River Valley Counseling Center Partners with Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke

HOLYOKE — River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC) has entered into a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke. RVCC will provide clinical services to help meet the mental health needs of the school aged population served by the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke. 

“We are thrilled to be able to partner with River Valley Counselling Center on this initiative and to be able to go even deeper in supporting our youth members and their families,” said Eileen Cavanaugh, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke. “This initiative not only includes implementing a highly trained social worker in our programs, but also focuses on an organization-wide movement towards incorporating social emotional learning into everything we do. We are excited about being able to offer and provide an extra layer of support for both kids and our staff and to continue to work towards our mission of helping youth reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.”

Clinical services will be offered during the day hours while students are engaged in academic learning pods at the Club. This will transition to after-school hours for the students enrolled in the after-school program, as children begin to return to in-person learning. RVCC staff members will be available to provide individual support, as well as create small groups to address social emotional needs. Staff will also offer professional development opportunities to the Boys and Girls Club staff. RVCC staff will be able to coordinate care between families and schools, submit referrals for programs such as RVCC’s Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative’s In-home Therapy and Therapeutic Mentoring Programs, and community resources when appropriate. 

“We are excited about our new partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke,” said Rosemarie Ansel, MSW, RVCC Executive Director. “Similar to our school-based therapy services, where we partner with eleven different school districts to provide therapy during the school day, RVCC continues to break down barriers to accessing mental health counseling. We hope to support parents by making these services available and accessible.”

Funding for the program is being provided by a $5,000 grant from PeoplesBank and a $75,000 grant from Baystate Medical Center’s Better Together Grant. Both grants will be distributed over the course of three years.