The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Changing the way in which mental health services are delivered is the goal behind a recently opened facility on Davidson Avenue.
Anew Wellness, 270 Davidson Ave., opened its doors in December 2014 to offer treatments for adolescents and adults suffering from mental and behavioral issues, and also those whose problems are exacerbated by drug addiction.
The center’s principals see themselves as a step between less-intensive treatment given by psychologists and psychiatrists and hospitalization.
The goal, they said, is to get people back to their lives as quickly as possible.
“We are the intermediate phase between outpatient services and hospitalization,” said Candice Deglon, Anew’s managing director.
The center offers several treatment programs, ranging from three-hour sessions three days a week to more intensive six-hour sessions five days a week.
Their clients come from referrals from psychologists and psychiatrists, hospitals, mental health organizations or direct contact, Deglon said.
“If they feel we offer the level of care they need, they refer them to us,” said Vanessa Russo, one of the center’s counselors.
The center has been inviting various groups into their offices for tours and to introduce their services. On May 7, Township Councilwoman Roz Sherman (D-Ward 2), township recreation director Alice Osipowitz and Cynthia Britt from the Somerset County Office of Youth Services toured the facility.
The center was founded by Jerome Mitchell, an attorney and Vernon Gholston, a former professional football player with the New York Jets.
“We’re looking to innovate the industry,” Mitchell said. “We want to change the industry.”
Deglon sad that while some facilities keep clients in therapy longer than what may be necessary, Anew’s strategy is to reintegrate them into their lives as quickly as possible.
“The proper treatment can get you re-engaged in your life,” Mitchell said. “We’re big believers in getting you back in your life quickly.”
The center, which now has between 15 and 20 clients, accepts clients as young as 11 years old.
Treatments are a combination of individual and group therapies, with adults coming in the mornings and adolescents coming in the afternoons.
About 80 percent f their clients are also dealing with substance abuse, Deglon said.
An average course of treatment in the facility’s “Adult Intensive Outpatient Program,” – in which clients come for three-hour sessions three days a week – lasts about six weeks.
Russo said many of their clients are people who cannot ignore the stresses of everyday life.
“We’re seeing people who are struggling at work, who are struggling at home,” she said. “They’re suffering from a lot of this everyday stresses that we’re not disconnecting ourselves from anymore.”
“This is a place to find your center,” she said.
