Cincinnati Sports Club is offering a first-of-its-kind free, confidential mental wellness counseling program.
Mental health and physical health go hand in hand. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, physical activity improves brain health and cognitive function, reduces anxiety and depression, and improves sleep and overall quality of life.
Today, more and more people are joining gyms and fitness facilities for these reasons alone.
While fitness facilities have been catering to this well-being shift by offering mind/body classes, Cincinnati Sports Club is taking it one step further.
The club recently began providing a free, confidential counseling program by licensed mental health professionals to their members.
“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,” said Marco Fiorini, the general manager of Cincinnati Sports Club.
With depression and anxiety at an all-time high, and with an estimated 16 million Americans struggling with mental health issues each year, Fiorini knew they needed to do more as a facility.
“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,” said Fiorini. “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.”
Fiorini added this would not be possible without their partners at TriHealth Healthcare Systems in Cincinnati. They have successfully provided Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s) to corporations throughout the tristate region for years. Through the collaborative efforts, Fiorini said they worked together to find a way to offer these much-needed services to members.
“Being able to keep these sessions completely confidential was key, as it establishes a level of trust with our members,” added Fiorini. “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.”
Members who wish to utilize the service register confidentially with a TriHealth counselor licensed by the Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board, for three free Telehealth sessions. No referral is needed.
If 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 or other outside resources.
“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,” concluded Fiorini.
