Council for Relationships Receives van Ameringen Foundation Grant
Council for Relationships (CFR) is pleased to announce that the Directors of the van Ameringen Foundation have unanimously approved a three-year grant in the amount of $75,000 per year, for a total award of $225,000. This grant will help provide therapy to hundreds of people with limited financial means through CFR’s Low Fee Therapy Services(LFTS) and Community Partnerships Initiative (CPI). CFR will build upon its previous work to establish a more-formalized Community Response Program to enhance and expand access to high-quality therapy in underserved communities. All activities will incorporate what CFR has learned through its Racial Equity in Therapy Initiative (RETI), an organizational-wide, interdepartmental effort to improve and expand the delivery of high-quality therapy to people of color.
According to the 2020 US Census, Philadelphia is the sixth most-populated city in the country and has the highest rate of poverty of the largest US cities, with 23% of residents living in poverty. People of color make up 55.2% of the city’s population. As is true nationally, the need for mental health care in Philadelphia is great, exacerbated by the number of people living in poverty and the number of people of color (who are also dealing with racial trauma and the impacts of systemic racism). “The multiplier effect of the pandemic, the brunt of which has been disproportionally borne by people of color and those with lower incomes, indicate that CFR’s expanded services to these communities through enhanced community partnerships are greatly needed,” said Dr. Sara Corse, Director of CFR’s Community Partnerships Initiative.
CFR collaborates with diverse organizations through CPI to provide therapy, support groups, and consultation to vulnerable populations throughout the greater Philadelphia area and the staff with whom they work. CPI has been working to deepen existing relationships, reignite those interrupted by the pandemic, and explore new ones. CPI will build upon lessons learned during the pandemic and re-start partnerships with organizations with which it has had the greatest impact.
This grant will allow CFR to build upon established relationships with its nonprofit partners to enhance the delivery of high-quality therapy services in underserved communities. CFR will develop a more formalized Community Response Program that incorporates learnings from CPI and RETI, including seeking feedback from the communities CFR aims to serve. CFR will create measurable goals for enhancing its service delivery and expanding its reach where it is needed most.
About van Ameringen Foundation:
The van Ameringen Foundation is a private grant making foundation located in New York City. From its inception, the Foundation has funded prevention, education, and direct care in the mental health field, as well as advocacy efforts to achieve systems change locally and nationally. The emphasis continues to be on assisting people and communities with limited resources and opportunities to access preventive, early intervention, and effective mental health treatment.
About Council for Relationships:
Council for Relationships is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people from all walks of life improve their important relationships by providing exemplary therapy, educating and training clinicians in the family systems approach, and advancing the mental health field through research.
More than 70 therapists and psychiatrists provide counseling to individuals, couples, and families in-person at 10 offices and community-based locations in the greater Philadelphia area and online across PA & NJ. Additionally, more than 60 clinical interns per year participating in CFR’s clinician education programs provide counseling on a sliding fee scale. We are committed to providing quality counseling services to all in need, regardless of ability to pay. To learn more, visit councilforrelationships.org.
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