Virtual mental health help comes to Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer

Administrators of the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend tout three core area of emphasis in an attempt to help young people live a wholesome life. 

One of them is a healthy lifestyle, which includes any sign of mental disorder. The spectrum of what the club can do to help young people cope emotionally just got bigger.

Thanks to virtual therapy sessions. The telehealth access that members of the club now have is through a partnership with Access Discount Healthcare. The Florida Department of Children and Families supports the offering, ADHC said in a statement. 

Individuals who live in a designated network of 18 counties in northwest, Florida could also take advantage of the virtual counseling by calling (800) 354-9308 or visit https://adhctherapy.com/.

Saying yes to ADHC when it called to offer the partnership was an easy decision, said Kacy Dennis, President/CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend. For one, he said, having quick access to a therapist would be helpful with some of the young people who are coping with the residual of COVID-19. 

“It was a no-brainer for us to team up,” Dennis said. “This partnership will allow us to have those resources for our kids who are truly in need.”

Club members ages 10 to 17 will have access to Telehealth Therapy by phone, smartphone, laptop, or a desktop computer. When cases are identified, the  children will get to talk with a therapist within 72 hours, Dennis said.

Integrated Psych Solutions, an Atlanta-based company, will provide the therapists, according to a news release.

The new mental health counseling is in addition to resources from FSU and other partners that are available to the young people, Dennis said.

“This is an awesome opportunity for us in those cases to be to connect kids with a professional that can definitely give them more concentrated help in areas of traumatic things that our kids are dealing with,” he said.

The help comes at a time when organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness have been conducting studies about how severe mental conditions might be with teenagers. For example, it found that one in six  youth 6 to 17 years old experience a mental health disorder each year.

The study also found that behavior problems could include, anxiety and depression.

“Addressing mental health challenges during adolescence is pivotal,” said Jeff Greco, CEO of ADHC, based in New York. “It’s a critical time of growth, where early intervention can pave the way for a healthier future.

“By offering free mental health services to adolescents and their families, we aim to break barriers and provide crucial support during this formative stage. Investing in their mental well-being now ensures brighter and more resilient tomorrows.”

The range of the partnership with ADHC will include the three counties — Leon, Gadsden and Jefferson – where the club has locations. Residents in 15 other Big Bend counties who are qualified uninsured could also get the ADHC service.

Dennis thinks many of the children who participate in the club’s programs will take advantage of the telehealth counseling. A large percentage of the young people comes from homes where lifestyle activities could lead to mental health issues, he said.

“A lot of kids come from single-parent homes, about 85 percent of the kids we serve,” Dennis said. “They come with  various traumas from their neighborhoods or things they are dealing with in their lives.”

The door to the mental health telehealth therapy is opened to any young person in the areas that the club serves, Dennis said.

“I’ve never turned away a child with inability to pay,” Dennis said. “If a child comes to our door and needs these services we are going to make a way for it to happen; get them enrolled and then they will be eligible to receive these services.”