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Healing Happens Here

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Healing Happens Here

The Arlington Youth Counseling Center (AYCC) is a welcoming and inclusive mental health clinic and the leading provider of outpatient and school-based child and adolescent mental health services in Arlington. Located in the historic Whittemore Robbins House, we are committed to delivering outstanding, equitable and accessible mental health services.  Our mission is to ensure all youth and families have access to culturally sensitive and high-quality care, regardless of their ability to pay.

Spotlight

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Mary Downs, LCSW

Meet Mary!  Mary Downs, LCSW (she/her) began working for the Arlington Youth Counseling Center as an intern and then joined full-time in 2023. She prioritizes meeting kids where they are at, and caters each session to the client’s interests and needs. She believes that teaching children social-emotional coping skills will set groundwork for their future. As a Massachusetts native, Mary is a big fan of Boston sports. Outside of work she enjoys being outdoors hiking or swimming, spending time with family and friends, and traveling.

Mary's Recommendation: "The Rabbit Listened" by Cori Doerrfeld

This is a great children's book to add to your bookshelf at home. This book encourages kids to develop their emotional intelligence by seeing how the main character Taylor explores various strategies to manage difficult feelings. This book does a great job validating that it is okay to have feelings of anger and disappointment, while also teaching kids about empathy. Sometimes, all we need is someone to just sit quietly with us.

Hear from our Clients

“When your child is struggling and getting into trouble, you cannot help but feel responsible, sometimes guilty, sometimes ashamed and very helpless. Other parents of “normal” kids may socially drift away and even your family and closest friends may have trouble really understanding how scary and challenging things are. The parent support group at AYCC was a place where we could put down our heavy weights of worry and shame and be listened to and supported and held.”

- Former Parent Group Member

”AYCC helped me through some of the darkest times in my life. I hope that when AYCC reaches its 100 birthday, they will have helped and given hope to so many youths like they did for me so many years ago.“

- Former AYCC Client

“Thank you AYCC for helping bring love and laughter back to our family. Your wonderful clinicians were just right for my children and for me as we made our way through dark times. We are unbelievably lucky to have this resource in Arlington.”

- AYCC parent, Arlington Mom

“Sometimes your friends and your family can’t help you because you can’t explain what is wrong. My therapist at AYCC helps me talk about and manage my anxiety and things don’t seem so terrible any more. In fact, they’re pretty great - even during Covid!! Thank you AYCC!”

- Current AYCC client, Arlington teen

“AYCC gets it! When one family member struggles, we all struggle and with the help of your incredible team, we found our way to the other side. Thank you for helping us all navigate this road together.”

- Parent of former AYCC client