Affordable Mental Health Therapy Made Possible

A couple of people posing for the camera - Woman
Guidance Care counselors Jill Baillo, PhD, left, and Daniela Menardi, LMHC, right, are now available to provide therapy to women, couples, men and teens at WomanKind, a women's health care center. GCC Children and Family Services Director Maureen Kempa, MA, NCC, LMHC, center, also counsels WomanKind patients.

WomanKind and Guidance Care Center Join Forces

Guidance Care counselors Jill Baillo, PhD, left, and Daniela Menardi, LMHC, right, are now available to provide therapy to women, couples, men and teens at WomanKind, a women's health care center. GCC Children and Family Services Director Maureen Kempa, MA, NCC, LMHC, center, also counsels WomanKind patients.

Thanks to a pilot program created by the Guidance Care Center (GCC), WomanKind is now accepting new patients in need of affordable mental health therapy.

“Everyone from women, to couples, even men and teens can come talk about their problems for a fraction of the normal cost of therapy,” said Kim Romano, executive director of WomanKind.

Daniela Menardi and Jill Baillo have been tapped to conduct the therapy sessions. Both have extensive knowledge and glowing resumes of successful psychotherapy.

Daniela Menardi, LMHC, CAP, has been helping individuals and couples in the Keys since 1992, providing individual and group therapy for the Drug Court program, the Guidance Care Center, and in her private practice. She is trained in EMDR, a treatment modality for trauma, and most recently has become certified as a yoga therapist. She firmly believes in people’s capacity to heal and to change when supported and positively regarded in a therapeutic relationship.

Jill Baillo, PhD, has worked in hospital settings, university counseling centers, correctional facilities, and private practice.  Her areas of interest include relationship problems, trauma, body image concerns and anxiety disorders.  Dr. Baillio utilizes a mindfulness-based approach in psychotherapy to increase clients’ self-awareness, self-acceptance, and options for coping with distress.

 

“I just can’t believe how lucky we are to have these particular two therapists at our women’s health care center,” remarked Romano.

For over 35 years, the Guidance/Care Centers have provided comprehensive mental health and substance abuse services to the Florida Keys community. The fees for the therapy sessions are based on a sliding scale and run between $30-$60 per session and lower if a patient has Medicaid.

“We are proud to partner with WomanKind to increase access to affordable, quality behavioral health services to a wider scope of people in our community, and in wrapping mental health services into the wellness-based healthcare services WomanKind provides,” said A.B. Maloy, Area Director, Guidance/Care-Center, Inc.

The mission is to serve all women, and one goal of this pilot program is to reach adolescents. toward the end of the program, WomanKind, the Guidance Care Cinic, Menardi and Baillo will focus specifically on scheduling young people during a Thursday teen clinic from 3 – 6 pm.

Anyone interested in making an appointment is encouraged to call WomanKind at

(305) 294-4004. The center is located at 3142 Northside Drive, Key West.