PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Marblehead Counseling Center Executive Director Ben Day and board member Pat Zonnenberg in the waiting room of the center.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
MARBLEHEAD — As the mental health needs of the community grow, the Marblehead Counseling Center continues to expand its services.
“We’re constantly adding therapists (to the practice),” said Ben Day, executive director of the center. “Our goal is to be able to service clients who are in need of services within a week. All therapists are fully licensed and are some of the best in the area. We try to ensure that we get (the community’s) needs met.”
The nonprofit center, which has been located at 66 Clifton Ave. for 46 years, originated as a small clinic but has since expanded to meet the widespread needs of the community.
“In the earlier day, we tended to be geared towards more general diagnoses,” Day said. “Now we can offer a much higher level of care.
Day said that since the center expanded its services, it’s more likely to see a “greater array of medical conditions.”
Day also said the center treats conditions such as schizophrenia and patients with dual diagnosis.
The center treats clients of all different ages.
“We started out as a local clinic servicing Marblehead individually,” Day said. “Over time, we’ve expanded the types of services and number of clients.”
The center was founded by a group of residents who realized there was little being done locally to address the counseling needs of children, teens and adults. At the time it was founded in 1969, there was a growing need for substance abuse and mental health services.
Today, the center provides a wide array of counseling, education, prevention and wellness services to more than 500 patients each year.
Ten therapists with expertise in various specialties operate out of the center and see patients who live as far as Boston, Day said.
“One thing that makes us unique is we try to match patients to therapists who are more qualified to handle the issues,” he said. “We provide a more rapid response. We get (clients) in more quickly and we don’t bounce them from therapist to therapist. Whoever they see when they first come in is generally who they stick with.”
The center is located in a mostly residential neighborhood, and blends in with surrounding homes. Each therapist has their own unique office that is decorated to promote a comfortable and inviting feel.
“Part of the issue we’re trying to come to terms with is figuring out what the community wants,” Day said. “We (are going to) survey the community to find out what might be of importance to community members.
While mental health is “something some people have a stigma attached to,” according to Day, the center’s mission is to provide “something people want to be attached to.”
The counseling center is a not-for-profit corporation and depends on charitable donations to fund programs and services in the community. An annual “Friends Campaign” is the majority source of the center’s funds, Day said.
“Many of our needs are met through fundraising,” he said. “These fundraisers are used to keep the lights on pay for cleaning, many different things.
“Whatever profit we get, we distribute it back into the building and back into the organization,” he said.
Donations can be made online at www.marbleheadcounseling.org/donate or in person at the office.
A Summer Season Kickoff Beach Party event will be held Saturday, April 2 from 6 to 10 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Parish Hall. The event will feature a Tennessee barbeque, cash tiki bar, silent auction, raffle and ’60s and ’70s rock music. Tickets cost $40 and can be purchased by calling 781-631-8273.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.
