NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ROCKFORD, IL- Family Counseling Services of Northern Illinois is proud to announce that they have been awarded a $15,000.00 grant for “Expanding the Reach of Experiential Therapy.” This grant was awarded by the Dr. Louis and Violet Rubin Fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’ Community Grants Program.

The proposal put forth from FCS, entitled “Expanding the Reach of Experiential Therapy” sought funding to enhance the equipment, furnishings, and therapy tools used in the existing Experiential Therapy room opened at Family Counseling Services’ Rockford location in May of 2023. Experiential Therapy is a category of therapeutic techniques in which expressive tools and activities are used to allow clients to re-enact and re-experience emotional situations as a way to reprocess them. Some forms of Experiential Therapy include art, music, movement/dance, poetry, guided imagery, play therapy, drama/role-playing, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In addition to therapy equipment and tools, the funding will also help pay for sessions for clients who are experiencing difficulty with treatment costs.

FCS Clinical Director Kelly Finch is thrilled to see this expansion coming to life. “Having this space dedicated for both adults and children to engage in alternative types of therapy is exciting for both our therapists and our clients. We will be able to offer opportunities to work on problems and issues through art, dance, poetry, drama and music. We are excited to have a space that we can engage clients in using expressive therapies toward their healing. Each and every one of us is different; and when you offer a client a chance to express themselves through creativity, you give them an opportunity to feel seen and heard. This is a very powerful way to heal in therapy and can provide a deeper level of witnessing a client’s experience and emotions.”

“We are grateful for the funding from CFNIL in support of our Experiential Therapy room and service” says FCS Executive Director Lynn Momberger. “Many clients are better able to communicate about the mental health issues they are facing when engaged in the activities of experiential therapy. We’ve seen excellent results with art therapy, play therapy, music therapy, and sand tray therapy; especially with children. We want to provide more clients with opportunities for additional types of experiential therapy, and this grant will allow us to do that.”

The mission of the Community Foundation of Norther Illinois is to inspire endowment and promote philanthropy for the current and future needs of the people of Northern Illinois. Since its founding in 1953, CFNIL has granted more than $80 million for charitable purposes. Learn more about CFNIL’s history, grantmaking, and commitment to endowment at www.cfnil.org.

Family Counseling Services’ mission is to foster stronger communities by providing individuals with accessible, professional counseling and mental health care that empowers them to thrive.. Learn more at www.familycounselingrockford.org.