Stars Behavioral Health Group

What Stars Behavioral Health Group does

Stars Behavioral Health Group (SBHG) is a Long Beach, California-based, employee-owned behavioral health and social services organization founded in 1988 as MJ Gross and Associates and renamed in 2001. Since 2010 it has been 100% owned by its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) and is structured as a holding company with regional operating subsidiaries (Star View, Central Star, Valley Star, Oasis, Capital Star, Starlight, Stars Community Services, Coastal Star) and a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Star View Children and Family Services). The organization operates 60+ locations across 12 California counties, running 70+ specialized public mental health programs and serving more than 40,000 children, youth, families, and adults annually with a workforce of roughly 2,200 employees.

SBHG delivers a full continuum of behavioral health care, ranging from acute inpatient psychiatric health facilities (PHFs), Mental Health Rehabilitation Centers (MHRCs), and Crisis Residential Treatment Centers (CRTPs) to community-based outpatient programs, Full Service Partnerships (FSP), Wraparound services, Crisis Walk-In Centers (CWICs), Behavioral Health Urgent Care Centers (BHUCCs), a Crisis Mobile Response Team, a non-public school (South Bay High School), and clinical training via the Stars Training Academy. Notable specialty assets include The STAY (a 14-bed TAY crisis residential program), TEAMMATES (a Wraparound program for SED youth), an Early Psychosis Intervention Program for ages 12-25, and the Youth Help Network with the Youth Connect mobile app. The organization is Joint Commission accredited, WASC-accredited (for South Bay High School), and has held Great Place to Work certification for nine consecutive years through 2026.

Revenue is generated entirely through government channels: contracts with county mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice departments; public school district contracts; Medi-Cal reimbursement; and California's Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63). Major county customers include Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (144 CRTP beds across nine facilities), San Mateo, Kern, Fresno, San Bernardino, and Orange counties. Services are accessed via county referrals, self-referrals, and school- and community-based entry points; there is no commercial or private-pay channel.

Name

Stars Behavioral Health Group

Legal name

Stars Behavioral Health Group

Website

https://starsinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Stars Behavioral Health Group is a California-based, 100% employee-owned behavioral health and social services organization operating 60+ locations across 12 counties, delivering crisis, residential, inpatient, community-based, and school-linked mental health care to more than 40,000 children, youth, families, and adults annually through county government and Medi-Cal contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health Services

NAICS

Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals (622210), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Mental Health Treatment Centers (HLAFACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Stabilization Units & Psychiatric Emergency Services (HLAFACAH), Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL), School-Based Mental & Behavioral Health Services (EDAJAIAB)

Keywords

• Mental health services
• Crisis residential treatment
• Community behavioral health
• Psychiatric health facilities
• Youth mental health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices26 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. County Government Mental Health Contracts: Services provided under contract with county mental health departments throughout California. Revenue is derived from government-funded mental health services programs.
2. Medi-Cal Reimbursement: Government health insurance program (Medi-Cal) funding for eligible mental health services provided to California residents.
3. Mental Health Services Act (MHSA/Proposition 63): Funding through California's voter-approved Proposition 63 for mental health services including prevention, early intervention, and treatment programs.
4. County Child Welfare Contracts: Contracts with county child welfare departments for services to children and families involved in the foster care system.
5. Public School District Contracts: Contracts with public school districts for mental health services provided on school campuses.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Stars Behavioral Health Group delivers a full continuum of community-based and residential mental health and behavioral health services to children, adolescents, transitional age youth (TAY), adults, and families across California. Offerings span outpatient community services, intensive wraparound programs, crisis residential treatment, behavioral health urgent care, psychiatric health facilities (PHF), mental health rehabilitation centers, non-public schools, vocational services, and clinical training through the Stars Training Academy. Services are primarily funded through contracts with county mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice departments, plus Medi-Cal and MHSA (Proposition 63).

