Wow, the Irvington Counseling community truly shows up when it matters most!

To everyone who donated, sent words of encouragement, or offered a listening ear and guiding heart, thank you. Your presence carried us through August as we navigated the first major financial strain in our organization’s history. Because of your generosity, paired with a strong financial plan and expert guidance, we are turning a hopeful corner toward greater stability and sustained days ahead.

This month, we had the privilege of opening our beautiful and historic office, often referred to as The Depot, to the community during The Benton House’s 52nd Annual Tour of Homes. Preparing to welcome guests gave us the chance to rediscover our own story. Built in 1904 as a single-room structure, this space has served people in our community for more than 100 years.

Looking through old photos of the building, its occupants, and neighbors, one message kept rising to the surface: Keep Going. In the 1960s, a train derailment happened just feet from where our clients and therapists now sit. Had it tipped the other way, the building might not exist today. Years later, when the structure was on the verge of collapse, its former owner Don Flick poured his vision and labor into restoring it into a place of warmth and reverence. Time and again, this space has been sustained by care. I believe more than ever that this is the same way ICC will endure, by pouring love into the people, places, and work within our reach.

With that spirit, I am so thrilled to welcome Dana Harrison to our small but mighty team. Dana brings decades of experience consulting with organizations large and small, and she has generously stepped into a vital role as ICC’s new Finance & Administration Director. We are incredibly fortunate to have her wisdom and guidance alongside us. I will continue to serve as Clinical Director, joined by Amber and Marley, who support both our clinicians and our space.

Like our little building, ICC will weather the derailments and stay strong, committed to our mission of expanding equitable access to affirming mental health care for all Hoosiers. October will be our 9th anniversary of providing income-based, sliding-scale therapy to our community and look forward to many more years to come. Thanks for being here with us.

AUGUST IMPACT

In August we served 353 clients and provided 614 sessions. We also covered $1,860 in sessions for folks experiencing financial hardship and $2,385 for BIPOC, Transgender and Nonbinary clients, totalling $4,245 in care provided through our Mental Health Relief Fund.

As the Administration & Finance Director, I monitor the financial health of the organization, support team members who manage the insurance work and care for the office, handle all HR matters, ensure the organization has all necessary filings and insurances, and so forth. It’s all the “invisible work” behind the scenes.

Challenges with mental health have significantly impacted my life. My youngest brother, Chad, struggled with undiagnosed mental health issues starting in adolescence. By the time he graduated from high school, he was alcohol dependent and later experienced substance use disorder. He poured so much into being healthy, but the underlying mental health needs were never addressed and his need to self-medicate was fierce.

He died in 2019 at age 39 from an overdose, seemingly out of the blue. I’m convinced that if he’d had proper mental health treatment, he’d be thriving here today.

On a more positive note, therapy and medication have been transformative for my kids, who are now ages 12 and 14. It’s a long story, but my oldest experienced psychosis when he was only 10. Six months of hospitalizations, medication experiments, travel to specialists, withdrawal from school and more helped him be functional again. EMDR treatment for PTSD by an incredibly talented committed therapist was the key to getting him fully back. I refer to my family as being “power users” of mental health services.

When I look at ICC, I see deeply committed therapists who work with a broad spectrum of individuals, including BIPOC and LGBTQ individuals for whom mental health support can be difficult if not impossible to access. I know how such support can literally mean life or death. I jumped at a chance to be part of the team and do what I can to support the work.

I live with my boys, husband and sweet doggie (a true emotional support!) near the park in Irvington. I previously lived in Little Flower and Woodruff Place – I love the eastside!

For anyone reading this and wondering if I’m still consulting, the answer is YES! The nature of my work and flexibility of the position give me space to continue working with other organizations and businesses.

Lastly, I want to say how much I admire Lauren and the founders for conceptualizing and launching ICC, as well as the board of directors, volunteers and team members for making it what it is today. Thank you for welcoming me!

We are seeking committed volunteers from the community who would like to support us by restocking the sticker boxes on a monthly basis. If this sounds like something you’d love to do, here is a map of the awesome locations that host our boxes, and here’s a list:

• The Local Radish, Lux&Ivy, Rooftop Fruit, The Whispering Shelf, Borage and Milktooth

If this sounds like a way that you’d like to contribute to our work (and maybe grab yourself a sweet treat or good book to read once a month), please reach out to Lauren and Dana by clicking here!

And if extra time is not a plentiful resource these days, we are always deeply appreciative of financial donations. Here’s the link:

RESOURCES OUR FOLKS LOVE

🧠 Jennifer recommends How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend by Rachel Barr.

‼ Amber is loving and learning from the podcast Breaking Up With White Feminism by Nikki Blak!

📚 MJ has been reading a lot about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy so that they can prepare for training with the amazing Robyn Walser in October!

💗 Ewa is enjoying Field Perspectives in Clinical Practice by Gianni Francesetti et al. alongside her Gestalt Book Club, and they all get to meet the author soon!

🥰 Britney is doing a re-read of All About Love by the expert on love, bell hooks. If you haven’t checked this one out, it’s a must!

🛋 Michael has been really loving the podcast Fashion Neurosis, which is hosted by the great granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, Bella Freud, fashion designer. She invites famous guests to lie down on the couch and chat about fashion and identity!