At The Fortune Society, the Better Living Center (BLC) offers licensed behavioral health treatment to participants, aiming to create a world where mental health needs are no longer a barrier to reentry from incarceration.      

Participants enrolled in BLC services receive person-centered care that addresses their unique and complex mental health needs by promoting behavioral strategies to cope with the stressors of daily life and manage anger, anxiety, and depression.      

Through counseling, medication management, and other supportive services, BLC equips participants with essential tools to manage their mental health challenges. Notably, group counseling sessions have a profound impact on those seeking behavioral health support.    

Matthew, a Therapist with BLC, explained that the weekly group counseling sessions focus on psychoeducation of different therapy concepts such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Each of these unique concepts helps to equip participants with critical skills to better handle the challenges of everyday life.   

“I follow a fairly loose curriculum based on these therapeutic concepts,” Matthew explained. “It depends on the needs of the group during the sessions. We talk about skills or general topics that people might want to talk about, like grief, anger management, depression or attachment theory.”  

Group counseling sessions provide participants with the opportunity to connect with others and learn from their experiences. While navigating the vulnerable reentry period after incarceration, it is important to build a supportive network of people who understand the unique challenges that come up after being released from prison or jail.     

A participant enrolled in BLC’s services shared that the group counseling sessions have been especially helpful for her while navigating her mental health concerns.     

The participant shared that, in getting to know everyone in the group, she is always met with compassion and understanding. This comfortable environment ensures that everyone feels safe sharing vulnerable thoughts and feelings without judgment from others in the group counseling session. Matthew shared that this comfortable environment is by design. He encourages participants to share what they feel in the moment, facilitating a space where people can share whatever they need to.   

“If people want to talk about a specific subject, I’ll let them process whatever they need to process so that they feel comfortable in the group,” Matthew said. “I don’t want to lecture people about therapy topics; I want it to feel like a collaborative effort.”  

Participants who attend group counseling sessions are typically enrolled in individual counseling with a therapist at Fortune as well. They meet with their counselor regularly to discuss the progress of their treatment and, overall, how they’re feeling throughout the process. The counselors and staff at BLC are readily available and take the time to build positive, comfortable relationships with their clients.   

“I was nervous to meet my counselor at first and to get started with everything,” the participant shared. “But I tried to be open-minded, and we clicked. It’s been very comfortable meeting with her in the sessions, and I can tell my counselor and all of the staff I have met really want to help me. It feels good to know that they care about me.”    

The participant shared that Fortune and BLC have introduced her to many positive resources that have been incredibly helpful in helping her navigate her mental challenges during the reentry process. She is grateful for the support she has received since connecting with the organization last year.