River Valley Counseling Center, Inc.

Today's Featured News

Boston: Compassion During a Terrorist Attack

One of the outstanding outcomes of the recent terrorist attack in Boston was the helpfulness of spectators of the Boston Marathon and the rapidity with which police and emergency personnel responded to the tragedy. However, logic says that spectators would have immediately left the scene without helping anyone and... More...

Sleep Apnea in Seniors Tied to Alzheimer's in Study

Connection appeared strongest among thinner people, researcher says. More...

Alcoholics Who Smoke May Face Early Brain Aging

Small study didn't find effect in former or never-smokers. More...

HIV No Barrier to Getting Liver Transplant, Study Finds

Procedure recommended to treat aggressive liver cancer. More...

Welcome to River Valley Counseling Center, Inc.

Thank you for your interest in River Valley Counseling Center, Inc. Since 1953, RVCC has been changing lives and empowering communities in the greater Holyoke/Chicopee/
Springfield area.

Very few of us go through life without encountering serious challenges at some point or another. Whether it’s a teen in crisis, an episode of depression, new stress on the job or having to cope with serious illness, these difficulties can happen to any of us.

When concerns such as these arise, people in our community know they can turn to River Valley Counseling Center for help. The comprehensive services and support provided by our dedicated and talented team make a difference to thousands of people every year.

Please accept my invitation to use this website as a resource to learn more about the important work of River Valley Counseling Center, Inc. It is intended to be a source of information for consumers and their families, behavioral healthcare providers and policy makers.

Please call our offices if you need information, if you'd like to schedule an appointment for services, if you're interested in employment, or if you wish to discuss opportunities to show your support by making a contribution.

Best regards,

Anne Marie Martineau
Executive Director

Featured Topics

	Abuse. Abuse occurs when people mistreat or misuse other people, showing no concern for their integrity or innate worth as individuals, and in a manner that degrades their well being. More...
	Addictions. Addiction is the repeated involvement with a substance or activity, despite the substantial harm it now causes, because that involvement was (and may continue to be) pleasurable and/or valuable. More...
	Addictions: Alcohol and Substance Abuse. People who become addicted to alcohol/drugs are gradually introduced and desensitized to them over a period of time. More...
	Alzheimers Disease and other Cognitive Disorders. This topic center provides information on Alzheimer's Dementia, other forms of dementia, traumatic brain injuries, and other cognitive disorders such as Delirium, all of which cause problems with thinking, memory, attention, judgment and emotion regulation. More...
	Anger Management. Anger is a basic and normal emotion, but one that can easily become destructive and lead to health and social problems. Explore information in this topic center on the nature of anger, and anger management therapy and techniques. More...
	Child & Adolescent Development: Puberty. This article provides an overview of puberty and the physical, mental, emotional and social changes that occur during this time. More...
	Childhood Special Education. This center focuses on the educational challenges that children face. Special needs children are children who, due to significant medical, physical, cognitive, emotional, or learning issues, require different, usually more intensive accommodations from schools and learning environments than do typical children. More...
	Depression: Major Depression & Unipolar Varieties. This topic center is a comprehensive overview of the unipolar mood disorders with an emphasis on the causes of and treatments for depression. More...
	Elder Care. One of the biggest decisions a family may have to make is to determine how to provide care for elderly parents/relatives when those elders are no longer able to live independently. More...
	Emotional Resilience. This topic center surveys Emotional Resilience: that collection of skills, characteristics, habits and outlooks that make it possible to remain maximally flexible and fresh in the face of stress. More...
	Family & Relationship Issues. Family and personal relationships and friendships can be very difficult to handle. We've gathered resources to help you learn about and better manage relationship problems you may be experiencing. More...
	Relationship Problems. Our aim here is to educate the reader about the nature of marriage or marriage-like relationship problems and what can be done to solve them when that is possible. More...
	Retirement. Retirement is essentially a life transition; just one of many life transitions that people must make throughout the course of their lives. Life transitions involve a passage from one state of affairs to another. More...
	Wellness and Personal Development. Wellness is a broad topic that includes disease prevention, stress reduction, and even personal, social and spiritual growth. Until quite recently, very little attention was ever paid to helping people who are not ill, disordered or diseased in some way learn how to further enhance the quality of their lives, or prevent the onset of future illness. More...

View All Topic Centers

Featured Articles

JOIN US FOR THE 2ND ANNUAL 5K RUN/1 MILE WALK FOR RIVER VALLEY!!!
Register for the 5K race or the 1 mile walk to support the important work of River Valley Counseling Center, Inc. Award ceremony & festivities following the race at the Holyoke Elks. Join us for fun, food, & entertainment!!! More...

Why It is Important for Our Children to Have Friends
In my practice and personal life, I interact with many children. I am always curious about what social trends are actually happening as opposed to those being blown up in the media. One story that doesn't seem to get much play is the fact that America's children seem to be very isolated from their peers. They don't seem to have close friendships and they rarely see other children outside of school, unless it is an organized sporting activity or a rare "play date" that is arranged totally by parents. These activities don't allow for kids just hanging out and conversing; which plays a major role in developing appropriate social skills. More...

Relapse Prevention in Recovery: AA or Solo?
Oftentimes you hear about people who have stopped drinking or taking mood or mind-altering drugs on their own without the help of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or any other recovery program. These people are unusual, but their stories deserve some attention. More...

Bipolar Disorder, Receiving the Diagnosis
The mental health community has done a very good job in defining, describing, and informing the public about Bipolar Disorder. All this considered, what is it like for a person to receive this diagnosis? While understanding this disorder is enormously important, it is equally important for... More...

The Psychology of Road Rage
My patient, noticing that there was a car coming in the left northerly lane but judging that it was distant enough for him to turn, safely executed the turn and shifted right. Once in the right lane the driver of the other car starts loudly honking at him. Unnerved by the blaring sound of the horn, turned his head to see what was happening. He noticed that the driver at that car was angrily and repeatedly gesturing... More...

How to Ground Your Fear of Flying
Imagine you've just won a dream vacation to an island in the Caribbean. You can almost smell the fresh, salt air. White sand and turquoise ocean spread out for miles in front of you, sprinkled with coconut and palm trees. You're staying in a small cottage on the beach, listening to the soft hoot of grebes. There's just one small catch...You're afraid to fly. Usually it's not a problem. You can drive most places, or take a train in a pinch. And you're happy enough to vacation at home...or so you've told yourself. But this trip is different. You really want to go. This fear of flying is in your way. More...

River Valley Counseling Center, Inc.
To Schedule an Appointment
800.286.8221
Administrative Offices
413.540.1100
319 Beech Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
CONCERN/EAP
413.534.2625
Affiliated with Holyoke Medical Center
A member of Valley Health Systems
A United Way agency