Archive for the ‘Press Releases’ Category

ACGC Welcomes New Board Members

Friday, November 11th, 2011

Austin Child Guidance Center is pleased to welcome four new board members.

ACGC Welcomes New Board Members - 20.46 kB | |

Friday Walk-In Services Available

Friday, October 14th, 2011

The Austin Child Guidance Center (ACGC) is offering weekly walk-in mental health therapy services on Friday afternoons from 2 pm to 4 pm for children, up to age 17, and their families.  This service is open to current clients as well as those children and families in the community who have been unable to access traditional, ongoing therapy due to waiting lists. Parent consultation is offered to parents who are concerned about their child’s behavior and seek advice or direction. Any parent and child may access the services as many times as they feel they need.

ACGC Offers Walk-In Services - 18.15 kB | |

ACGC Celebrating 60 Years

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Austin Child Guidance Center will be celebrating 60 years of service to central Texas on October 27th at a celebratory event.  The press release can be found: ACGC Celebrates 60 Years - 16.73 kB | |
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ACGC Community Open House 7/30/11

Monday, August 1st, 2011

Austin Child Guidance Center Invites Community to Celebrate 60th Anniversary
Austin, Texas – July 25, 2011

Austin Child Guidance Center is holding a family-friendly Community Open House this Saturday, July 30th, from 10 am – 1 pm. “The Community Open House is the first event of our 60th Anniversary Celebration,” said Executive Director Russell Smith, LMSW. “In 1951 we opened our doors, and thanks to wonderful community support, we’ve never closed them to the thousands of children and families we’re proud to serve every year.”

The public is encouraged to attend the Community Open House celebration. The Center is located at 810 W. 45th Street (at the intersection of W. 45th and North Lamar Blvd.). Among the many family-friendly events for the community to enjoy; a bouncy slide, face-painting, visits by therapy animals, art projects, and more. The Center will provide food, music, tours of the facility, and wonderful door prizes donated by businesses from around the community.

ACGC’s 60th anniversary celebration culminates with an evening event at the Four Seasons on Thursday, October 27, 2011, underwritten by H-E-B and Silicon Labs, and supported by Frost Bank and Whole Foods Market. “We are inviting all former board members, people who have been touched by the work we do, and the broader community to celebrate our first 60 years and look toward the next 60 years,” added Smith.

Established in 1951, ACGC is the oldest children’s mental health agency in central Texas. The mission is to improve the mental health of children and their families through early intervention, diagnosis and treatment to help them develop the emotional skills for meeting life’s challenges. To achieve this mission, Austin Child Guidance Center employs a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors who provide individual, family, and group therapy; psychiatric evaluations and psychological assessments; parent education; and training of current and future mental health professionals. ACGC has provided mental health services to more than 130,000 children and family members, and trained more than 650 professionals pursuing master and doctorate degrees in the mental health field.

For more information on the Austin Child Guidance Center, please visit www.austinchildguidance.org.

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Austin Child Guidance Center Announces New Board Officers and Members for 2010

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Austin, TX – January 1, 2010

Austin Child Guidance Center recently elected new officers and members to its board of directors. The board of directors is a group of community members who are dedicated to the mission of the Center: to improve the mental health of children and families through early intervention, diagnosis, and treatment to help them develop the emotional skills for meeting life’s challenges. Four board officers for 2010 are: James Maynard, M.D., Board President, child psychiatrist; Paula Aaronson, Vice President, electrical engineer at Freescale Semiconductor; Christy Biermann, Secretary, IT Team Leader at Whole Foods Market; and Mary Knight, Treasurer, Vice President and Budget Director at The University of Texas at Austin.

Additional board members include: Brenda Barrett Healey, attorney with Henslee Schwartz LLP; Emily Boon Cardwell; Joel Fleshman, LMSW-ACP, MPH, Organizational Consultant and Psychotherapist; Nicole Huff; Kathryn B. Kramer, Ph.D., of Kramer Consulting; and Leigh Mires, Director of Organizational Development and Training at Walter P Moore.

