Outpatient Program
Centus’ core service is mental health counseling. Our combined clinical programs provided 23,520 direct counseling service hours in 2023-24 serving approximately 3500 individuals. This includes service to schools with more than 2500 students, in addition to supporting families and school staff members. In addition, our outpatient Clinicians support individuals of all ages, intimate partners, and families.
The most common concerns we work with are trauma, depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders and addictions. Individuals, couples, and families come to us with loss, grief and relational or life stressors that have become too difficult to manage.
During 2023-24 we had 33 Centus Clinicians, 9 of whom were in our post-graduate Residency Program. All of these clinicians are trained in evidence-based counseling and psychotherapy as well as the use of spiritually integrated treatment approaches. Our post – graduate Residency Program has a core focus on cultural and spiritual assessment and integration.
School Counseling Program: Susan’s School Counseling
During the 2023-24 school year Centus School Counselors provided over 1000 clinical hours monthly in 9 Denver area schools, with a total combined student population of 2500. This volume of services represents a 20% increase over services offered in the 2022-23 school year due to the increasing needs of students and the two additional schools being served. Between counseling, groups, classroom presentations, and informal support Centus School Clinicians connect with nearly all the students in these schools annually.
Clinical outcome measurements utilized demonstrated that 43% of students served experienced significant improvement, 16% were somewhat improved, and 16% remained stable as a result of the support received. During these stressful times, even the students who received support that allowed them to experience stability is a success worth noting. This overall effect size puts Susan’s School Counseling impact in the “effective” range. These results also reflect that 76% of clients served either improved or stabilized through the vital support offered.
Community Education Program
Community partners included 16 local congregations, and 9 schools in 2023-24. Psycho-spiritual educational offerings were provided for community partners serving 1284 participants. Education topics addressed include Enhancing Resilience, Coping with Grief, Parenting, Healthy Relationships, Mindfulness, Dealing with Anxiety or Depression, and Suicide Prevention & Recovery.
Spiritual Direction Program
Spiritual Direction is also being offered at Centus Counseling. Our staff Spiritual Director is The Rev. Dr. Mark Killmer who is trained in both individual Spiritual Direction and Group Contemplative and Spiritual Formation Practices.
Post-Graduate Residency Program
This program hires Residents from diverse backgrounds with a passion for providing clinical care for under-served and under-resourced communities. As a State of Colorado licensed Behavioral Health Entity, we can hire and train Resident Clinicians who provide care for a wide range of clients under the supervision of seasoned, licensed Clinicians. The training aspect of the program has a key focus on cultural assessment and engagement and spiritual assessment and integration, as well as a wide range of empirically validated treatment modalities.
Colorado Access provided a substantial grant to facilitate the launch of this program in 2023-24. The Anschutz Foundation also provided a generous grant toward operating costs that assisted us in expanding the diversity our behavioral healthcare workforce.
Thanks to this program, we are training 8 to 10 residents each year and look forward to hiring graduates from the program to serve as permanent staff when they are fully licensed clinicians. Our roster of clinicians has grown to 35 and more fully represents the diversity of our clients.
Fourteen local congregations and seven schools supported us in 2022-23 by offering office space at no cost to Centus. This represents approximately $5000 per site each year as an in-kind donation.