Product overview

Stars Behavioral Health Group is a behavioral health services organization (not a software product company) providing a comprehensive continuum of mental health and social services across California. The organization operates through multiple county-based agencies (Star View, TEAMMATES, Central Star, Valley Star, Oasis, Starlight, Capital Star, Stars Community Services, Coastal Star) offering community services, crisis residential treatment, crisis stabilization, psychiatric health facilities, behavioral health urgent care, non-public schools, and professional training. Services span from inpatient psychiatric care to community-based outpatient programs, targeting children, youth, transitional age youth (TAY), adults, and families across 12 California counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Star View Community Services Community-based mental health services for children, adolescents, TAY, and adults in Los Angeles County, providing school-linked programs, Full Service Partnership (FSP), Therapeutic Behavioral Services, and evidence-based practices.
• TEAMMATES Wraparound Program Intensive community-based and family-centered Wraparound services for Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED) youth in long-term placement within LA County's Mental Health, Foster Care, or Juvenile Justice systems, combining mental health and child welfare methods.
• Star View Adolescent Center Comprehensive mental health treatment program in Torrance for highest-needs adolescents (ages 12-17) with severe emotional challenges, offering 60 beds combining residential care, educational services (South Bay High School), and mental health treatment.
• Central Star Youth Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) 16-bed acute psychiatric hospital in Fresno serving youth ages 12-17 experiencing acute psychiatric crisis, providing acute care, stabilization, community transition, and aftercare.
• Youth Psychiatric Health Facility (Kern County) 16-bed Psychiatric Health Facility in Bakersfield for children ages 5-11 and adolescents ages 12-17 requiring inpatient psychiatric care, operated by Central Star Behavioral Health.
• Acacia House Mental Health Rehabilitation Center 16-bed inpatient Mental Health Rehabilitation Center (MHRC) in San Mateo County providing intensive support and rehabilitative services for individuals ages 18-64 with complex mental health needs.
• The STAY Crisis Residential Treatment Center 14-bed short-term Crisis Residential Treatment Center for Transitional Age Youth (TAY) ages 18-25 in San Bernardino County, helping young people transition back to community living after psychiatric crisis.
• Los Angeles County Crisis Residential Treatment Programs (CRTPs) Nine 16-bed Crisis Residential Treatment Centers across four LA County sites (144 total beds) operated by Valley Star, Central Star, and Star View agencies, serving 2,500 clients per year.
• Fresno Crisis Residential Treatment Facility 16-bed short-term Crisis Residential Treatment for adults ages 18-59 in Fresno County experiencing mental crisis who might otherwise face hospitalization or incarceration.
• Casa Paseo Crisis Residential Treatment Center 16-bed voluntary Crisis Residential Treatment Center for San Bernardino County residents ages 18-59, offering stays up to 90 days in a home-like setting.
• Desert Hill Center Crisis Residential Treatment 16-bed Crisis Residential Treatment Center in Victorville for San Bernardino County adults ages 18-59, with stays up to 30 days.
• Morongo Oasis Center Crisis Residential Treatment 16-bed voluntary Crisis Residential Treatment Center in Joshua Tree for San Bernardino County adults ages 18-59, with stays up to 30 days.
• Central Star Crisis Residential Unit (CRU) 16-bed Crisis Residential Unit serving Calaveras, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties for adults ages 18-59 experiencing mental crisis.
• Coastal Star Crisis Residential Central Voluntary 15-bed residential facility in Orange County for adults experiencing behavioral health crisis, providing alternative to inpatient hospitalization with individual and group counseling, psychiatry, and peer support.
• Morongo Basin Crisis Walk-In Center (CWIC) 24/7 crisis walk-in center in Yucca Valley providing immediate mental health services for all ages, with capacity for 12 individuals, serving as alternative to psychiatric hospitalization.
• Victorville Crisis Walk-In Center (CWIC) Crisis Walk-In Center in Victorville providing immediate crisis intervention and stabilization for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors with stays up to 23 hours; served 3,012 people in the last year.
• Behavioral Health Urgent Care Centers (BHUCC) Three Behavioral Health Urgent Care Centers in Long Beach, City of Industry, and Lancaster providing 24/7 crisis stabilization for up to 12 adults and 6 adolescents with stays up to 24 hours.
• Crisis Mobile Response Team 24/7 mental health crisis response team in San Bernardino County that deploys to homes, schools, or community locations to assess, de-escalate, and provide resources.
• Central Star Community Services Mental health services for children, adolescents, and adults in Fresno, Stanislaus, and Merced Counties, offering TEAMMATES Wraparound, Youth Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF), and Crisis Residential Treatment.
• Valley Star Behavioral Health Community-based mental health program in San Bernardino County providing Full Service Partnership (FSP) for TAY and adults, Crisis Walk-In Centers (CWIC), Crisis Residential Treatment Centers (CRT), and Crisis Mobile Response Team.
• Oasis Behavioral Health Services for adults and traditional age youth with chronic and/or severe mental illnesses in Riverside County, offering Full Service Partnership (FSP), Vocational Center, Coachella Center, and Banning Center.
• Starlight Community Services Programs for children, adolescents, and TAY facing emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges in Santa Clara County, including Full Service Partnerships (FSP), Therapeutic Behavioral Services, REACH early intervention, and Recovery Youth Substance Use Outpatient Services.
• Capital Star Community Services Counseling and mental health services in Sacramento County for TAY (ages 16-25) including Full Service Partnership (FSP), Consultation Support and Engagement Team (CSET) for CSEC, Youth Help Network (YHN), and TAY Hot Spot.
• Stars Community Services Programs for children, adolescents, and TAY in Alameda County, including Transitional Age Youth Program (TAYP), School Success Program, Foster Care Youth Program, and In-Home Outreach Teams (IHOT).
• Full Service Partnership (FSP) Intensive 'do-whatever-it-takes' community-based mental health programs offered across all county agencies for children, TAY, and adults with mental illness.