Austin Child Guidance Center was Austin’s first outpatient children’s mental health agency. The Center has been committed to improving the mental health of children and their families, regardless of ability to pay, since its inception in 1951. A multidisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatrists provide mental health evaluation and treatment services to families throughout the Austin, Texas area.

For further information, contact Austin Child Guidance Center at the above number or go to www.austinchildguidance.org.

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Austin Child Guidance Center Announces New Board Officers and Members for 2009

Thursday, January 1st, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Austin, TX – January 1, 2009

On January 24, 2009, Austin Child Guidance Center held its Annual Board Retreat at the Ronald McDonald House of Austin and Central Texas. The Retreat included the welcoming of four new Board Officers: Brenda Barrett Healey, Board President, an attorney with Clark, Thomas, & Winters who has served on the Board for three years; James Maynard, M.D., Vice President, a child psychiatrist who completed his psychiatric residency at Austin Child Guidance Center and has served previously on the Board of Directors; Christy Biermann, Treasurer, an IT Team Leader with Whole Foods Market’s Financial Planning Systems; and Secretary Paula Aaronson, an Electrical Engineer with Freescale Semiconductors.
Ben Teague, owner of Renee’s Catering, and Nicole Huff, community volunteer and long-time advocate of Austin Child Guidance Center, were welcomed as new Board members for 2009.
Established as a nonprofit organization over 50 years ago, Austin Child Guidance Center has been committed to improving the mental health of children and their families through early intervention, diagnosis and treatment. A multidisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatrists provide mental health evaluation and treatment services, including individual, family and group counseling. In 2008, a total of 4,115 individuals from the community were provided with 23,901 hours of service.
For further information, contact the Austin Child Guidance Center at the above number or go to www.austinchildguidance.org.
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2008 Award Honorees And Board Officers Announced By Austin Child Guidance Center

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Austin, TX – February 6, 2008

On Friday, February 1, 2008 Austin Child Guidance Center hosted its 2008 Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner at The Austin Club. The annual dinner recognizes outstanding supporters of Austin Child Guidance Center and children’s mental heath issues, outstanding staff members, and the 2008 board of directors.

Christine W. Anderson Children’s Service Award

Community Partners for Children (CPC) was presented the Christine W. Anderson Children’s Service Award in recognition of its outstanding service to local children and families. CPC is a collaboration comprised of parents and local public and private child serving agencies, including Austin Child Guidance Center, providing intensive case management to children and families who have multiple needs that cannot be met by one agency. The Christine W. Anderson Children’s Service Award was established in memory of Dr. Anderson, who died on June 13, 1982, at the age of 29. At the time of her death, she was a valued member of Austin Child Guidance Center’s board of directors and a professor at The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Educational Psychology.

Outstanding Corporate Support Award

JPMorgan Chase was presented the Outstanding Corporate Support Award. In 2007, Austin Child Guidance Center received its first JPMorgan Chase grant supporting children in need of mental health services due to school challenges. This grant provides Austin Child Guidance Center the opportunity to deliver affordable mental health services to many families whose income is below 200 percent of the poverty level. Families served through the JPMorgan Chase grant will receive a variety of mental health services, according to their children’s needs, from Austin Child Guidance Center’s multidisciplinary team of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and counselors.

Staff Awards

June Martinez, executive assistant/human resource officer, was honored with a 25 Years of Service Award and Linda Melnick, therapist, was honored with a 20 Years of Service Award.

Navigator Society

Established in 2005, members of the Navigator Society include those who understand the importance of long-term support of Austin Child Guidance Center and pledge a minimum donation of $1,000 a year for five years. The following new members joining in 2007 were recognized: Pat and Bob Ayres; David and Lore Bigham; Robert Boney and Anne Nelson, Ph.D.; Mike and Kelli Craddock; Kaye and Mark Feist; Kathy and Frank Ikard; Jim and LaVada Steed; Mary Ellen and James Umstattd; and David and Laura Wieland.

