Rep. Greg Stanton, local officials and Terros Health recently kicked off the work on an outpatient treatment center in Mesa designed to help youth between the ages of 12-17 get treatment for mental health conditions, build relationships and develop life skills.

The nearly 5,000-square-foot Terros Health Café — which stands for Children, Adolescents and Family Empowered — will be at the organization’s Stapley Health Center, 1111 S. Stapley Drive.

Funding for the renovation will come from $600,000 secured by Rep. Stanton as part of the passage of a federal appropriations bill, according to a release.

“We are grateful to Rep. Stanton for helping us serve the growing needs of youth in our community,” Dr. Karen Hoffman Tepper, president and CEO of Terros Health, said in the release.

Youth with mental-health challenges used to have two options: go to a hospital emergency department or check into residential treatment, Tepper said.

“Thankfully, that has changed, thanks to Terros Health Café,” she said.

Café is to be a welcoming outpatient environment, with evidence-based group therapies, medication-assisted treatment, motivational techniques, along with individual support and wraparound services, the release states.

This approach to recovery enables youth to identify their inherent personal values rather than having them imposed by a counselor, parent or another adult figure. Through modeling, discussion and repetition, the core values of honesty, integrity, empowerment, compassion, strength, courage and openness can be explored and become the participant’s own, it states.

“Café’s environment inspires recovery, where youth can take life skills courses, get tutoring support, attend a communication-skills training group or stretch out on a couch while chatting with peers, sharing a meal or playing board or monitored computer games,” Kimberly McWilliams, Terros Health’s senior director of clinical excellence and children’s operations, said in the release. “They can also express themselves through art, cook in a fully stocked kitchen and learn other essential life skills.”

Terros Health launched Café at its 27th Avenue health center in 2021. After the first year, 71% of the parents of kids attending Café reported a reduction in their children’s substance use. As important, Café has helped youth build relationships, make friends and heal relationships with tier families, the release states.

But, according to McWilliams, the best feedback comes from youth in the program.

“They tell us that Café is a safe place to be and that there are kids just like them,” she said.

“Terros Health’s innovative, holistic approach is a model for the rest of the country, especially as Arizona teens continue to struggle with mental health and substance use,” Stanton said in the release. “I was proud to secure federal funds to bring the proven Café program to Mesa and help young people get the support they need.”

The Café Stapley center is to be completed in June. For information, visit www.terroshealth.org or call 602-389-3660.

About Terros Health

Terros Health is a health care company focused on the whole person, providing primary care and specializing in mental health and substance use treatment for more than 50 years. Terros Health saves lives every day. This includes helping kids live a life free of drugs, experience the hope of recovery and realize the opportunities brought by well-being, the release states.

For information, visit terroshealth.org.