Agency News

Living in Recovery - Picture Progress

What does recovery look like? When you fracture a bone, you get a cast to help it heal. Once the cast is off and you are able to return to normal activities, it is assumed that you are recovered from the fracture. For those living with mental illness, though, recovery is not as simple to define because each person’s journey is unique. The children and adolescents who visit our  Southwest Family Resource Center are illustrating their individual stories of recovery in a colorful and visible way by creating recovery posters. 

The Coffeehouse - Brewing a fresh new you

For many of us, the chance to sit down and visit with family and friends over a cup of coffee is a cherished tradition.  Whether the conversation is about work, hobbies or the latest reality television show, it is a way to form and maintain connections with others.

Interpretation Services - Sharing understanding, spreading hope

Anyone who has lived in Houston for a little over a week has come across people who speak a language other than English. As one of the most diverse cities of the world, Houston is home to people from all the continents, and a substantial portion of them are not fluent in English. These individuals make up a significant amount of Harris Center clientele. 

Employee Spotlight: Dr. Hale - Making a difference from the Jail

When D. Danielle Hale, Ph.D., arrived as a new employee at The Harris Center, her first assignment was facilitating a group with male inmates at The Harris County Jail that was part of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program.  Nine years later, Dr. Hale’s list of responsibilities as the now-Lead Psychologist for the Adult Services Program of The Harris Center’s Mental Health Forensic Services Division has grown to include overseeing additional programs in the Jail and the supervision of a dozen employees. However, she continues to facilitate the same group she was first assigned in 2007.  According to Dr. Hale, “That’s where my joy is, where my passion is.”

The CBT Program focuses on helping those who participate learn how to better handle everyday situations and choices, something many of these inmates may not get the chance to do otherwise.  Housed together in one unit within the Jail, about twenty men are part of the CBT Program at any given time.  They are referred to the program by The Harris Center staff providing mental health services in the Jail, Jail staff or they may self-refer.  Participants may remain in the program for up to five months while in the Jail, and the ages of those in the program have ranged from 18 to over 60.   

The P.E.E.R.S. For Hope House - Meeting an unmet need

Kim Tope is a licensed master social worker and a certified anger resolution therapist.  More pertinent to her current role at The Harris Center, Kim is also a certified peer specialist who uses her own lived experience in recovery from mental illness to help those who find themselves in need of support and treatment through a one-of-a-kind program in Texas known as The P.E.E.R.S. for Hope House.