Emeritus Board

Ira Iscoe, Ph.D. and Beth Marsh were inducted as emeritus board members.

2008 Board of Directors and Officers

Austin Child Guidance Center board officers for 2008 are: Kathryn Kramer, Ph.D. as President; Brenda Barrett Healey as Vice President; Robert K. Lum as Treasurer; and James Maynard, M.D. as Secretary. Board members include: Paula Aaronson; Christy Biermann; Emily Boon Cardwell; Kathy Ikard; Cori Moyer; Anne Nelson, Ph.D.; Marcie Parastar; and Will Shapiro.

Austin Child Guidance Center is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the mental health of children and families through early intervention, diagnosis, and treatment. Austin Child Guidance Center has been helping families in the Austin community build emotionally healthy lives for more than 50 years. A multidisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatrists provide mental health evaluation and treatment services, including individual, family and group counseling.

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Austin Child Guidance Center Awarded Accreditation From The Joint Commission

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Austin, TX – October 2, 2007

By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety, Austin Child Guidance Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™. The accreditation award recognizes Austin Child Guidance Center’s dedication to complying with Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards on a continuous basis.

Austin Child Guidance Center, an outpatient children’s mental health organization, was first accredited in 1986 and every three years undergoes an extensive evaluation process to maintain its accreditation. The Joint Commission conducted an unannounced, on-site evaluation of Austin Child Guidance Center on August 16-17, 2007. “We sought continued accreditation for our organization because we want to demonstrate our commitment to quality mental health care for children, adolescents, and families,” says Donald J. Zappone, Dr.P.H., executive director. “We view obtaining Joint Commission accreditation as another effort toward maintaining the highest standards of treatment.”

“Austin Child Guidance Center’s accreditation achievement is a demonstration of the organization’s leadership and staff commitment to excellence,” says Mary Cesare-Murphy, Ph.D., executive director, Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program, The Joint Commission. “Joint Commission accreditation requires organization-wide dedication to providing safe, client-focused care, treatment and services.”

Austin Child Guidance Center is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the mental health of children through early intervention, diagnosis, and treatment. Since 1951, Austin Child Guidance Center has been helping families in the Austin community build emotionally healthy lives regardless of their income or ability to pay with a sliding fee scale. A multidisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatrists provide mental health treatment services, including individual/family therapy, group counseling, and parent education classes as well as evaluation services, including psychological assessments and psychiatric evaluations. Austin Child Guidance Center also serves as a training site for graduate students completing advanced degrees and seeking careers in the mental health field.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

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Cartis Group Contributes $50,000 In Creative Services To Austin Child Guidance Center

Monday, May 22nd, 2006

Branding agency to help raise awareness for need for children’s mental health services

Austin, Texas – May 22, 2006

Cartis Group, an Austin-based branding-driven design agency, has chosen the Austin Child Guidance Center as the recipient of the agency’s second annual grant program. Cartis Group is donating $50,000 in branding and creative services to help the Austin Child Guidance Center raise awareness of the need for better mental health services for children.

One in five children in the Austin community is diagnosed with or at risk for a mental illness — but services are often expensive and difficult to find. Even with local and national initiatives dedicating May as National Mental Health Month, awareness of this problem is minimal. Austin Child Guidance Center helps with this pressing need by improving the mental health of children through early intervention, diagnosis and treatment to help them develop the emotional skills for meeting life’s challenges. As a small nonprofit agency, it is challenged to attain the awareness and name recognition so critical for its ongoing success and the health of the Austin community.

“Cartis Group received more than 50 impressive proposals from nonprofits all over Central Texas,” says Cartis Group Founder and President, Shannon Carter. “We chose Austin Child Guidance Center as this year’s grant recipient because of their passion and commitment, and because we believe this is the best way for our team to make a lasting positive impact in our community. We are excited about partnering with such a dedicated group of professionals to truly make a difference in the lives of thousands of Austinites.”

