West Yavapai Guidance Clinic Foundation Inc

Since 1966, the West Yavapai Guidance Clinic has been meeting needs in the local community by offering mental health, crisis and addiction services. Each year WYGC sees over 7,000 clients ranging from child to senior regarding mental and addiction services. The West Yavapai Guidance Clinic Foundation commitys mental healt services will be avaialbe to anyone in our community who needs them.

We have identified six key funding needs for 2014.

 1) Children’s Services –1,200 children from our community receive services annually at WYGC. The Children’s Services Fund provides opportunities for life skill straining, trauma recovery, outdoor activities, and  recreational pursuits. These are services funded by the Foundation; they are not covered by State funds or other sources yet they are therapeutic and enhance the child’s clinical experience.

2) Senior Peer Prevention Program – This    program focuses on matching trained peer      volunteers with seniors requiring services.      Difficulties with isolation, chronic health conditions, stress, loss of a spouse, and financial  challenges are common among   seniors. Services provided include confidential support groups, one-on-one individualized      support, educational presentations, and resource/referral for seniors seeking elder-specific           information. The program cultivates the emotional health and wellness of adults over 60 so they may live the latter part of their lives to the fullest. 

3) Short-Term Counseling Program – This    program, known as “JumpStart,” supports families and individuals who have no insurance coverage yet are in need of brief, solution-focused counseling. There is no program quite like this in our community and it has been identified as a critical need. The pressures of a fluctuating economy have stressed men, women and families to the breaking point. Without this opportunity, our neighbors will continue to struggle through times when a listening ear could avoid a crisis. Funding from the WYGC Foundation allows these services to be provided free of charge to those in need.

4) Adults with Serious Mental Illness – There are many adults living in our community who need ongoing support, medication, and case follow-up.  WYGC budget limitations make this an area where       community donations to the Foundation can make an immediate impact. Without innovative therapy     enhancements, many of these individuals may be left without adequate guidance and become indigent, unable to work or go to school, and possibly even incarcerated. The WYCG Foundation believes we can do more for these vulnerable  members of our community.

 5) Suicide Prevention – This program makes WYGC staff members available for speaking engagements which help community organizations and individuals recognize the signs that someone might be contemplating suicide and the steps to take to help prevent such a tragedy from occurring. The WYGC Foundation  funds these suicide prevention training sessions and other programs related to suicide prevention such as Mental Health First Aid and Depression in Seniors.

 6) Recovery from  Chemical Dependency – The WYGC Foundation provides a scholarship for one month’s rent to   graduates of our in-house addiction program so these individuals have a safe place to live while looking for a job to support themselves. These scholarships help promote individual recovery as well as benefit the community at large by decreasing the likelihood that the graduates will become homeless and living on the streets. 

SUPPORTING RECOVERY, CHANGING LIVES