Mind and Body Counseling Offers Therapy ‘Outside the Box’

BOARDMAN, Ohio – Walking through the door of Mind and Body Counseling Solutions, a small sign hangs on the wall that reads, “Think Outside the Box.”

Jacob Telego, CEO of Mind and Body Counseling Solutions, admits that he never put much thought into a motto, but the saying has taken a more impactful meaning over the years.

“My whole life, I’ve been outside the box … in more ways than one,” Telego said. “And it just came to me one day. We heal outside the box. That’s exactly what we do.”

Telego and Mind and Body Counseling Solutions took the next step by renting a space on Market Street in Boardman. Telego and his staff celebrated the ribbon cutting on Tuesday.

The slogan, which hangs around the corner from Telego’s office, refers to the center’s usage of more modern therapy techniques. Art therapy, yoga and dancing mindfulness are just a few innovative meditative practices patients use to work through their problems.

“We embrace those things because that’s where the trend is moving in society,” Telego said. “Things are moving beyond textbook and beyond tradition.”

Mind and Body Counseling Solutions handles a wide range of conditions. It takes patients of all ages and deals with everything from developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder, to behavioral disorders. The sessions are outpatient and last around an hour.

The staff also completed Safe Zone training to handle LGBTQ patients. Telego says many of his LGBTQ patients have recently experienced increased anxiety because family issues and Ohio’s stay-at-home order.

The counseling center also handles individual, family, group and couples therapy. Mind and Body Counseling Solutions has connections to several medical and rehabilitation centers in the area including Akron Children’s Hospital and Brightview Health.

“As the world continues to advance, the issues are going to get more complex and they’re going to be overlapping — even more so than what they are now,” Telego said. “Like mental health and addiction. I don’t like to separate those two because they’re really part of the same issue.”

Telego started Mind and Body Counseling Solutions in June of 2019, but was low on funds and didn’t have a workspace. For the first year, Telego ran his counseling center out of his home in Boardman. At one point, his utilities were shut off and the bills were piling up. That is until he started visiting his patients for appointments, which opened the door for a wider range of clients.

Then the coronavirus pandemic began. Telego invested $3,000 into the business from a Coronavirus Relief Grant.

“I used that money for exactly what it was [intended] for: to pick up my business, continue providing services and get a more established location to make those services even better,” Telego said.

Telego says the pandemic tested all his skills while moving the business into an office. He moved his patients to phone and video counseling and has seen a positive response.

“Moving here kind of forced me into that administrative role,” Telego said. “I have to set expectations, policies and procedures. I have to be more black and white with those things, so that was the biggest thing for me.”

Telego has two employees. Mental Health Therapist Jacqueline Glaros specializes in counseling adults and women while Stephanie Fred is the office manager. Telego specializes in children and young adults.

Future plans could include the addition of two more employees. Telego wants to add a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner and another specialist to the mix. He said hypnotism and massage therapy might also get added to the list of services.

The staff doesn’t always feel the need to use alternate forms of counseling. Telego says it’s all about what the patient is comfortable with and the best way to make a connection.

“I could get a kid down here painting a rock and just open up to me,” Telego said. “And that’s the whole purpose behind what we do, to get them to emotionally express themselves and not feel so vulnerable like they’re in front of a doctor.”

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.