Cincinnati Sports Club First Health Club in Nation to Offer Free Confidential Counseling Program for Mental Wellness
Posted: January 13, 2023 in Independents
Cincinnati Sports Club
CINCINNATI, OH – Cincinnati Sports Club takes great pride in being a steward to their members by fulfilling the whole person, serving them physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The club recently began providing free, confidential counseling services by licensed mental health professionals to their members.
According to Marco Fiorini, Cincinnati Sports Club General Manager, “While many health clubs offer free classes such as meditation, that are designed to reduce stress and ease depression, no other club in the country is providing this ongoing, comprehensive level of mental health services to their members.”
He continues, “Depression and anxiety are at an all-time high, with an estimated 16 million Americans struggling with mental health issues each year. While regular exercise five days a week has been proven to ease both depression and anxiety, many people still struggle, needing additional help and guidance from a mental health professional. We are now ‘filling the gap’ for our members by providing them with this extra support that serves the whole person, helping them to better navigate the stress, anxiety and other issues that may arise in their day-to-day lives.”
“Our partners at TriHealth Healthcare Systems in Cincinnati were integral in making this happen,” says Fiorini, “as they have successfully provided EAP’s, (Employee Assistance Programs), to corporations throughout the tristate region for years. Through our collaborative efforts, we worked together to find a way to offer these much-needed services to our members. Being able to keep these sessions completely confidential was key, as it establishes a level of trust with our members. We will never receive the names of the individuals that are using this program. We will, however, be able to track the number of people that have utilized these free services.”
No referral is needed for this MAP (Member Assistance Program), and club members may register confidentially with a TriHealth counselor licensed by the CSWMFT (Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board), for three, free Telehealth sessions. If the they wish to continue working with a mental health professional on a long-term basis, the TriHealth team will refer them to a resource that will work with their insurance, their employer’s EAP (Employee Assistance Program), or other outside resources.
Heather Luttrull, Club Manager at the Cincinnati Sports Club adds, “There have unfortunately been instances throughout our 30+ years when we have had to refer members for outside professional help before restoring their Club membership due to various behaviors which were outside the norm, or instances where they became a threat to others or themselves. These behaviors included process addictions, anger issues, inappropriate language and theft.
We have been using these same tools and guidelines with our employees over the years by making mandatory referrals, as needed, to mental health professionals, and now our members will be able to receive this same level of professional counseling through our partners at TriHealth.”
Fiorini concludes, “Serving the whole person has always been our goal, and we are proud to be taking this next step in making a long-term difference in our members’ lives not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.”
For more than 30 years, Cincinnati Sports Club has been continually evolving and growing to meet the changing needs of their members, providing the best elements of a health club, social club, and medical wellness facility to fulfill the whole person that they serve by keeping them active, connected and engaged. For more information, visit www.cincinnatisportsclub.com.
