ARTESIA — To celebrate the opening of two Artesia counseling offices, Permian Basin Counseling & Guidance (PBCG) will host an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1106 W. Quay from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30.
The Artesia grand opening is a milestone for a years-long regional initiative to create better access to behavioral-health services, made possible by a generous grant from the Permian Strategic Partnership, Janell Taylor, PBCG’s regional director, said. The event will feature refreshments, tours of the facility, staff introductions, and an overview of the center’s services. Tours will pause to conduct a ribbon-cutting at 5 p.m.
“Artesia warmly embraced this effort, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to officially introduce the counseling center and take an active role in this community,” Taylor said. “We’re launching not one but two offices for face-to-face services in Artesia, and we were able to do this in a shorter timeline than we expected.”
In addition to its downtown location, PBCG will operate near the Artesia High School campus. Artesia Public Schools’ former district office on Quay Avenue has been given a new purpose as the renovated home of the nonprofit’s student/staff-focused practice.
“My hope is we can break the stigma of mental health in southeastern New Mexico, and PBCG is going to play a part in that by bringing hope and healing to people’s lives,” Taylor said. “We’ve already made tremendous progress toward that goal, thanks to Artesia’s outpouring of support and to the partnership with Artesia Public Schools.”
Accessibility is key, Taylor said, so PBCG offers its services on a sliding scale, and crisis appointments are scheduled at no cost to clients.
“We do not want cost to be a barrier to services.”
According to its website, PBCG delivers “high-quality counseling services by utilizing evidence-based practices and educational services.” Services offered by PBCG include individual therapy, play therapy for children, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, grief counseling, couples and family counseling, anger management, and Cognitive Processing Therapy for trauma. For more information, please email JanellT@pbcg.org.
