Burrell, Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri enter partnership

The Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri has entered into a partnership with Burrell Behavioral Health to provide on-site services for youth and families served by the Club.

Through this agreement, a Burrell Community Support Specialist will provide individual and group skill-building services on-site at two BGC locations – Smithton School and Skyline Elementary (Sedalia). These services include connecting youth and their families to appropriate community services. Also as part of the agreement, Burrell will offer free professional development training to Boys & Girls Clubs staff, with the goals of identifying kids that may benefit from behavioral health intervention, and equipping staff with strategies to more effectively work with these youth.

“I am excited for this partnership to help build stronger kids by providing them the resources to deal with difficult situations that they struggle with throughout their day,” said Gary Beckman, Executive Director of Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri. “The goal is to introduce our members with healthy, productive alternatives to stressful moments they encounter, which they can utilize into adulthood.”

Burrell specializes in integrated behavioral healthcare, and works within dozens of school districts and other youth contact points, including Boys & Girls Clubs, across its 25-county coverage area to provide on-site services for youth of all ages.

“We are committed to early intervention and identification of behavioral health issues among our youth, most of whom can go eight to ten years between the onset of behavioral health struggles and their first treatment,” says Burrell V.P., Youth Services Elizabeth Avery. “It’s vital that we close that gap, and by partnering with organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri, we are able to reach these youth when they need our help most, in the place where they and their parents are most comfortable.”

About Boys & Girls Club of West Central Missouri:

Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri has 12 Club sites that serve members from age 6-18 years of age. The Club’s current membership is over 1,000, serving close to 600 children each day across the organization.

About Burrell Behavioral Health:

Burrell Behavioral Health is the second largest behavioral health center in Missouri, working with more than 45,000 clients across 25 counties in Missouri and Arkansas. Burrell has more than 150 licensed providers offering a full continuum of care through our integrated network. Services include individual therapy and counseling, addiction recovery, psychiatric and medication management, educational and therapeutic groups, crisis intervention, medication-assisted treatment, adult stabilization, case management, residential treatment, autism, diagnostic testing and evaluations and developmental disability support. Learn more about Burrell’s programs and services at