Nature and Purpose
The Cambridge Youth Guidance Center is a community-based mental health clinic serving Cambridge children and their families. Children may be referred by a physician, school, social agency, church, or may be brought to the Center at their family's initiative. The clinic provides diagnostic and treatment services for children from preschool through high school with a broad range of emotional and behavioral concerns. In addition to the Companion-Tutor program, the Cambridge Youth Guidance Center services include long and short term individual therapy, group and family therapy, parenting seminars, consultation to area schools and community organizations, as well as cross-cultural services to Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole-speaking children and families in Cambridge and Somerville. Over the years, many children who are seen at the Center have been helped by young adult volunteers who develop consistent, caring relationships with them. These relationships provide a healthy context for social learning for the child and provide the volunteer with an equally beneficial learning experience. There are possibilities for Spanish, Portuguese, and/or Haitian Creole speaking students to be matched with a bilingual child.

Tasks
The companion-tutor does not see the child at the Center, but spends time with him/her in the community. Planned activities range from going to a museum to going for a walk.

Time Requirement
Students make an academic year's commitment to working with a child on a one-to-one basis. Students are required to spend between five and eight hours per week with their children. The combination of time spent with the child, time spent in transit, and time spent in supervision will amount to 10-12 hours per week.

Supervision
Supervision is mandatory and crucial to working effectively with the child. All companion-tutors meet for one and one-half hours weekly in small supervision groups at the Center. Groups are led by staff therapists. They provide an opportunity for all to share their experiences and solve problems. In addition, the companion-tutors meet one hour monthly with the child's individual therapist.

Supervisor
Dan Sprintzen

Address 
The Guidance Center, Inc.
5 Sacramento Street 
Cambridge, MA 02138 
354-2275

Council Member
Raju Kansagra

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