Community mental health agency's virtual fundraiser set for July 11
Your neighborhood contains a valuable resource with which you may not be familiar, Family Service Center. This local not-for-profit community mental health agency's mission is to strengthen and empower families and communities by providing accessible, evidence-based counseling, crisis response, and outreach and education.
FSC strives to make services as accessible as possible by limiting financial barriers: It accepts a wide range of insurance policies and also offers a subsidized fee based on need. In fact, 77% of our clients receive a subsidy. FSC supports all community members, including those who face significant life changes that result in temporary financial setbacks (e.g., loss of job, illness, divorce, etc.), as well as those who experience more chronic, long-term financial challenges.
FSC's seasoned, licensed clinicians work with people who are experiencing a wide range of mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and substance abusing behaviors. They also support individuals facing major life challenges such as divorce, death of a loved one, birth of a child, loss of job, COVID-19/Shelter in Place orders, and illness. Additionally, FSC recognizes the significant challenges parents face in raising emotionally healthy and independently functioning children in a digitally-driven, highly competitive environment. As such, FSC supports parents by providing therapy, education, consultation, and facilitation of parent discussion groups.
FSC partners with local schools to provide support for students identified as "at risk" for self-injury or death by suicide by providing same-day access to Health and Safety Assessments. These are completed to establish safety and clarify counseling needs. FSC completed 36 Health and Safety Assessments last year. FSC is also an active community partner on the Crisis Response Network (CRN) of the North Shore and is readily available to respond in the community to crises that arise.
FSC provides needed outreach and education, delivering 35 invited presentations this past year. The focus of these presentations included parenting in the digital era, managing stress and anxiety, developing resiliency, and adjusting to COVID-19.
In response to COVID-19, FSC began delivering all of its services via a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform. Additionally, FSC developed trauma-informed COVID-19 services to support our community including essential workers and parents who are managing their families during social distancing and e-learning. FSC is also offering a solution-focused intervention, Single-Session Consultation, to those who want to make concrete, meaningful change during COVID, but who are not able to commit to a longer-term counseling process. Lastly, FSC is launching a group seminar on interpersonal relationships, with a focus on heathy communication.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for everyone, including significant increases in mental health problems. FSC is responding to the challenge and needs your support: The agency will be hosting its annual Gala, Unity Rocks, on July 11. Due to COVID-19, this critical fundraising event will be held virtually, and the event will deliver one-hour of information, entertainment, and prizes. Please consider supporting Family Service Center's mission. Text FSC to 41444 to learn more about the several participation options or go to FSC's website at FamilyServiceCenter.com.