Kaweah Health will open a Center for Mental Wellness on Wednesday, March 8, in Visalia as part of its continued commitment to meet the demands for mental health services in the Central Valley.
“Due to the limited number of mental health providers, we know how difficult it can be to get in to see a therapist. We’re here to help,” said Theresa Croushore, Kaweah Health’s Director of Behavioral Health Service line.
The center will provide outpatient therapy and counseling for people of all ages as a result of major life stresses, trauma, etc. at 301 W. Noble Ave., Visalia. The 1,200-square-foot center will be staffed by professional clinicians and will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The clinic will accept most private insurance, Medicare, and self-pay; appointments can be made by calling (559) 624-6875. Additional access to mental health services, including Medi-Cal patients, is available through our network of rural health clinics.
Gabriela Martinez, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, will serve as Lead Psychotherapist of the four-therapist team. Martinez graduated with a Master’s Degree in Counseling from CSU, Fresno in 2003 and has been working in the field of mental health for the past 20 years. Martinez will be joined by the following psychotherapists: Maria Mendoza, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist; Analis Lopez Gonzales, an associate clinical social worker; and Vanessa Gutierrez and Julie Andress, who are both associate marriage and family therapists. Together, the team will provide patients with the following services:
- Individual Therapy
- Family Therapy
- Child & Adolescent Therapy
- Couples Counseling
- Specialized Therapy Groups
- EMDR Therapy
- Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Play Therapy
The Center for Mental Wellness is just one of the many projects Kaweah Health is working on to meet demands for mental health services in the Central Valley. Last year, Kaweah Health was awarded an $8.7 million grant to fund the construction of Tulare County’s first mental health hospital for youth. The grant will fully fund construction of a22-bed wing to Kaweah Health’s Mental Health Hospital. Also last year, Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and Kaweah Health were jointly awarded a $4.9 million grant from California Health Facilities Financing Authority for the creation of a child and adolescent Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU). The 12-bed CSU, which is expected to open late this summer in Visalia, will provide crisis intervention services for children and youth under age 21, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Kaweah Health is a publicly-owned community healthcare organization that provides comprehensive health services to the greater Visalia region and Tulare County. With more than 5,000 employees and 700 medical staff, Kaweah Health is committed to meeting the community’s health needs through state-of-the-art medicine, high-quality preventive services and specialized health centers and clinics. For more information, visitwww.kaweahhealth.org or follow Kaweah Health on Twitter and Facebook.