(Image courtesy of Consejo)

In 1978, Consejo Counseling & Referral Service was founded in response to a lack of culturally appropriate behavioral health resources for the low-income Latino community in Western Washington.  Over the course of more than 30 years, Consejo has expanded to include a large variety of services. Consejo’s mission is to provide a continuum of behavioral health, substance abuse and domestic violence services to individuals and families across Washington to improve the quality of their lives and empower clients to participate in their communities at their highest level of functioning. Consejo also provides award-winning youth services, HIV/AIDS prevention and case management, and transitional housing programs. To check out the complete list, visit http://consejocounseling.org/

Consejo incorporates the rich and colorful culture and history of the Latino community into their programs in order to provide services that are truly in touch with the population they serve. All of Consejo’s direct service staff are bilingual, which helps Consejo meet the linguistic and cultural needs of their clients. With the help of their culturally-competent and committed staff, Consejo fosters a welcoming and safe environment for the 4,100 clients they assist annually.

Consejo seeks to provide programs and treatment plans that are both versatile and effective in order to empower their clients and help them to heal and grow. One unique method employed by Consejo is art therapy. Art is multifaceted and can be expressed in countless ways, which makes it a valuable therapeutic tool. Consejo provides art therapy sessions to around 160 behavioral health clients each week, many of whom have experienced profound change.

One of these clients is Luis*, who was dealing with depression when he began art therapy sessions as part of his treatment plan. Not only did art therapy help Luis combat his depression, but he also discovered that he had extraordinary artistic talent. Luis learned to create yarn paintings using a technique traditionally practiced by the Huichol Indians of Central Mexico. Over the course of Luis’ treatment, he completed six large yarn paintings, which he has donated to Consejo. His stunning Aztec Calendar yarn painting can be seen on the left.

Luis’ story is just one among many of the remarkable tales of transformation and recovery that Consejo’s clients have experienced. The incredible services that Consejo continues to provide to people like Luis depend largely upon the generous support of your community. If you would like to contribute to the positive change and empowerment cultivated by Consejo, read on about how to get involved!

Advocate:

Join Consejo’s mailing/email list, follow them on Twitter @ConsejoWa and “Like” them on Facebook to stay in touch and learn about their work. Visit their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/consejo.counseling.

Attend an Event:

Did you enjoy the beautiful artwork by Luis above? Would you like a chance to see it in person? Well, look no further, because Consejo is hosting an upcoming event, Adelante: a Consejo Community Celebration, on April 25th at which Luis will be speaking! There will also be music, art, food and fun! For details, visit http://www.consejocounseling.org/node/281. RSVP to [email protected].

If you can’t make it to Adelante, check out Consejo’s event page at http://www.consejocounseling.org/events to find out what other events are in the works.

Volunteer:

Dedicated volunteers are an integral part of Consejo and there are a wide range of areas in which you can help! To learn more about volunteering with Consejo and to find out about current volunteer opportunities, visit http://consejocounseling.org/careers/volunteers-internships.

Donate:

If you are interested in donating to Consejo, there are many options for submitting your donation. To view each way to give, visit http://consejocounseling.org/ways-you-can-give. If you work in the private sector and are interested in workplace giving, visit http://www.consejocounseling.org/content/workplace-giving for more information.

If you are a public employee and wish to contribute directly, sign up for payroll deduction at www.cfd.wa.gov and look up Consejo Counseling by their CFD #: 0337159

*Name has been changed to protect the client’s privacy.