinician.
Eligibility: Must have a diagnosable mental health or substance use condition and meet medical necessity criteria.
🌿 Peer Support & Outpatient Therapy Launch
We’re marking the beginning of our new peer support and outpatient therapy services with a small, community-centered event. Staff are encouraged to bring clients for free health screenings, a DIY flower bouquet station for self-care, and a handful of local mental health agencies offering brochures, interactive materials, and light giveaways. It will be held from 9AM-2PM on September 8th in the parking lot.
1550 Hendersonville Rd Suites 104&106, Asheville, NC 28803

09/03/2025

OPEN ACCESS available Tuesday and Thursday in our Marion office located at 5623 US 221 Marion, NC 28752. Call us at 828-652-5444. Hours are 8aam-12pm. Walk in's welcome. First Come First Served.

06/17/2025

Today we honored our ACTT East for a great audit! This team serves Catawba and Lincoln Counties! They go above and beyond for the individuals they serve! Give a shout out for ACTT East!!

06/12/2025

We have crisis counselors on standby to assist survivors in navigating resources!

In a disaster, there is no right or wrong way to feel.

It is essential that you have the resources you need when and where you need them.

Hope4NC assists individuals in communities as they recover from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene.

If you are experiencing stress, emotional fatigue, a mental health crisis, or just need someone to talk to, you can call the Hope4NC Helpline 855-587-3463z

Hope4NC is free, confidential, and available 24/7.

Their trained crisis outreach workers are available to link survivors with resources that assist in recovery and rebuilding, help with disaster preparedness, and to offer emotional & educational support.

They will meet you where it’s most convenient, whether that is your home, the library, church, or any other location.

06/09/2025

Adult Services in action! These leaders meet weekly to ensure best practices and quality service to individuals supported! Hit that like button for this group of compassionate and dedicated professionals!

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller

06/09/2025

In 2025, North Carolina had approximately 10,454 children and youth aged 0 to 17 in foster care, and 898 young adults aged 18 to 20 in extended foster care. The state faces a critical shortage of foster families, with over 10,000 children needing homes. There are needs for Therapeutic foster parents to serve children and adolescents with trauma and other MH Diagnosis, Pregnant Teen Mothers, and other special types of care.

Apply to become a foster family today! https://www.caringalternative.com/tfc

APA Citation:
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (2025). Division of Social Services Health Care Oversight and Coordination Plan. Retrieved from https://www.ncdhhs.gov/nc-health-care-oversight-plan-2025-2029/open

APA Summary:
In 2025, NC had 10,454 children and youth aged 0-17 in foster care and 898 young adults aged 18-20 in extended foster care. The state also faced a shortage of foster families.
Additional Information:

TFC is a family-based placement option for children with severe emotional, behavioral, or medical needs who can be served in the community with intensive support.

Traditional vs. Treatment Foster Care: Traditional foster homes don't have specialists checking in weekly, while TFC has case management services with weekly visits to ensure the child and family receive needed support. TFC pays more due to the needs of the children it serves.

Licensed Foster Homes: The number of licensed foster homes in NC dropped by 23% between 2021 and 2022.

Division of Social Services Health Care Oversight ... - NC DHHS
* Division of Social Services. Health Care. Oversight and Coordination Plan. 2025-2029. * Race/Ethnicity. Jan. 2022. Feb. 2023. C... NC DHHS

05/29/2025

05/25/2025

🌟 Child & Adolescent Services: Client Satisfaction Highlights 🌟

At A Caring Alternative, we believe every child and family deserves compassionate, respectful care—and your feedback shows we’re delivering just that.

Here’s what clients recently shared about their experience with our Child & Adolescent Services:

✅ 93% Overall Satisfaction
✅ 95% say staff are respectful of their culture
✅ 96% would refer someone in need of services
✅ 92% are satisfied with access, including after-hours support
✅ 93% feel included in treatment decisions
✅ 92% say client concerns are handled promptly
✅ 93% are satisfied with staff communication and relationships
✅ 92% are satisfied with ACA’s technology and forms accessibility

💙 We’re proud to serve our community with care that’s ethical, culturally sensitive, and centered on each child’s needs.

Want to learn more about how ACA can support your family?
👉 Visit us at www.caringalternative.com

A Caring Alternative, LLC provides behavioral health and substance use services to communities in Western North Carolina. With locations in Morganton, Marion, and Asheville, we are here to meet your behavioral health needs.

05/24/2025

Hope4NC CCP offers a variety of programs and services, including crisis counseling, disaster preparedness education and community support.

Primary Services:
-Assessment, Referral and Resource Linkage
-Brief Educational & Supportive Contact
-Community Networking
-Individual / Family Crisis Counseling
-Public Education Presentation
-Support Groups Secondary Services
-Distribution of Educational Materials
-Media and Public Service Announcements

Hope4NC's helpline is available 24/7 at (855) 587-3463. Calls are free and confidential, and multiple languages are supported.

Brief Educational or Supportive Contact
● Provides basic educational or emotional support to individuals or groups related to disaster reactions.

Individual Crisis Counseling
● Lasts longer than 15 minutes.
● Helps disaster survivors understand their situation and reactions, review their options, and connect with other individuals and agencies that may assist them.
● Includes working with an individual or family unit.
● Involves staff who listen actively and provide emotional support, identify and teach coping skills and stress management techniques, and help prioritize needs for the survivors.
Group Crisis Counseling
● Provides group members with emotional support and helps them to understand their situation and reactions and to review their options.
● Involves group activities that are appropriate to the age category of participants and can be on emotional or practical concerns.
● Assists group members with referral to other services and provides them with skills to cope with their situation and reactions.
● Refers to situations in which group members do most of the talking.

05/24/2025