• Mental Health
     
    Counseling Centers
    Listed below are some centers that offer counseling services in Erie County. Individual and small groups of providers are not named. Insurance companies generate lists of providers that they cover, so people seeking service might find it useful to check with their insurance companies.  
    In addition, many organizations offer counseling services that address specific issues such as substance abuse, eating disorders or anger management. 
    School counselors, school social workers and school psychologists can often provide some level of service as well as recommend specific local centers or individuals. Many school districts also offer free counseling at their Family Support Centers. Contact your local district for information. 
    College students often find that the college or university has an active and helpful counseling center. 
     
    Children and Adolescent Treatment Center 819-3420 Ext.138 provides counseling, offers groups and promotes education on site and in numerous locations. CATS (Children and Adolescent Treatment Center) offers DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) for adolescents with highly skilled and well-trained therapists who provide the excellent program. For a more detailed description, go to CATS home page click on "Programs & Services" then click on "Dialectical Behavior Therapy." At the bottom of the page on "click here," there is more information and further description of this type of highly effective therapy. DBT is an intense time-limited combination of group and individual therapy.    
    Child and Family Services 842-2750 offers an extensive array of mental health services and programs, including counseling, groups, mediation, Falk schools and bullying prevention to name a few.   
    Catholic Charities 856-4494 offers a variety of services in numerous locations. Click on "services" in the top bar, and scroll down to "services" to find the type you want. A sliding fee scale may be available for services. 
    Mid-Erie Counseling and Treatment Services 895-7167 offers treatment, education and support at a number of locations. 
    Spectrum Human Services 662-2040 offers mental health counseling, chemical dependency treatment and other services in a variety of locations. 
    Horizon Health Services 831-1800 offers addiction and mental health/psychiatric counseling, workforce development for those with addiction/mental health issues and special services for veterans as well as other services including Horizon Village, an addictions residential program. Self-tests for alcoholism and drug addiction are available. 
    Jewish Family Services 883-1940 offers counseling and programs to the community, including specialized services in gambling recovery. 
    Church Mission of Help 884-7569 is located at 153 W. Utica in Buffalo and offers professional counseling services on a sliding fee scale.
     
    Day Treatment Programs for Children and Adolescents are available through a referral process that is dependent on the agencies, programs and medical care/insurances that are involved. 
     
    Psychiatric care for children and adolescents is almost always based on a referral process generated by agencies, professional care centers and other programs already actively involved in the case. 
     
    Serious mental Illness 
    For mental illness such as schizophrenia, long term treatment is necessary.
    Depression and bipolar disorder: the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance offers support for those seeking peer support. Sometimes depression is part of a process that is not so severe that it debilitates a person. One holistic site suggests that reading can be helpful in addressing depression. Additionally, the therapeutic benefits of writing should not be underestimated.
    Bipolar disorder can be a challenging diagnosis.
    Eating disorders are listed in a separate category on this site.
     
    Self-help, Support and Education for all types of Mental Illness: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
    NAMI 862-8229 (local affiliate phone number of national organization; see below for local phone number with specific information) National Alliance on Mental Illness offers a vast array of information, materials, meetings, support, networking and self-help on topics such as medication, depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder and borderline personality disorder, to name a few. Local and state chapters are spread far and wide throughout the United States.     
    NYS NAMI New York State National Alliance on Mental Illness (state affiliate of national organization) offers information, news, conferences, resources and programs available in New York.    
    You can contact the local NAMI chapter at 716-226-6264 for specific information regarding support, newsletters, resources, events and meetings in this area. The local Buffalo and Erie County address is: PO Box 146, Buffalo, NY 14223.  
     
    National Websites
    The national website that has excellent resources and information is MentalHealth.gov.  This site includes a wide variety of topics with a wealth of information.
    Another website with helpful articles that focus on daily life as well as the newest research is Mental Health, Depression, Anxiety & Wellness. The purpose of this website is to offer help.
    The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the largest organization of its kind in the world, dedicated to understanding, researching and treating mental health issues.
    An internet website, Internet Mental Health, connects readers to other websites with updated information on medication, diagnosis, research, chatrooms, etc.   
    Mental Health America is another national organization that offers excellent fact sheets, information, support and resources as well as offering avenues for political action.
    The national website for NAMI is listed above.
     
    State Websites
    Resources regarding New York State insurance for mental health treatment are found under NYS health care insurance plans.   
    The New York State Office of Mental Health is another excellent resource with tabs such as news, publications, reports, employment, etc.
    NYS NAMI is listed above.  
     
    Local Websites and Resources
    An excellent local resource is the Mental Health Association of Erie County which offers many programs, much support, excellent resources and helpful information.  
    The Erie County Department of Mental Health oversees services for those who are mentally disabled.
    The local NAMI chapter is listed above.
     
    CET: Cognitive Enhancement Therapy
    Cognitive Enhancement Therapy is a type of counseling and training which is in process of being more fully developed as a highly effective therapeutic approach to  mental illnesses that disrupts the functioning of the brain, such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder and severe depression. This counseling approach awakens, activates and trains areas of the brain that seem to have stopped working. CET can be utilized in conjunction with medication but has also been utilized with those individuals who are not taking medication. The program is available on DVD with a manual and takes 12 to 18 months to complete. Fees for this DVD and manual are remarkable reasonable. Results have been promising, especially in early diagnosis. CET was initiated and developed during the 1990s at University of Pittsburgh in the Department of Social Work. 
     
    About Therapy and Counseling 
    Good Therapy is a website that is an excellent resource. A guide for a good therapist who may not perfectly meet every one of these 50 criteria, can be helpful. Some "red flags" are identified on this list, and it is especially important to note any activity or behavior that makes a client feel uncomfortable. 
    Clients or patients go to therapy for dozens of different reasons or issues. Self-education and bibliotherapy can be helpful and add to the experience of therapy. Bibliotherapy for children is a commonly used approach that helps children comprehend a variety of difficult issues. Sometimes medications are incorporated into the process of becoming healthy and well; understanding the purpose, reason and side effects of medication is important. There may be excellent therapists not listed on this webpage; therapists who are linked to this site have followed specific guidelines and paid fees to be listed.
    All therapists are trained to utilize different styles and different types of therapy, but many of these basic elements often define and frame effective therapy.   
Last Modified on May 5, 2014