5 days ago
Harrison County YMCA adds new wellness center to its services
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — The Harrison County YMCA has officially unveiled its new wellness center.
'We heard the community; there was an outcry for more mental health services in our area,' said the YMCA's licensed massage therapist and functional nutrition counselor Pam Gaskins. 'Being the YMCA, we heard the cries and we responded.'
Gaskins said that she's been working on this project for nearly a year. In addition to her services, the center has recently hired mental health professional Lisa Steffich, who's a licensed professional counselor.
'We both do group and individual sessions, and it's just a little something extra that the Y can offer the community,' said Gaskins. 'We have several things that we offer here at the fitness center. We are starting a singing bowl class, we have yoga—both for young and old, SilverSneakers, tai chi, all of that will be available here at the wellness center at the YMCA.'
The wellness center is all-inclusive and welcoming to everyone and also provides services to people facing financial difficulties, according to Gaskins.
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'We wanna make our services available to anyone and everyone in the community that needs them,' she said. 'So, we definitely have several different ways that we can help people get here and get them the services that they're looking for.'
According to Gaskins, the wellness center is really focused on the inclusion of mind and body healing, which both go hand-in-hand.
'A lot of people like to pick one or the other, and then they kind of get to a roadblock,' she added. 'So we really wanted to take that roadblock down to educate people, and give them a place to use that education for their health and wellness needs.'
Gaskins also told 12 News that in the near future, Harrison County YMCA is planning to launch a campaign to assist with plans to expand the wellness center. Through donations raised over the course of the campaign, along with grants, they plan to hopefully bring many more health practitioners on board to grow the center and the services that it provides.
'The inspiration came from the public really,' said Gaskins. 'There were a lot of people coming to me on my table, asking for mental health services and I [could] not provide that. So I sought out on a mission to find that and bring it here to the people.'
If you're curious but unsure whether or not these programs may be a good fit for you, both Gaskins and Steffich are offering group sessions each week on different topics. Gaskins' sessions will specifically focus on nutrition and body movement, while Steffich's discussions will surround mental health.
Harrison County YMCA also offers free childcare during the evening hours, to make these sessions and classes accessible to everyone. You can find more information by calling the Harrison County YMCA at (304) 623-3303 or by visiting the organization's website.
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