The Family Counseling Center Celebrates 48 Years of Service and Advocacy
The Family Counseling Center, a cornerstone for care in our community for nearly half a century, is proud to announce its 48th anniversary. This milestone reflects the dedication, talent, and commitment of the organization’s founders, past and present team members, and community partners throughout the years.
In 1976, a group of community leaders came together to offer mental and behavioral health care to children and families in Fulton and Montgomery Counties. At its start, the organization worked with seven volunteer counselors and roughly 80 clients from donated offices in the basement of First Congregational United Church of Christ on East Fulton Street in Gloversville. Throughout the years, the organization has expanded its services and programming. Today, clients are welcomed to a state-of-the-art facility on Broadway in Gloversville with services co-located for ease of care, reduction of barriers, and the client’s best outcomes at its core. Services include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, the Domestic Violence Program of Fulton County, a recently opened Drop-In Center for immediate care, and a soon-to-be-opened substance use clinic.
“We are immensely proud of the work we have accomplished over the last 48 years,” said Michael L. Countryman, Executive Director of The Family Counseling Center. “Our organization has grown and evolved but our focus has remained the same: to provide compassionate, high-quality mental health services to those in need. This anniversary is not just a celebration of our past achievements, but a commitment to our future efforts in advocating for mental health and supporting the communities in which we work.”
Looking Forward
The Family Counseling Center is committed to continuing its legacy of service and innovation. The organization opened a Drop-In Center in January 2024, allowing for immediate care for individuals seeking to access mental health services. The Center is open to all, meaning that anyone from the community can use its services without having previously been a client of the organization. A substance use clinic will be opening its doors in late summer 2024, providing care for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD).
The organization has also recently applied to become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). A CCBHC is a state or nationally-recognized designation, meaning that the organization’s services have been designed to ensure access for all to coordinated, comprehensive behavioral health care. This includes mental health, substance use, 24/7 crisis care, and assistance navigating behavioral health care, physical health care, social services, and more.
Upcoming Events
The Family Counseling Center will celebrate its past and present at the organization’s annual Fall Gala on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at Lanzi’s on the Lake in Mayfield. The event will honor Dr. David and Ann Lee Clough Award winner Rachel Truckenmiller and Mary Ann Harzinski Outstanding Community Service Award winner Donald Fleischut.