City keeps counseling contracts in place; youth engagement at Gibbs Morrison paused after closure

City staff told the Social Services Committee on March 13 that the city’s contracts for counseling services were renewed through 2025, but that an engagement component for youth that had taken place at Gibbs Morrison is on hold after the center’s closure.

Staff said the city remains contracted with Skylight Counseling Center and Metropolitan Family Services for individual, couple and family therapy; case managers and city staff can still make direct referrals. Staff described a prior engagement model in which a clinician would visit community meeting sites to introduce counseling services; that outreach increased participation but required a suitable community venue.

“The youth engagement component … did not move forward” at Robert Crown but had shown success at Gibbs Morrison, staff said. Gibbs Morrison’s closure meant that the clinician-led visits there ended. Staff said they were seeking alternative venues and that existing referrals for individual and family counseling continued.

Because of HIPAA protections, staff said they could report total session counts but not detailed demographic information about clients. Committee members asked whether alternative sites such as local high schools could host engagement sessions and asked staff to continue outreach to partners to restore an on-site engagement model where feasible.

Staff told the group they would help case managers and partner organizations make referrals to the contracted counseling providers and would explore new venues for engagement sessions with youth.