COLLABORATION — This fall, Ohio Valley Counseling will offer its services at the Sycamore Youth Center and the Aim Women’s Center. Taking part in the joint collaboration to help families in need, are, from left, Jessica Fowler, owner and clinician for Ohio Valley Counseling; Bobbyjon Bauman, executive director of Sycamore; and Rebekah Cohen Morris, executive director of Aim. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — It is a move aimed to bolster community resources for local families. It is a collaboration meant to deliver integrated mental health services and family-focused programs to those in need. And beginning this fall, Ohio Valley Counseling will offer its services to clients affiliated with the Sycamore Youth Center and the Aim Women’s Center.

Under the leadership of owner and clinician Jessica Fowler, the counseling center will provide mental health support to residents of the newly-established Mother of Mercy Maternity Home.

The Sycamore Youth Center will now be able to host a counselor in its after-school program four days a week, assisting the 500 children who participate weekly.

Ohio Valley Counseling will also lead a Positive Discipline Training for Parents seminar. The Aim and Sycamore centers will help connect needy families with counseling services. Sycamore is donating its venue for these services, according to Bobbyjon Bauman, its executive director, who expressed his excitement about the joint venture.

“We are grateful for this collaboration — it’s a blessing that opens the door for families in need to receive vital mental health support,” Bauman said. “Having a counselor present during our after-school hours will make a real difference for the children we serve.”

Aim Executive Director Rebekah Cohen Morris emphasized the importance of this partnership.

“We’re excited about the partnership between Ohio Valley Counseling and Aim Women’s Center,” Morris stated. “This collaboration will allow us to provide mental health services, which is crucial to ensuring a properly holistic approach to caring for pregnant and parenting women and their children.”

Fowler said of the collaboration, “Ohio Valley Counseling is excited to partner with both AIM and the Sycamore Center in overcoming barriers to high-quality, mental-health counseling services.”

Located at 301 N. Fourth St., the Sycamore Youth Center is a faith-based, after-school hub providing life skills classes, arts, summer camps and leadership programs.

The Aim Women’s Center, located at 248 N. Fifth St., offers free pregnancy services, including testing, ultrasounds, parenting support and material assistance. The center launched the Mother of Mercy Maternity Home to expand its outreach to women and families in need.

Ohio Valley Counseling is based in Steubenville and Weirton, providing trauma-informed mental health services for individuals and families.