Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Madison’s south side announced Monday a partnership with Anesis Family Therapy that will establish an office within Mt Zion Baptist Church to provide mental health services one day each week.
A ribbon cutting ceremony will officially open the program on October 5, at 1 pm, and beginning on October 6, every Tuesday from 10 am to 2 pm, Anesis will assign a Crisis Stabilization Worker and a clinician at Mt. Zion. Members from the community will be able to drop in for services.
Mt. Zion Baptist Church – the largest Black congregation in Madison with over 500 members, is 109 years old and is led by the Rev. Dr. Marcus Allen Sr. Since his arrival the south side church has added more community-service programs, like a faith-based mentorship program with Dane County Human Services for children aging out of foster care, partnering with One City School, The African American Opioid Coalition and now providing mental health services in the heart of the community.
In a May 2020 interview with Madison Magazine, Allen said, “we want to have different social services and programming so when someone comes to my office and they are talking to me about mental health issues, I don’t have to say, ‘Hey, call this number,’ but rather, ‘Let me take you by the hand and walk you to somewhere you can get resources.'”
Myra McNair is owner and founder, of Anesis Therapy, a state certified clinic that provides mental health, substance abuse and case management services.
“We are a family-oriented agency and we are setting out to make an impact within our community. We have a diverse staff that specializes in many different areas. We provide therapy for individuals, couples, families, children and adolescents.” Recently Myra was the 2017 M List recipient as a Health Innovator. And now the partnership with the church. Both McNair and Allen hope to build this program and have scheduled appointments available. This program will be very helpful for the community to find help and hope in these most distressed moments of despair.
Meg Radix from Heartland Building and Design is doing renovations to the church to ensure the counseling center has appropriate space for individuals seeking mental help. Radix has also been working with members in the community that have donated material and labor for this project, according to a press release.
Allen said earlier this month that the church has retired its mortgage and now plans to build a Community Life Center to house the counselling services and other community programs.
