Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s new partnership with Center for Trauma Counseling allows Club members and their parents to receive free and convenient mental health counseling at the Boca Raton and Delray Beach Clubs starting now through this summer. The new Mobile Hope Clinic, a 40-foot passenger bus fully customized for providing on-site mental health services, and will be at the Clubs four days a week during the summer. Each day, up to 8 Club members will receive counseling services. Counseling fees were supported by The Jim Moran Foundation and the Mobile Hope Clinic was made possible by Impact the Palm Beaches.
“One of our main goals this summer is to continue our post-pandemic recovery mission. It’s crucial to help our Club members and their families by fostering convenient and affordable access to mental health professionals,” explained Jaene Miranda, president & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. “Research by the CDC shows that due to the isolation of the pandemic, mental health issues are on the rise and need to be addressed. I am thankful for the partnership with the Center for Trauma Counseling so that our Clubs can help facilitate this critical program and further help with the recovery process.”
Center for Trauma Counseling is a non-profit community-based mental health agency founded specifically to answer the need for immediate and affordable mental health counseling services to Palm Beach County residents. All services are provided by highly qualified professionals, are family-friendly, and trauma-specific.
“The timing is important because our kids have been socially isolated. Mental health issues are on the rise, and children need our help more than ever,” said Helya Ortiz, founder & CEO of Center for Trauma Counseling. “If we were not coming here to the Clubs, these children wouldn’t get the services that they need because of transportation issues and other hardships.”
According to government statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Census Bureau, 41% of families now report anxiety or depressive disorders, a pre-pandemic increase of 400%. The situation is more concerning for our nation’s teens, with 56% reporting anxiety or depression and a disturbing 26% admitting to suicidal thoughts.
The focus of the Mobile Hope Clinic at the Clubs is to help Club members, but parents are also welcome to schedule appointments. In the future, services will be provided with reduced fees based on income, or insurance will be accepted. Click on the button below for more information about the Center for Trauma Counseling, or call the Boca Raton or Delray Beach Clubs on how to schedule an appointment.
