Mental Health Association in Indian River County, Inc.
It's OKAY to Get Help!
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Mental Health Association in Indian River County (MHA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing immediate access with no barriers to mental health care. That’s what we are here for. An affiliate of Mental Health America, we work for prevention; for early identification and intervention for those at risk, and for recovery as a goal. We recognize that many times people may not realize that their symptoms are being caused by a mental health condition, or they may feel ashamed to seek help because of the stigma associated with mental illness. Consequently, there is a delay in seeking help, and getting on the path to recovery. We're here to provide immediate access with no barriers to mental health care, thereby removing the stigma. "It's Okay to Get Help!"®
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Mental Health Walk-In Center Program
Providing immediate access to help, the Walk-in & Counseling Center (WICC) prevents avoidable harm from
untreated mental health issues including suicidal ideation. WICC cares for all ages in need of timely,
effective intervention for untreated mental health concerns and provides, free to Indian River County (IRC)
residents, same day, no appointment needed, walk-in mental health screenings, mental health consultations, and crisis intervention. WICC services include individual, family, and group therapy; wellness classes; youth skill building; adult psychiatric care and medication management; free bimonthly Mood/Anxiety support groups; free weekly support group for veterans; case management;
information/referral; and ACCESS Florida applications. Our youth programs include intervention for
emotional/behavioral concerns and prevention for skill building and early intervention. We provide youth
prevention services within IRC middle and high schools and all three IRC Boy & Girls Clubs.
Drop-In Center Program
The Drop-In Center Programs are designed to serve people with severe and persistent mental illness and provides the opportunity for socialization and peer support through consumer run Centers. It is a non-clinical program which offers education, recreation, field trips, group discussions, arts & crafts, and a large variety of activities selected by, and implemented by, people with mental illness. Three Centers are offered in three counties in the Treasure Coast of Florida area.
Where we work
Awards
Agency Excellence Award 2006
United Way of Indian River County
Agency of Excellence Award 2017
United Way of Indian River County
Affiliations & memberships
Mental Health America 2021
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Mental Health Walk-In Center Program
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of new grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Unduplicated Clients served between our Walk-In & Counseling Center and all three of our Drop-In Centers Starting 2019 SCP School Violence prevention program
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We offer a range of services that builds on and strengthens the continuum of behavioral and mental heath care offered in our community while broadening accessibility to individuals within Indian River County thus increasing community awareness of all services offered by the MHA and the community’s ability to gain immediate access to those services. We are constantly striving to increase the number of people we can serve in Indian River County. With this in mind, we are planning further growth and expansion into north county as well as south county. Additionally, we are involved in all county public schools in partnership with the school district of Indian River County as well as the Hospital District Trustees.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Being an active presence in the community allows us to provide opportunities to educate individuals about mental health issues while also serving to reduce the stigma often associated with these issues. It is with increased community awareness that more individuals in the community who face mental health issues will be referred to and/or seek assistance at the Mental Health Association as well as at other agencies. We collaborate with many local agencies including Cleveland Clinic Behavioral Health Center, Mental Health Collaborative, United Against Poverty, and many others. Although there is mild overlap, there is no duplication of services. We fill the gaps and prevent people from falling through cracks in our community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The focus of the MHA is continually and purposely evolving in order to address the emerging concerns and unmet needs of our community. These identified gaps in treatment services are filled by the MHA through the provision of evidence based practices that have clear adherence to our mission and vision, thereby enhancing the continuum of care that the community can access. Further, the additional focus on promoting prevention and addressing whole health issues has been the impetus for the MHA to offer a range of services that reflect a broad understanding and critical early treatment of mental health concerns. Throughout all services, the MHA works to provide the tools needed to reduce escalation of mental health challenges and offers change to our community by giving residents of all ages in Indian River County the opportunity for an improved quality of life while also working to reduce stigma. We see within our community a brighter future for those who struggle with mental illness, for the family members and friends who support them, and for the community at large.
A commitment to operate as a model agency for mental health care, sustaining a superb staff and facilities, and administering the agency with high standards of innovation and professionalism.
The MHA has been active in Indian River County since 1978. In 2007, we opened the Walk-In & Counseling Center, at 820 37th Place, in Vero Beach. The Walk-In & Counseling Center is unique in that it offers immediate access to emotional and behavioral health care for children and adults, on a walk-in basis for the initial visit, and by appointment for continuing treatment and services. We wanted to make it easier for anyone seeking help, to obtain it, no barriers. Some people may qualify for free services or a reduced fee at the MHA. And, we accept many insurances. We are open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Through this Walk-In & Counseling Center we provide a comprehensive approach to care with individualized treatment. We have 7 therapists on our clinical team, a Clinical Director, a Director of Operations, a Director of Consumer Services, a Fund Development Manager, five support staff personnel, and two volunteers.
In 2017, we provided about 10,000 professional services to almost 1,300 unduplicated clients, including nearly 900 mental health screenings, 4000 psychotherapy visits, 900 psychiatry visits, and 4000 group services, including our free support groups.
We also run three Drop-In Centers for people with severe and persistent mental illness in three counties – Indian River, Martin, and Okeechobee counties. These centers are open 365 days per year and we have had 24,000 visits to the Drop-In Centers during the past year. Each center has a director. We also have 7 staff assistants working at these centers.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
For the past 60 years, we have provided superior mental health care in a therapy-first format for our community. we provide free immediate mental health screenings for those in need. We have three Drop-In Centers; one in Indian River, Martin & Okeechobee, all designed to treat the chronic, persistent mentally ill adults. These centers are peer-run. We also provide a broad range of psychiatric services. We treat children under six. We provide skill streaming to all boy's and Girl's Clubs in our county as well as the Gifford Youth Achievement Center. We provide school violence and suicide prevention training as well as crisis intervention at our public schools' in Indian River County. The future is filled with new programs and opportunities, as well as reaching out to medically underserved areas in our County. We are also providing mindfulness classes as well as helping people with coping skills.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Mental Health Association in Indian River County, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 03/28/2023
Steve Erickson
Ross Cotherman
Rehmann
Anne Lanier
Dr. Susana Marikle
Steve Erickson
Stacey Morabito
Dale Sorensen Real Estate
Susan Adams
Nancy Ofstie
Anne Posey
Wilfred Hart
Jo-Ann Copeland
Marine Bank & Trust
Dan Kross
Ryan Bass
Mary Kate Clem
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/07/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.