Year End Appeal
Dear Friend:
Imagine your child is in crisis or having suicidal thoughts. Imagine they are being bullied at school, managing the illness of a parent, or the loss of a close friend. Now imagine navigating the process to find the right care provider. Perhaps you have inadequate or no insurance or cannot find someone who accepts your insurance. Or you are not able to afford your co-pay, because your family has recently faced a health or financial hardship or you have been struggling to get by for years. Imagine the stress and panic of needing to find help.
Then you are referred to Youth Services, an agency that will never turn a child away based on their ability to pay due to an unwavering commitment to the community. This seemingly simple promise has a long history of making mental health and social-emotional support for children possible for thousands of families. The crucial factor in this model: generosity of others.
It is true that many families choose Youth Services amongst other providers covered by their insurance plan. Our highly-knowledgeable and tenured staff, activity-based treatment model, community-minded spirit of collaboration, and welcoming facility make Youth Services a highly sought after place for families of all means to turn. Yet, for many families Youth Services is the only option due to our generous sliding scale payment model, and we intend to keep it that way.
How do we do it? Given the average rate of an individual mental health therapy session is $150, this is not an easy feat. When a family is referred to Youth Services, they go through an intake process where insurance coverage, financial need, and systemic factors are all identified. Once all of this is determined, the client’s family and our staff agree upon a scholarship rate when needed. Youth Services meets every family where they are with a sliding scale that may go down to $1. (Yes, ONE DOLLAR.) Every family is treated individually, with dignity, and offered the same opportunities no matter their background.
Last year, more than $350,000 in mental health scholarship funding was invested into children in our community. This is in addition to the vast range of free programming offered at the agency, like Study Buddies, after-school neighborhood specific groups, summer programming, and our Pride youth work.
Today, you can help Youth Services keep our commitment to financially accessible mental health support. When you do, your donation will be matched by the Katy and Jeff Podjasek Family. Their generosity allows you to double your impact in this season of giving.
Can you help cover a mental health session today? Please know a gift of any size truly makes a difference in our ability to continue the critical work for the children in our community.
With appreciation,
Amy O’Leary, MSW, LCSW
Executive Director