Elevate Counseling Services Keeps the Focus on Solutions
Oct 30, 2018 06:00AM ● By Pamela Johnson
Elevate Founder/Director Leigh-Ann Larson (right) confers with Bellingham staffer Ashley Luongo, clinical therapist and site supervisor.
“I don’t listen for problems,” explains Leigh-Ann Larson, the founder/director of Elevate Counseling Services in Bellingham. “I listen for solutions.”
Elevate is staffed by LMHCs (Licensed Mental Health Counselors) and LICSWs (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers), and it provides counseling for issues including substance abuse, addictions, couple relations, social anxiety, mood disorders, depression, and more.
story & photo by Dave Dunbar,
Business Spotllight Writer.
The Business Spotlight is a paid service which comprises a feature article with photo(s) and a 1/4-page ad in the print edition, plus a promoted article here at www.BellinghamBulletin.com; the article is also featured for one week in the "top stories carousel" at the top of the home page. For more information about a Business Spotlight article for your business, contact Cyndy Rogers, 508-529-4437 or [email protected], or the Bulletin office, 508-883-3252 or [email protected].
“A core problem these days is a disconnect between self and others,” Leigh-Ann continues. “We need to create space to explore who we are, to discover, to re-invent. Do some emotional scuba diving! Sometimes we need to be OK with not being OK for now.”
Leigh-Ann opened the first of three behavioral health clinics in 2015 and three years later has 25 employees who see upwards of 50 new clients per month. The Bellingham location will have eight employees by the end of the year. The other two locations are in South Easton and South Middleborough.
“Our mission,” Leigh-Ann explains, “is to elevate our clients to their best life possible and to help elevate behavioral health counseling to its highest standard of care.”
Leigh-Ann, who has three children in their twenties, says, “The world is a very stressful place; there are pressures regarding social engagements, media, and economic issues. It’s a very different place than when we were growing up. Parents are running themselves ragged.”
Why do people come to Elevate Counseling Services? “The two biggest common diagnoses are generalized anxiety (multiple worries lasting longer than six months) and social anxiety (arising from social situations encountered online or in person).” Adjustment disorders are common, too, wherein people are trying to cope with divorce, death of a family member, job changes and, in the case of high school seniors, coming to grips with college as the next step.
People need a “safe space” to re-set, and Leigh-Ann says, “We are blessed to have people come here and share their stories with us.”
In addition to overseeing the operations of three locations and handling clients of her own out of the South Easton location, she makes time for speaking engagements before business and community groups, and to round up grants that allow Elevate to offer free or subsidized treatment for those in need.
If you are feeling as if you might need some help, you can call 508-202-1811, ext. 1. You will hear a recording that will ask a few questions, and you will get a call back, usually the same day. And then you can make an arrangement to see someone who can help.
Elevate accepts most insurance plans and may be able to offer subsidized rates to help fill in any gaps in insurance payments.
You might also run across Leigh-Ann speaking at business meetings and networking events, and she is also available to come to your organization.
“I also work very hard to build a community with my staff. We are a team,” says Leigh-Ann. So clients get a consistent level of care no matter whom they see at Elevate.
Learn more about Elevate Counseling at online www.elevate-counseling.com or call 508-202-1811, x1. The office is located at 116 Mechanic St. #7.
Business Spotllight Writer.
The Business Spotlight is a paid service which comprises a feature article with photo(s) and a 1/4-page ad in the print edition, plus a promoted article here at www.BellinghamBulletin.com; the article is also featured for one week in the "top stories carousel" at the top of the home page. For more information about a Business Spotlight article for your business, contact Cyndy Rogers, 508-529-4437 or [email protected], or the Bulletin office, 508-883-3252 or [email protected].