• One Stop TAY Center Drop-in resource centers for Transition Age Youth (TAY) ages 16-25 in Yucca Valley and Ontario, providing mental health, substance abuse, employment, and educational services with peer mentors.
• South Bay High School WASC-accredited non-public school in Torrance providing educational services for students with psychiatric, educational, and social challenges, integrated with Star View Adolescent Center mental health treatment.
• Stars Training Academy Clinical training services for mental health professionals and organizations, offering Evidence-Based Practices including Transition to Independence Process (TIP) Model, Aggression Replacement Training, EQUIP, SPARCS, and Motivational Interviewing.
• Early Psychosis Intervention Program Program supporting adolescents and young adults ages 12-25 experiencing early symptoms of psychosis, offering confidential assessments and up to two years of specialized support including therapy, medication, education, and peer support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving more than 40,000 children, youth and families annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California County Mental Health DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBHG operates under contract with county mental health departments to provide mental health services. The company has contracts with 12 California counties including Alameda, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Stanislaus counties.
• County Child Welfare DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracts with county child welfare departments for services to children and families in foster care, including wraparound programs and intensive case management.
• County Juvenile Justice DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with juvenile justice departments to provide mental health services to youth involved in the justice system, including those on probation.
• Public School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracts with public school districts to provide school-linked mental health services, educational support, and non-public school placements for students with emotional/behavioral challenges.
• San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBHG operates the Acacia House Mental Health Rehabilitation Center on behalf of San Mateo County. This is part of a new $155 million campus being constructed by the county.
• Mercy HousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapital Star collaborates with Mercy Housing to help young people in Sacramento experiencing a crisis connect to much needed resources and assistance.
• California State Department of RehabilitationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOasis Vocational Center operates in partnership with the California State Department of Rehabilitation to provide vocational rehabilitation services for people with mental health needs.
• California Youth OutreachminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia Youth Outreach partners with Starlight Community Services to provide Full Service Partnerships using a Wraparound approach for juvenile-justice-involved and at-risk children and TAY.
• Hospital Emergency RoomsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnerships with hospital emergency rooms for crisis residential treatment services, helping reduce unnecessary ED visits.
• Law EnforcementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local law enforcement for crisis response, including Valley Star's Crisis Mobile Response Team responding to after-hours mental health calls from San Bernardino County.
• Foster Family AgenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral and coordination partnerships with foster family agencies for mental health services to youth in foster care.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• College Health Enterprises (CHE): CHE Behavioral Health Services operates mental health programs across California including psychiatric health facilities, residential treatment, and community services under county and state contracts — a direct comparable in scope and geography.
• Uplift Family Services: Uplift Family Services is a California nonprofit providing outpatient, school-linked, and Wraparound behavioral health services to children and families under county mental health and child welfare contracts.
• Pacific Clinics: Pacific Clinics is one of California's largest nonprofit behavioral health providers, offering outpatient, residential, school-linked, and Wraparound services under county contracts — directly comparable to SBHG's full-continuum, county-funded model.
• Caminar: Caminar is a Bay Area behavioral health nonprofit providing mental health, housing, and Wraparound services under county contracts — comparable in service mix and California geographic concentration.
• Aspiranet: Aspiranet operates behavioral health, Wraparound, and foster care programs across California under county contracts — directly comparable to SBHG's TEAMMATES, child welfare, and youth mental health portfolio.
• Seneca Family of Agencies: Seneca is a California-based nonprofit providing intensive mental health, Wraparound, and child welfare services through county contracts and schools — closely aligned with SBHG's TEAMMATES and youth-focused programs.
• Telecare Corporation: Telecare is a California-based behavioral health provider operating residential crisis, outpatient, and intensive case management programs under contract with county mental health systems — closely mirroring SBHG's publicly-funded service model and county contracting strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Sevita Health: Sevita (formerly National Mentor Holdings) is a PE-backed national provider of behavioral health, IDD, and home- and community-based services across many states — comparable in publicly-funded populations served but much broader geographically.
• Acadia Healthcare: Acadia Healthcare is a publicly-traded national behavioral health operator running psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment centers — overlapping with SBHG's acute PHF and residential treatment operations but at much larger national scale.

Others

• Carelon Behavioral Health: Carelon Behavioral Health (formerly Beacon Health Options) is a national managed behavioral health care organization that administers mental health and substance use benefits on behalf of health plans including Medi-Cal — comparable as a publicly-funded payer/care manager rather than a direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/StarsBehavioral
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=HZ16B2Hq8-0
• Facebookfacebook.com/stars-behavioral-health-group-158443760854183
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stars-behavioral-health-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/starsbehavioralhealthgroup

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stars Behavioral Health Group