Community Partners

Many of our staff members have training and experience in mental health disaster response and volunteered at Red Cross sites during Tropical Storm Allison and in the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Some also worked in Bosnia during the Balkan War and in India with refugees of ethnic and regional conflicts. The HGI team is uniquely skilled in the area of disaster response because of our expertise in a variety of related counseling methods, including collaborative therapy and working with families in crisis.

Before Hurricane Ike, HGI pioneered the Rolling Conversations Project (RCP), a mobile mental health unit that provides counseling services to people displaced by natural disasters. The unit, donated to HGI by the AmeriCares Foundation, a Connecticut-based disaster response organization, contains two counseling offices and a waiting/registration room. During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the RCP traveled to several locations in the affected communities to serve people without transportation, or those unable to navigate the city streets. Currently the RCP is not in use, but we are exploring funding options to get it back on the road in the near future.

HGI in the Schools

HGI has spent many years working with schools in the Houston area to connect children and families with our services. We work with Communities in Schools to determine which areas are in need and to obtain the funding to provide our unique, flexible approach to counseling that includes sessions held in the school, at our offices or even at the family’s home.

Our compassionate, expert staff and counselors are equipped to address the most difficult challenges a child, even as young as elementary-aged, may face.

We offer counseling for:

Behavioral problems
Divorce issues
Blended families
Gender issues
Relocation
Parenting
Depression
Abuse
Eating disorders
Intergenerational conflict
Anxiety
Grief
Suicidal thoughts

Currently we are using Harris County Hospital District (HCHD) Foundation as well as Communities in School funding to see clients in four schools in the Houston area. We are always working to expand out services.

HGI in the Schools

HGI in the Community

Disaster Mental Health



			Many of our staff members have training and experience in mental health disaster response and volunteered at Red Cross sites during Tropical Storm Allison and in the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Some also worked in Bosnia during the Balkan War and in India with refugees of ethnic and regional conflicts. The HGI team is uniquely skilled in the area of disaster response because of our expertise in a variety of related counseling methods, including collaborative therapy and working with families in crisis. Before Hurricane Ike, HGI pioneered the Rolling Conversations Project (RCP), a mobile mental health unit that provides counseling services to people displaced by natural disasters. The unit, donated to HGI by the AmeriCares Foundation, a Connecticut-based disaster response organization, contains two counseling offices and a waiting/registration room. During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the RCP traveled to several locations in the affected communities to serve people without transportation, or those unable to navigate the city streets. Currently the RCP is not in use, but we are exploring funding options to get it back on the road in the near future. HGI in the Schools HGI has spent many years working with schools in the Houston area to connect children and families with our services. We work with Communities in Schools to determine which areas are in need and to obtain the funding to provide our unique, flexible approach to counseling that includes sessions held in the school, at our offices or even at the family’s home. Our compassionate, expert staff and counselors are equipped to address the most difficult challenges a child, even as young as elementary-aged, may face. We offer counseling for: Behavioral problems Divorce issues Blended families Gender issues Relocation Parenting Depression Abuse Eating disorders Intergenerational conflict Anxiety Grief Suicidal thoughts Currently we are using Harris County Hospital District (HCHD) Foundation as well as Communities in School funding to see clients in four schools in the Houston area. We are always working to expand out services.


	HGI in the Community The Houston Galveston Institute (HGI) is committed to working with our community to reach those who need our services the most. We have a long history of partnering with governmental and non-profit groups including the Department of Domestic Relations, Child Protective Services, the Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries, Communities in Schools, and the Greater Houston Long Term Recovery Committee on Hurricane Ike. We are very proud of the relationships we have established, and hope to make more connections in our city and beyond as we continue to provide collaborative counseling and training to individuals and families within our community. The collaborative counseling methods HGI offers are built on the belief that people possess the strengths and expertise to manage their personal and professional lives in a healthy, productive manner. But everyone faces problems—from minor concerns to major obstacles—that can make life difficult. And sometimes all it takes is a neutral sounding board or compassionate helping hand to get past those problems. We work with our clients in a respectful, cooperative manner to help them develop unique ways of accessing their own natural ability to address concerns and solve problems. Disaster Mental Health Currently, HGI has a strong presence in the Greater Houston Long Term Recovery Committee on Hurricane Ike, a group started by the United Way. Through this committee, we have been able to provide a variety of clinical counseling programs to survivors of Hurricane Ike, train case workers on the psychological issues following disaster, and make important connections within the disaster response community.