Working with Executive Director Dr. Donald Zappone and the ACGC staff, Cartis Group will create an awareness campaign to help people understand the depth and breadth of the problem, how Austin Child Guidance Center can help and why it’s important to know about and support the Center.

“We are always confronted with making hard choices about how to find and best leverage the necessary resources for us to fulfill our mission,” says Dr. Zappone. “Cartis Group’s expertise and generosity will make a huge difference for us as demand for our services continues to grow.”

Two runners-up were also named in the grant announcement. Family Connections and Interfaith Care Alliance will receive a consultation with Cartis Group’s strategists and creative team on how to stand out and get noticed for the great work they do.

About Austin Child Guidance Center

Austin Child Guidance Center is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the mental health of children through early intervention, diagnosis and treatment. Austin Child Guidance Center has been helping families in the Austin community build emotionally healthy lives for more than 50 years. A multidisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, counselors and psychiatrists provide mental health evaluation and treatment services, including individual, family and group counseling.

About Cartis Group

Cartis Group is a branding-driven advertising and design agency specializing in brand strategy and visual communications for print, Web and broadcast media. Its clients are leading companies in consumer, technology and financial services markets, including USAA, Whole Foods Market, SigmaTel and Silicon Laboratories Inc. Cartis Group is focused on driving revenue, building loyalty and inspiring emotion. For more information, visit www.cartisgroup.com.

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Media Alert

Who:

Cartis Group, a branding-driven design agency, and Austin Child Guidance Center, a nonprofit providing mental health services for young people in the Austin community.

What:

Cartis Group announces Austin Child Guidance Center as the winner of its $50,000 creative services grant for branding and awareness-building.

When:

Monday, May 22, 2006
10:45 a.m. sharp CDT

Where:

Austin Child Guidance Center headquarters
810 W. 45th St. – just east of N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, Texas

Why:

Cartis Group has chosen Austin Child Guidance Center to receive $50,000 in branding and marketing creative services. As one of the nation’s premiere branding and design agencies, Cartis Group receives many requests for pro bono services from deserving nonprofit organizations. To maximize the impact of its donated services for organizations and the community, Cartis Group has instituted a grant program. This is the second year of the program; based on the success of the first year’s grant to the Equal Justice Center, Cartis Group doubled the size of the grant from $25,000 to $50,000 in services. Services will include branding and awareness-building strategies and tactics to help people understand the magnitude of the need for mental health services for children, why Austin Child Guidance Center is important to fill that need and what we can do to help ensure a healthy future for our children.

Visuals:

Using a variation of the “Extreme Home Makeover” concept as a jumping-off point, Cartis Group and Austin Child Guidance Center will team up to build awareness of the tremendous need for mental health services for young people and of ACGC’s important role in helping thousands of children and their families get these services they so desperately need. Visuals include ACGC board members, staff and clients and Cartis Group team members all wearing red t-shirts, and the handoff of the ceremonial hammer symbolizing the work we will be doing together.

Invited Guests:

Austin Mayor Will Wynn
ACGC Executive Director, Dr. Donald J. Zappone, Ph.D.
ACGC Director of Development, Leslie Archambault
ACGC Community Relations Coordinator and Grant Writer, Josie Kluth
Cartis Group Founder and President, Shannon Carter
ACGC board members:
David Zodikoff
Kathy Kramer, Ph.D.
Will Shapiro
Brenda Barrett Healey
Kathryn Kramer, Ph.D.
Beth Marsh
James Maynard, M.D.
Anne Nelson, Ph.D.
Selia Servín-López, Psy.D.
ACGC staff and Cartis Group staff

Contact:

Sara Breuer, Cartis Group
Office – 512-476-2600; Mobile – 512-560-3278
Email – sara.breuer@cartisgroup.com