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The CEO Speaks
The Community Guidance Center
(the Center) celebrates its 50th
anniversary in Indiana County this year. The Center
was initially incorporate on August 1, 1959 as a
direct result of the efforts of the members of the
Indiana County Mental Health Association and was
funded through a state grant-in-aid. The Corporation
was organized to promote mental health and to
provide outpatient mental health and mental
retardation diagnostic, treatment and counseling
services for adults and children who are residents
of Indiana County and the surrounding counties in
the State of Pennsylvania.
How many
changes have occurred in 50 years! The Center had 4
part-time employees that primarily delivered
education, counseling and support for less than 500
consumers. In 1959, agencies like the Center were
primarily created to assist individuals with serious
mental illnesses to adjust to the community after
release from state mental health institutions.
Today, the Center employees over 110 employees and
provides comprehensive outpatient services for over
3,000 consumers. We provide services to individuals
with all types of mental health issues of all ages,
regardless of economic circumstances, at the Center,
in schools, in consumer’s homes, and in the
community. Today, we have over 3 Board-certified
psychiatrists and licensed physician extenders and
therapists, as well as case manages. Our services
include:
The Base Service Unit
for Indiana County is operated by the Community
Guidance Center and does psychosocial intakes for
new consumers and provides walk-in crisis management
and telephone triage.
Outpatient Services
provides services individual therapy, marital and
family psychotherapy, play therapy, over twenty
specialized therapy groups, intensive outpatient (IOP),
and counseling for all ages. IOP are available for
adults at both the Indiana and Rossiter offices.
Psychiatric Services
include psychiatric evaluations and assessments by
three board certified psychiatrists and a physician
assistant. A walk-in clinic is operated two days a
week for medication questions and urgent patient
needs.
Partial Hospitalization
includes the adult partial hospitalization, acute
partial hospitalization, and the children and
adolescent programs.
The Progress Center is
an adult program designed to promote recovery for
people with psychiatric disabilities and to
encourage them to live more independently. It
includes educational and vocational training as well
as daily living skills.
Blended Case Management
is a program for adults and children that link the
consumer to services such as housing within the
community, medical care, education and employment
when feasible and operates an on-call service 24
hours a day/seven days a week.
Family-Based programs
provide in-home therapy and support services to
children and adolescents with emotional
disturbances.
Summer Treatment Program
(STP) is an intensive 8-week program primarily for
children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) and includes classroom activities,
computer skills training, and recreation. The
Community Guidance Center is one of 13 agencies
nationwide that are certified to operate this
specialized program designed by Dr. Pelham from SUNY
at Buffalo. STP is currently offered in Indiana,
Armstrong, Jefferson, and Clearfield Counties.
Strength-Based Services
were introduced in Western Pennsylvania through the
Community Guidance Center. Strength-based services
are an intensive, individualized program for
children under 18 years of age and are administered
by trained mobile therapists.
Developmental Disabilities
program services are designed to meet the needs of
the mentally retarded or developmentally disabled
person. Families are assisted in obtaining early
intervention services, vocational/educational
programs, home-based services, residential programs,
respite care and advocacy.
One thing has not
significantly changed in 50 years:
The Mission of the Community
Guidance Center is to provide high quality,
comprehensive Mental Health and Mental Retardation
Services, empowering individuals and families
residing in the community to improve the quality of
their lives.
We look forward to celebrating
50 years of service to Indiana County throughout
2009. |
