OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – A new counseling center in Oklahoma City seeks to improve the lives of Oklahomans by helping them with their mental health needs and by giving them a path back into the workforce.
Pivot, which has a long history of helping people ages 12-24 in Oklahoma City, kicked off June with the opening of its new Goodrich Counseling Center.
The ribbon was cut on Pivot’s new counseling center on June 4. The new Pivot location was created through ARPA funding and a partnership with the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA). It will expand Pivot’s ability to help local children with their mental health needs.
“We are overjoyed to be able to expand our capacity to reach more young people, but I am also overwhelmed through the honor of being able to do so in the Goodrich Counseling Center,” said President and CEO Jennifer Goodrich. “This improved space will allow our staff to meet more youth where they’re at to bring them toward a more hopeful future. It’s more than we could’ve imagined.”
The Pivot staff and board honored Goodrich’s dedication to the nonprofit and the youth of Oklahoma City by naming the new location after her.
Goodrich has more than 30 years of professional experience in her field, having served in multiple capacities in the areas of mental health and substance abuse. She began working with Pivot in 1999, attending to the needs of youth experiencing trauma. Her and her colleagues’ work involves child welfare, juvenile justice and youth experiencing homelessness.
Pivot’s new counseling center is located in what was previously underutilized space at the back of the Pivot facility, located at 201 NE 50th St. The space was renovated and reimagined specifically to provide counseling services.
“Pivot has consistently been one of our most vital partners serving the Oklahoma City community,” said OJA Executive Director Jeffrey Cartmell. “The newly expanded counseling center on the Pivot campus will facilitate an even greater reach to our youth and families most in need.”
The facility has an in-house pastry company which employs clients who were previously incarcerated, helping them build a productive life by getting them back into the workforce.
Pivot, A Turning Point for Youth, works with youth, ages 12-24, who are often homeless or couch-homeless, at risk of being homeless, alone or disengaged. Pivot is a United Way Partner Agency, providing programs and services that focus on meeting housing and basic needs, education and job assistance; prevention and intervention services; and therapeutic care. It is committed to long-term impact in the lives of marginalized youth. The organization served over 3,300 young people and their families last year. Pivot transitions youth from a life of fear and instability to a life of hope and opportunity.
Therapists at Pivot saw 523 clients for sessions last year, while its Supporting Kids in Independent Living (SKIL) case managers helped 273 adolescents.
“Thanks to the funding for this renovation, Pivot will be able to continue hiring for these important positions to double capacity of supporting even more youth,” Pivot officials said.
Visit pivotok.org for more information.
