By Erika Anderson

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--The new Village of St. Joseph Child and Adolescent Counseling Program opened its doors Dec. 1, hoping to reach out to troubled youth in the same spirit that it has reflected for over 100 years.

The former Village of St. Joseph, a residential treatment program for troubled adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17, closed on Aug. 31. Located on a 45-acre campus on Butner Road in southwest Atlanta, the Village of St. Joseph served 40 youth, both male and female, who lived in cottages on the campus and went to school there. Many factors resulted in the closing of the Village of St. Joseph, including security risks at the open campus. The number of Catholics using the Village services had also diminished to fewer than three percent of youth served between 1996 and 1998. The Village campus which is also the home to Blessed Sacrament Parish and St. Joseph's Place, a residence for the elderly, is still owned by the archdiocese.

The Village of St. Joseph's Child and Adolescent Counseling Service has found a new home on North Druid Hills Road. Charles Bright, who had been the director of the former Village of St. Joseph since 1990, has now become the administrator of the new services.

"We're really excited about the possibilities, especially about bringing the clinical services back to the Catholic community," Bright said.

Betti Knott, Secretary for Catholic Charities, said that the Village began receiving calls for services weeks before its Dec. 1 opening. Two fully licensed therapists have been employed by the Village, with plans to hire four more. Knott said that outreach will be done on a local level.

"This is going to be as much as possible a parish-based program, where we will physically be working on site at the parishes," she said.

Knott added that several pastors have expressed interest in having the Village counselors come to their parishes on a regular basis. Counseling sessions have already been planned for the Church of St. Benedict, Duluth, and St. Thomas More Church in Decatur, while other parishes are in discussion with Knott and Bright.

"We are really trying to get out and go to areas that may not have as many counseling services available to them," Knott said. "What we're trying to do is bring the Village out into the community."

Bright is looking forward to the outreach program as well.

"For so many families it's hard to get all the way to Atlanta to get counseling," he said. "I'm excited about being able to take the clinical services to the families at their actual parishes."

Bright said that the counseling services will be offered on a sliding fee scale based on family income.

"I'm really looking forward to not having to tell families that we can't help them because they can't afford it," he said. "Counseling services are significantly less expensive than residential care."

Bright said that the cost of residential care at the former Village was over $2,500 a month and with the new sliding fee, no one will be turned away.

Knott said that, above all, the new services of the Village of St. Joseph will have a renewed sense of support for the parishes.

"People are going to notice a responsiveness on our part and an ability to be more supportive to the pastors and priests and the families and adolescents," she said.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to reach more kids," she said. "With the former Village of St. Joseph, we could only reach 40 kids at a time and now we will be able to reach hundreds and hundreds of kids. There is an opportunity to be much more responsive."

Knott hopes to begin a cross training program with youth ministers in parishes, so that they may better serve the youth of their own churches.

"I think this is going to be a fantastic program," she said. "The potential for growth and development is fantastic."

Both Knott and Bright agree that the biggest benefit is bringing the services and care of the Village of St. Joseph back to the Catholic community.

"The key is that we're looking for relationships," Knott said. "This is about relationships with the Catholic schools, relationships with the parishes and with the people in them. It's more like family."

The Village of St. Joseph is located at 1961 North Druid Hills Road, Suite 205B, Atlanta 30329. For more information call the Village at (404) 321-2900.