Children’s Behavioral Health

The Next Step Clinic, operating at CFI, helps families in Milwaukee who have concerns about the mental health and developmental health of their children.  

Services include: 

• Family Navigation - Our family navigators work with families through their whole experience with the clinic. They conduct initial screenings for children's developmental or mental health challenges, develop Family Care Plans to assess family needs and any potential barriers to care, advocate for families to get their needs met, and assist families in navigating the mental and developmental service systems of Milwaukee. 

• Screening and Evaluation for Autism - We offer screening, evaluation, and the medical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for children. 

• Training - Next Step Clinic is a graduate-level Practicum Training site. We train future mental health professionals (clinical and school psychology), nurses, and medical providers in the services we offer through Next Step’s community-centered, community-academic partnership. 

• Telehealth - We offer in-person and telehealth appointments. If you have any challenges with accessing the internet or devices, please let us know.  We aim to make our services accessible for all and we will do what we can to meet your needs. We don’t want this to be a reason why a family cannot receive the services they need. 

Who We Serve

Our focus is on serving families who experience barriers to accessing services, which may include race/ethnicity, income, geographic area, refugee status, foster care/child welfare involvement, and other reasons. 

We serve families with children aged 15 months to 10 years; however, our goal is early identification and early intervention. If multiple children in a family need autism evaluation, and any of the children are over the age of 10, we will do our best to also evaluate the older children in the family. 

Cost 

Our aim at Next Step Clinic is to make services accessible to all, and that families will not be charged or will be charged the least amount possible, according to need. We especially focus on serving Milwaukee families who are eligible for/receive public assistance, Badgercare, and/or Medicaid.  

Requests & Referrals

• Parents & Caregivers - Contact us at 414-209-3631 or help@nextstepclinic.org to request service. Please include your child’s age, your concerns, and a good number to contact you. You may also download our referral form, complete, and email it to us, or scan/take a picture of it and email it to us at help@nextstepclinic.org. 

• Educators, Case Managers, Advocates, Mental Health Professionals, Medical Providers - Complete our referral form and obtain a Release of Information Form*. Email completed forms to help@nextstepclinic.org. 

*A signature is required for all Release of Information forms. We accept scans and pictures of the completed forms. Clients may provide signed forms at the first appointment. 

Referral Form

Release of Information Form

After a referral is received and reviewed, each family is assigned a Family Navigator. A Family Navigator will contact the family to gather more information, assess needs, and complete a developmental screening. Next, the Licensed Clinical Director and clinician team will assess the child and their family. After the assessment is complete, the team will share results and recommendations with the family. A Family Navigator will guide and support the family with next steps.

Meet the Team

Clinical Services - Dr. Amy Leventhal

Family Navigation - Troney Small

Research - Dr. Amy Van Hecke, Marquette University, Dept of Psychology

Strategic Partnerships - Leah Jepson, MSW, Mental Health America of WI and the Milwaukee Coalition for Children's Mental Health

Contact Us

Next Step Clinic is located on the Near West Side of Milwaukee, at Centers for Independence.  

2020 W. Wells St., Suite. 206
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Phone: (414) 209-3631
Email: help@nextstepclinic.org  

Partners

Next Step Clinic partners with multiple individuals, community agencies and organizations, to better serve Milwaukee’s families.  

Organization partners include: Centers for Independence; Marquette University; Mental Health America of WI; Milwaukee Coalition for Children's Mental Health; Next Door Foundation; True Love Baptist Church and the General Baptist State Convention of WI; MIRACLE Network; MATC; UWM Institute for Child and Family Well-Being; Alverno College; Medical College of WI; Milwaukee Public Schools; 16th Street Health Centers; Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center; Bad River Tribal Health Center. 

Individual partners include: Dr. Dessie Levy, MCW and True Love Baptist Church and Outreach Ministries; Rev. Walter Lanier, MATC, MIRACLE Network, and Progressive Baptist Church; Martina Gollin-Graves, CEO at Mental Health America of WI; Myah Herro, MS, and Nicole Cain, MSW, Milwaukee Public Schools; Dr. Iqbal Ahamed, Kazi Zawad Arefin, and Kazishafiul Alam, Marquette University Computer Science; Dr. Dimitri Topitzes, UWM Institute for Child and Family Well-Being. 

Special Thanks

Services provided by Next Step Clinic are made possible by generous funders, including: 

• Marquette University President’s Challenge Award (2019-2021) 

• Johnson Controls Foundation (2019-2021) 

• Milwaukee Funders Collaborative at Milwaukee Succeeds (2019-2020) 

• Medical College of Wisconsin ReDIRECT Program (2019-2020) 

• United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County (2020-2021) 

• Stackner Foundation (2021-2022) 

• Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (2021-2024) 

Interested in supporting Next Step Clinic? Contact amy.vanhecke@mcfihope.org.