A day of connection: Family Life Counseling celebrates mental health month through community event
MANSFIELD — Families gathered Friday afternoon at Family Life Counseling for free food, activities and community resources as the organization closed out Mental Health Month with a community event centered on connection.
Monica Swords, a Mansfield resident, said she attended with her children after her daughter’s therapist invited them out.
Swords added the event allows residents to celebrate and have a sense of community.
“It’s their last day of school so we’re kind of out here to have a little party,” Swords said.
“I am a very big supporter of mental health and making sure everybody has the services they need,” she added. “This helps people know what’s out there because it’s really hard to know what’s out there.”
Swords said she wants others to know resources are available, but people often have to know where to look.
“There are definitely lots of resources out there that are untapped,” she said. “You just have to know who to ask.”
Swords noted First Call 211 as a great place to start when looking for resources.
The event, usually held near the square in downtown Mansfield, moved this year to Family Life Counseling’s office at 151 Marion Ave. due to construction in the area.
Family Life Counseling built its mission around a simple idea: find a need and meet a need.
That philosophy continues to shape the organization’s work as it expands mental health services beyond the walls of a traditional counseling office, according to Herbert S. Ross, Comprehensive Adolescent Behavioral Health Services Program Director at Family Life Counseling.
Beyond celebration, Ross said the event serves a deeper purpose—helping reduce stigma around mental health while creating space for families to connect with resources.
“Our ultimate goal is to provide counseling that makes a difference,” Ross said.
Ross said one of his favorite parts of hosting the event is connecting with people directly in their own neighborhoods and helping families discover resources they may not know are available.
Ross had guests pull names throughout the event for a chance to win a prize. He said when he thought about what prizes to get, it was obvious.
“I wanted to get things that are needed,” Ross said.
The prizes included toilet paper, toothpaste, bird feeders, bubbles and more.
Ross said he looks forward to seeing families and community partners come together while helping reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.
“What I look forward to the most is to see and interact with people from our community and our community partners,” Ross said. “Collectively working to remove or reduce the stigma that comes with Mental Health.”
He said the event creates a safe environment where families can spend time together while also learning.
“I look forward to seeing families laughing, playing, dancing and eating together in a safe and non-threatening space,” Ross said. “I work quite a bit in our local schools with youth, and I promote the philosophy that we can have fun and learn at the same time.”
Meeting families where they are
Over the years, staff recognized not everyone has the desire or means to seek help in a traditional office setting.
Instead of waiting for clients to come to them, Family Life Counseling shifted its approach to meet the growing need for non-traditional services.
“Family Life Counseling has strived to meet that need by transitioning into ‘Next Generation Mental Health: Taking Mental Health Services to where they are needed,’” Ross said.
The organization now provides several specialized programs directly in the community, including Mobile Response Stabilization Services (MRSS), which focuses on adolescent crisis intervention, along with Intensive Home-Based Treatment (IHBT) services and case management.
Family Life Counseling also offers school-based counseling, life coaching, case management and crisis intervention services in schools across Richland County and neighboring communities.
“Strengthening and empowering families by meeting them right where they are is of the utmost importance and a top priority of the work that we do,” Ross said.
(Photos from the Family Life Counseling community event. Credit: Hannah Martin)
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