MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Community Counseling of Bristol County, Inc. has been delivering community-based mental health, addiction treatment and rehabilitation services for nearly 40 years. During that time much has changed in the scope of care that we provide and the number of people that our programs reach. This growth has been made possible through the dedicated and consistent efforts of our experienced staff responding to the needs of children, adults, elders and families in our community. What has not changed over these 40 years is our commitment to the community we serve and our continuous efforts to enhance access to care for those that need it and to overcome the barriers that interfere with individuals getting the care they need.

For example, national data indicate that only about one in four children who have a serious emotional disturbance receive treatment. Without treatment children and families suffer in many ways. Our approach to the problem of access to treatment for children with serious emotional disorders is to offer services in the schools and in the home, as well as at our clinics. Nonetheless, many barriers remain, though I believe that through our continued efforts and the collaboration with our many partners, we will be increasingly successful in broadening access and improving outcomes for those in our community who need care.

While many barriers remain, mental health care is increasingly recognized as an important part of the health care system, and seeking treatment for problems such as depression and anxiety is no less important to our health than seeking treatment for other health problems, such as heart disease or diabetes.

At Community Counseling our mission is to develop and delivery compassionate, responsive and effective mental health and addiction services to meet the treatment, rehabilitation and recovery needs of those in our community. We pursue this mission through over three dozen different programs that provide care to over 8,000 individuals and families annually.

While our services are confidential, Community Counseling also has many partners in the community with whom we collaborate to improve the lives of our clients and the overall wellbeing of our community. These partners include our affiliates Morton Hospital and Medical Center, Inc., Morton Physician Associates, Inc., local school systems, Massachusetts Departments of Mental Health and Public Health, United Way of Greater Attleboro/Taunton, other non-profit agencies and health care providers.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to look at our website and learn more about the services we provide. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have a question or concern.

Philip Shea
President/CEO