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CYFS offers counseling with aid of Spirit Mountain grant |
By David Sale,
Newberg Graphic reporter
E-mail David at
dsale@eaglenewspapers.com
|
Chehalem Youth and Family
Services recently received a $46,000 grant from Spirit Mountain
Community Fund to fund the continuing operation of the CYFS mental
health outreach program.
“It was actually launched last year, but this grant will close the
funding gap for our project,” said Debbie Cathers Seymour, CYFS
executive director.
The grant, together with $112,000 pledged by Providence Newberg
Medical Center, will allow CYFS to serve as an accredited training
site for graduate psychology students at George Fox University.
“There’s only seven or eight such sites in Oregon and it’s creating
a brain drain where students travel out of state to attend other
sites and wind up settling there,” Cathers Seymour said. “If we’re
successful, we could draw in candidates not just from George Fox,
but across the nation.”
Students who intern in the program have already completed the
course work for their doctorate and will offer counseling under the
supervision of Dr. Scott Ashdown, a state-licensed psychologist and
George Fox grad who serves as CYFS’ clinical director.
“These students have a high level of training by the time they
enter this program — they need supervision, but can offer counseling
services at a lower cost than someone in private practice,” Cathers
Seymour said. “Our goal is to make mental health services available
to those who otherwise can’t afford them. Families without a
financial safety net can spiral into a crisis, but counseling can
help them rebuild.”
CYFS’ mental health outreach program presently serves 40 clients,
some low-income area residents and others with health insurance.
“We’re paying for the program not just through grants but with the
insurance of those who are covered — you can access family or
marriage or individual counseling under many health plans and the
profit is plowed back into supporting the non-insured clients,”
Cathers Seymour said. |
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From July 28, 2007,
Newberg Graphic
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