Clients served: 704
Hours of
Service: 12,420
Family risk factors:
55% Substance Abuse
52% Divorce/Separation
43% Domestic Violence
34% Neglect
15% Homelessness
Ethnicity:
39% Caucasian
27% African American
17% Latino
5% Haitian
9% Portuguese
3% Other
Past involvement with
DSS: 52%
Special Ed: 55% |
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The activities of
the Cambridge Youth Guidance Center (CYGC) extend beyond the walls
of GCI and affect children and their families from all cultural
and linguistic backgrounds. Clinicians work collaboratively with
schools, courts, the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the
Department of Social Services (DSS), health task forces, and other agencies to
reach out to every child and family in our area. A range of mental
health services and support programs, including psychotherapy,
comprehensive bio-psycho-social evaluations, parent skill-building,
psychological testing and psychopharmacological services is offered
through intensive home, school, community and clinic-based
interventions. Additionally, CYGC provides training to mental health
students and professionals in the community.
CYGC provides
education and consultation services to nine Cambridge schools and
runs 25 school groups for K-12 students and their teachers on
topics including building social skills and self-esteem, violence
prevention, anger management and conflict resolution. Wraparound
clinicians coordinate comprehensive educational and mental health
services in an effort to maintain students in their specialized
classroom settings. In addition, CYGC offers psychiatric, social
work and family support services for two hours each week at the
Longfellow School. This "satellite clinic" increases our
outreach and is likely to be replicated at other elementary school sites
and the Family Resource Center based at the high school.
The Cross
Cultural Program integrates services to linguistic minorities
across our programs and with other agencies. The agency's Diversity
Initiative to provide cultural training for
staff continues to focus on instructive training designed to enhance
cultural and clinical competencies in substance abuse, sexual abuse
and domestic violence.
The Companion
Tutor Program matches children with emotional and/or behavioral
issues with student mentors from local universities and colleges. These pairs spend about six hours per week engaged in social
activities such as going to the movies, visiting local museums, playing ball and listening
to music. The individualized attention that the children received
from their mentors has a positive therapeutic effect on their school
performance and self-esteem.
CYGC also runs
a variety of parent groups, such as the weekly father's group
and a support group for Portuguese mothers. A Family Support Worker
offers a series of groups and workshops for Spanish-speaking parents
seeking to improve their skills in parenting, computer proficiency
and English as a second language.
Every summer,
young CYGC clients receive "camperships" that allow
them to attend Cambridge day camps as well as specialized, intensive
camps that address emotional or behavioral issues. Children return
from their experiences enriched and rejuvenated as a result of their
new friendships and special attention. Parents also benefit from the
respite gained by having their children away at camp.
Staff working
on the Outcomes Project collect information on all outpatient
cases, using reliable and well-validated instruments in a
pre-test/post-test design. Data regarding demographics, diagnoses and
risk factors serve as quantifiable evidence of program outcomes.
Contact Information
To make a
referral for clinical evaluation or treatment, please contact the
following GCI administrator:
Mary Chatsworth, MA
Clinic Operations Manager
617.354.2275 x126
mchatsworth at gcinc.org
We bill 65 different insurances, including Medicaid and Medicare. We
are in-network providers for Tufts and Harvard Vanguard.
To inquire
about arranging for all clinical services, consultations or
employment/training opportunities at the Cambridge Youth Guidance
Center, please contact:
Rosalyn Mamlak, LCSW, MEd
Director, Family Services
617.354.2275 x120
rmamlak at gcinc.org
This program is housed in GCI's
Main Office. |