Agency News

Helping consumers with IDD achieve a healthier lifestyle

The Harris Center is a Tobacco Free Workplace

TCOOMMI JR. – Teaching skills, changing lives

Making a difference in a child or adolescent’s life is not always easy, but the staff of the Mental Health Forensic Services Division at The Harris Center strives to do just that every day. Through a variety of programs, children and adolescents who are involved in the juvenile justice system in Harris County receive treatment and services that address some of the root causes that led them there in the first place.

Prosumers- Peer Recovery in Action

Recovery: one word with countless possibilities. Because there is not one definition of recovery, everyone has their own meaning and their own story.

“The Agency slogan is Transforming Lives, and so, when we think of that and we think of recovery, it means to help someone progress in finding meaning in their life. They are not merely progressing towards eliminating symptoms, but to be able to live a meaningful life past the mental health challenges that they face,” said Ana Oyarvide, Recovery Manager for the Mental Health Outpatient Services Division of The Harris Center.

While the recovery journey is unique for each individual, it is a tie that binds. Those who have lived experience in recovery from mental illness, commonly referred to as peers, offer an insight that is invaluable to those who are either just starting their process or those who find it beneficial to talk to others who understand what it is like to live with a mental illness.

IDD Crisis Care- There when you need them

All of us need support from time to time. Whether we need to have a good cry or a good laugh, knowing we have someone to turn to in a time of crisis is a comfort many of us take for granted. For individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), finding that help is not always easy. The same is true for those who serve as caregivers for loved ones with IDD. At The Harris Center, the IDD Intensive Needs Program is available to help provide the support and compassion that many need.

While the IDD Intensive Needs Program provides community-based supports throughout Harris County, it also has a component that focuses on providing crisis care. Implemented in 2016 as an initiative of the State of Texas and led by Clinical Team Leader Amanda Willis, LCSW-S, the three person staff is composed of master level clinicians who provide assessments, support and linkage to on-going community-based services for individuals with IDD who find themselves in a crisis.