| The Branford Counseling Center is a Municipal Mental Health Agency licensed by the Connecticut Department of Public Health. It is also the Youth Service Bureau for the Town of Branford. Services are provided by psychiatrists, psychologists, and Masters level clinicians.
The mission of the Center is to provide a wide range of counseling and mental health services to those who request them, and may benefit from them. Private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and self-pay reimbursements are accepted for payments. However, Branford residents are seen regardless of ability to pay. The Agency is funded by the Town, revenues from counseling fees, grants and private donations.
There is great emphasis on prevention work in the Community. The Counseling Center works with the schools, police department, recreation department and others to coordinate Town-wide programs such as Family Day and Take A Step Day. The Center applies for grants to fund its prevention work. The Branford Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking has been funded for five years by Federal money.
Social Services for the Town are managed by the Counseling Center. Emergency assistance for basic needs such as food cards, medication payments, emergency housing, rents, utilities, and heating oil, is given to Branford residents who qualify. However, the money is limited.
In these difficult economic times, resources are being stretched to the limit. The Center has a caseload of over 460 open cases. People are struggling to make ends meet, and feel hopeless about their future. Diagnoses of depression and anxiety are common. Social Services receives between 25-30 calls daily from Branford residents seeking monetary help and advice. The elderly, the unemployed, and the disabled have been particularly hard hit.
In December, 2008, the Branford Community Foundation bestowed a grant of $2,000 to the Counseling Center to be used for basic needs. The Center is extremely grateful--without it, the funds for Social Services would have been depleted.
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