Looking Glass Bilingual Mental Health Therapist Ozzy Monjaras, right, plays foosball with two young clients of the Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley.
In the Spring of 2021 and amidst the throws of the Covid-19 pandemic, Matt Sorensen, the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley in Eugene, noticed an uptick in the behavioral issues of the youth in program there and realized his club needed help.
“We were seeing the stress and trauma these kids were going through manifesting itself in a way that we were clearly not equipped to deal with,” Sorensen explained. “Not just a few kids having bad days, but like real meltdowns, bad language and tantrum throwing. We recognized that we needed to find a partner with expertise in mental health and youth so we sought out a connection with Looking Glass.”
Looking Glass was able to secure a grant from the Lane Community Health Council to help offset some of the expense and as of August has had Looking Glass therapists, skill builders and a youth peer support specialist embedded at the Boys & Girls Club two to three days per week. These experts are able to interact with the youth at Boys & Girls Club in a very casual and non-threatening way that builds trust and allows the youth to be open and share feelings or anxieties that can then be addressed during more private sessions.
Alex Potts, Looking Glass Skill Builder (right), plays air hockey with a youth at the Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley.
“It’s a different way to connect with the kids,” said Alex Potts, a Skill Builder at the Looking Glass Counseling program. “It’s fun to get to interact with the kids while just playing games; they’re comfortable.”
In addition to having Looking Glass staff on-site during the week, Sorensen asked Looking Glass therapists to come and train his staff.
“I want our staff to learn warning signs, behavior to look out for and some simple ways to de-escalate situations,” Sorensen said. “This partnership with Looking Glass has already been really helpful. At Boys & Girls Club we want our kids to be lifetime learners and have academic success but also become people of great character.” With the additional support of Looking Glass therapists, Sorensen believes the Boys & Girls Club can offer a more well-rounded environment for youth.
Ozzy, who was himself a frequent visitor to this club in his youth, explained that another benefit of being able to provide therapy support and skill building in this kind of environment is that it reduces barriers to seeking therapy that can often keep parents or youth from scheduling sessions that can interrupt work or school schedules.
Looking Glass Counseling Program Director Carlyn Wierda, who helped establish this partnership, is very excited with how well the collaboration has worked thus far.
“While we can do a lot of great work with youth during therapy sessions in our offices, we have opportunities to support youth in a different and beneficial way when we can meet with them in their own environment, such as at the club, when it’s us coming to them, rather than them coming to us,” Wierda explained. “The ability for us to bring in our expertise and passion around mental health, into an environment such as the Boys & Girls Club, where they have so much expertise and passion in creating an environment for youth to connect and have mentorship, is such a great match and a natural partnership.”
Boys & Girls Club Director Shelly Williams (left) and CEO Matt Sorensen stand with Looking Glass Counseling staff members Ozzy Monjaras and Alex Potts.