Saint Louis Counseling (CFS)

For more than 67 years, Saint Louis Counseling has focused on meeting people where they are in their life journeys. Our therapists help individuals in their struggles with depression, anxiety, adha, suicidal ideation, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, loneliness, grief and many other mental illnesses and mental-health conditions. The agency provides psychiatry services for children and adults so they can get the medication they need to help them with day-to-day living. Saint Louis Counseling is at the forefront of mental-health discussions throughout the community. Our hope and belief are that people will begin getting better after making their first call to us. (see continuation on schedule o) we know the faces of our approximately 5,923 direct clients-we know their hurts and struggles and we know we are helping them to heal. Sometimes it takes six Counseling sessions. Sometimes it takes years of therapeutic support. And some clients who have been severely traumatized may see our therapists for the remainder of their lives. The good news is that we know Saint Louis Counseling is creating hope and change for everyone who has the willingness to get better. In fact, 80.5% of our clients report improvement in their mental well-being after their course of therapy. An agency that exists under the umbrella of catholic charities of st. Louis, Saint Louis Counseling serves more than 14,750 individuals and families, no matter their background, religion, or ability to pay, throughout the 10 counties and st. Louis city, which make up the archdiocese of st. Louis. We offer individual, group, and family Counseling to individuals and families; medication management through our contracted psychiatry-service partner; embedded school Counseling through our school partnership program (spp), parenting classes and mental-health presentations and trainings. Our therapists are licensed by the Missouri department of professional registration and confidentially treat a wide range of emotional, behavioral, personal and relationship-related issues, and mental illnesses. One of eight federated ministries of catholic charities of st. Louis, Saint Louis Counseling is a separate 501(c)(3) with its own board of directors comprised of 18 members and is accredited by the council on accreditation (coa). Throughout the fy22 school year, Saint Louis Counseling's school partnership program therapists provided treatment and support for 2,988 students in more than 133 schools (catholic, private and public) throughout the 10 counties and st. Louis city where we serve. Our school program is based on the philophy that the school, family, and community are partners in educating our children, strengthening families, and building stronger, safer communities. A variety of factors--like social media platforms, increasing teen depression and suicide, substance use, bullying, anxiety, and body image--have especially hurt our kids, who are still growing, whose brains are still developing, and who are still learning to keep up with the rigors of life. Our committed, therapeutic school counselors address these and other issues with the school community. Embedded in the schools, our therapists give teachers and students the tools they need to establish strong social-emotional skills, which are essential for problem-solving and healthy relationship-building. We will continue to help students who need support before they fall into depression or exhibit behaviors that are hurtful to themselves or others. We help them grow in their confidence. Accoring to mental health first aid, 37% of students with a mental health condition, ages 14 and older, drop out of school. Mental illness and emotional and behavioral health issues don't discriminate according to one's income. But access to care does. The st. Louis regional mental health data report published in may, 2019 reported that "from 2021-2016, children living in areas of higher neighborhood poverty had higher average hospitalization rates for a mental disorder in both st. Louis county and st. Louis city." While they experience mental illness and trauma at high rates, getting Counseling can often be difficult for these students because of accessibility and the stigma associated with mental health. With counselors embedded in the schools, our spp therapists can go directly to the students to provide Counseling when they need it most. As our mission relates to office-based Counseling and psychiatry services, more than 2,289 people received direct office-based Counseling, 832 children, adolescents, and adults were seen by our contracted psychiatry partners for medication management, and more than 8,850 people were indirectly served through the agency by attending trainings and presentations during fy22. From our youngest 3 year old clients in play therapy to our senior citizens, each of our clients averaged 6 to 8 therapy sessions. On average, 139 new clients called each month, seeking a trusted counselor to listen to their story and begin the healing process. Since covid-19 entered the scene, the need for mental-health services at Saint Louis Counseling has increased 30%--a number reflected in national trends. Mental-health crises often come out of nowhere. As the mental-health first responder in the archdiocese of st. Louis for the past 26 years, Saint Louis Counseling's highly trained therapists go to people in their despair or anxiety or trauma, providing immediate therapy and support. Saint Louis Counseling responds to an average of at least one crisis every week within a school or church community or a place of business. Because people are in crisis, the agency does not charge for our mission-based services. We do it because it's what we are called to do. Our Counseling and psychiatry programs provided services to 3,665 clients, 50 percent of whom were young people 19 and under. Our school partnership program (spp) provided Counseling and/or classroom behavioral health presentations at 155 area schools for more than 7,091 students, 100 percent of whom were young people.the impact that covid has had on individuals' mental health has yet to be fully realized. However, our therapists have reported several concerns, especially about the well-being of children, teens, and young adults, including increased anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, school refusal, isolation, major concerns for children who live in unsafe homes, and the challenges of engaging them in therapy. If therapists can't see the youth or provide teletherapy, it becomes difficult to gauge their mental and physical wellness. And often, the therapist is the only person the child will trust to tell what is going on in their lives. Covid also has exposed many inequities in our social systems including the significant physical and mental disparities on communities of color communities, that even before the pandemic, have been steeped in profound fear and trauma. For people of color, people living on the margins, people struggling with mental- and physical-health conditions, and people who live in poverty, the accessibility and availability to the care they need is often impeded. They simply can't get mental-health services for several reasons, or they may be afraid to get help. This collective and cumulative impact often becomes overwhelming, causing despair and grief, intense fear and depression among individuals, families, and communities. As a trauma-informed agency, we make it normal to talk about these fears, trauma, grief, pain, and issues that the pandemic has caused. And we don't turn anyone away, regardless of a person's ability to pay. The toll that covid has taken on mental health, individually and collectively, has been especially heavy. As an agency, Saint Louis Counseling experienced a 30 percent increase in the need for Counseling as a direct result of the pandemic. But as always there is hope and healing. And Saint Louis Counseling is committed to ensuring that people get the Counseling they need to live.