News/Blog

Mid-November in Rockford.  Cold. Cloudy. Dark. The leaves have fallen, long gone, leaving trees bare.  We go to work and school in the dark; we return in the dark.  Do we dare mention the need to scrape windshields from the frost? Why are Christmas Carols already playing 24 hours a day? Oh...

So many things are happening at Stepping Stones of Rockford!  We've added a Chief Financial Officer, welcomed an Associate Director of Services  and started our #GivingTuesday fundraiser to remodel a group home kitchen. Wow! More on those topics later, as today we focus on finding Masters-Level Mental Health Counselors/Therapist...

 October 6th is National Depression Screening Day. October 2-8, 2022 is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Today is the perfect day to remember you more than a label. You are more than a diagnosis. You are not alone.

October 2-8, 2022: It's Mental Illness Awareness Week . Why on Earth do we need a mental illness awareness week? Stigma. Judgment. Fear. Lack of education regarding mental illness and mental health treatment. Misrepresentation of mental illness in the media and on social platforms. Lack of awareness about getting treatment. The list goes on. O...

Inflation.  You know--the "thing" that has us feeling the pinch from significantly higher prices in the grocery store, at the gas pump and on utility bills. The end of Summer may bring cooler days but it hasn't brought relief to the higher prices of things we need in life. Talk about sticker shock when shopping fo...

Stepping Stones Counseling Center's official ribbon-cutting took place on ​May 12, 2022. The festivities were well-attended, thanks to great weather, incredible support from the community and local interest in expanded mental health services for the county. Speakers at the event included Mayor McNamara, Alderman Beach, Senator Stadelman, Jason Holc...

On May 4, 2022, the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board (WCCMHB) announced programs awarded "New Mental Health Programs" funding via the Half-Cent Sales Tax.  Stepping Stones of Rockford is excited to be a recipient of funding for  Program Year 2022-2023 ! Stepping Stones of Rockford will util...

Talk about exciting! It's time to celebrate, cut the ribbon and take a tour!  By now, we hope you've heard about the new Stepping Stones Counseling Center. Ever since it officially opened, we've been preparing for YOUR arrival.We are tickled pink to provide opportunity for everyone to come take a look at the new locati...

Until there is an official Ribbon-cutting, we thought you'd enjoy a quick "tour" of our new outpatient counseling center. We are excited to announce that the center is open!  Murals are in the works,  the play/art therapy room needs to be finished, offices are being decorated and the  hiring of  staff co...

Dear Friend of Stepping Stones, . .. As you can imagine, it has been another busy and challenging year for all of us here and one that has included the need to continue following COVID- 19 protocols due to the virus hanging around much longer than we all had hoped it would, difficulties faced in hiring staff in an ever changing workforce and feelin...

Construction is under way at our new outpatie nt counseling center! We are ready to provide counseling, case management and Telepsychiatry to the underserved, including Medicaid recipients who have serious mental illness or emotional disturbance.  Pictured is Zach, the Medical Records guru at the new counseling center. Zach will soon be j...

October finds Stepping Stones of Rockford bursting with activity! Preparing for our upcoming CARF survey, taking part in Mental Illness Awareness Week, opening a new outpatient counseling center, and celebrating recent grants have us hopping. We are proud to share part of our October journey with you. CARF Survey Scheduled for Octobe...

Inside Out is a collaboration of Stepping Stones of Rockford, Stars of Light, Shelter Care Ministries Jubilee Center, Rosecrance Ware Center and NAMI Northern Illinois. The gallery of masks will be on display at Rockford Illinois City Hall October 4-29, 2021. The gallery is free and open to the public. The included video provides exp...

Stepping Stones of Rockford has received funds to expand services , as made possible via the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board (MCCMHB) 1/2 Cent Sales Task. Expanded services will be focused on providing outpatient services across the lifespan for those with serious emotional disturbance or serious mental illness, with priority to...

First things first: Let's celebrate our June work anniversaries! We can't do what we do without our fabulous employees. Thank you and h appy work anniversary to:  SARA GONZALEZ (2014);  JEFFREY HAMILTON (2009);  ROCHELLE OWENS (2010);  ALEXANDREA STERENBERG (2019);  GEORGE MITCHELL (2008);  TALESHIANA FRICKS (2017...

As part of Mental Health Month, we'd love for you to meet our staff. Stepping Stones of Rockford requires about 114 staff to keep things going. Providing 24-hour,  7 days-a-week, 365 days-a-year of clinical services requires a lot of staff and effort!  At Stepping Stones, we are  fortunate to have many "long time" staff. In fact...

​Just in time for Mental Health Month! "Recovery Steps and Stories" is a the agency newsletter created by the clients at Stepping Stones of Rockford. It is coordinated by our very own Bonnie Holeton, Recovery Support Specialist. Artwork, creative writing, photos, jokes, recovery tips and mental health information make this quarterly publication tru...

As part of Mental Health Month, we invite you to learn a little more about Stepping Stones of Rockford. You may know that we provide residential and supported services to adults with serious mental illness, but did you know that we provided almost 86,000 clinical services in 2020? Wow! Here are some facts about Stepping Stones of Rockford. What Day...

 May is Mental Health Month. In honor of this most important time, we'd love for you to get to know us at Stepping Stones of Rockford!  Let's start with our clients.  We currently have 164 clients in the program.  An overview of client gender, diagnoses, age and race are illustrated here. To sum it up: *There are twice as many m...

"Each year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. If you're impacted, know that recovery is possible and there are people ready and willing to help you on your journey." "INSTILLING HOPE: Stories of Recovery" (Edition 01), brings hope.   The magazine, published in March 2021, is a nothing less than  ...