Meeting the Mental Health Needs of our Community’s Adolescents Through a Generous Virginia Health Care Foundation Grant

The world went into a mental health crisis in 2020. Anxiety, depression, and instances of self-harm began to skyrocket, especially among 13 to 22-year-olds. With a 21% increase in demand for counseling sessions for adolescents at the Women’s Center last year, we realized how devastating the impact of the pandemic was on young people.

To provide the support that our community needed, we reached out to donors and corporate partners to help us expand our Adolescent Mental Health Program. With a generous 3-year grant from the Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF), we are now able to formalize and grow this program.

VHCF is an initiative established by the Virginia General Assembly and its Joint Commission on Health Care and chaired by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. One of the main goals of VHCF is to close gaps in access to care. With this grant, VHCF is making a significant endorsement of our efforts to decrease disparities in mental health care.

The funding will enable us to expand access to care by providing dedicated resources for quality mental health counseling. With the VHCF grant, we will be able to expand adolescent services by 81%. The funds will also help cover the costs of formalizing our partnerships with schools, parent organizations, nonprofits, faith communities, and the government.

The Women’s Center’s Adolescent Mental Health Program uses a youth-focused, integrated model for early intervention that includes individual, family, and group mental health counseling. It aims to resolve emotional issues and support adolescents toward healthy coping skills, problem-solving and positive relationships.