Empowering Minds Resource Center

The About Us page says

"The EMRC Group is a certified Mental Health agency established in 2006. We are an organization with more than 16 years of experience in providing direct mental health, substance abuse and community support services to adults, children and adolescent clients in institutional and outpatient settings in Maryland." Its stated mission is "to provide comprehensive mental health care to families and children utilizing the services of qualified professionals implementing individualized rehabilitation plans that assist all persons in obtaining their desired goals". On its service area it says EMRC "is committed to provide the most comprehensive care to all persons of the Baltimore Metropolitan and surrounding areas". The CARF Accreditation page states: "CARF awarded Empowering Minds Resource Center a Three-Year Accreditation outcome for our behavioral health programs", following an on-site survey. The footer names a 24 Hour Complaint Hotline, 1-800-265-4106, and a 24 Hour Hotline, 443-978-9946, both published under "Suspect Fraud, Waste, or Abuse" - these are fraud and complaint lines, not clinical crisis lines, and should not be given out as such. Important: the EMRC website publishes no crisis or emergency instructions of its own. Its Mental Health Resources page is a directory of outside links and lists "988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline" among them, with the note "Not responsible for the content, claims or representations of the listed sites". As general emergency information, not as guidance from EMRC: in the United States call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency. The site publishes no staff names, credentials or licence numbers on these pages, and no hours.

Empowering Minds Resource Center (EMRC) describes itself on its home page as "A Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare Agency". The services menu on the website lists: Individual Therapy, Group Therapy, Medication Management, Comprehensive Case Management for Adult Day Services, Targeted Case Management, Targeted Life Skills (TLS) Program, Care Coordination for Minors, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program for Adults (PRP/A), Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program for Minors (PRP/M), and Transportation. The home page describes an Outpatient Mental Health Center (OMHC) and says Empowering Minds "offers Therapy and Medication Management to clients who are experiencing mental health symptoms", with services including "Diagnostic Evaluation, Individual and Group Therapy, Medication Management, Substance Use Assessment, and Services for Co-occurring Disorders". The site also says EMRC "offers an array of community based services such as therapy services, case management, community residential programs, peer groups, supported employment, and psychiatric rehabilitation services". The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program for Minors is described as "designed to promote positive development of a youth's behavior, social skills and family relationships", delivered in settings that "may include the youth's home, foster care home, job site, educational setting or other community sites". The website does not publish who qualifies for any of these services, whether a particular programme is open, or how long anything takes. Whether a specific service fits a specific person is a determination only EMRC staff can make; call the referral line on 410-246-0169 or the office nearest you to ask.

Empowering Minds Resource Center publishes these locations and phone numbers in the footer of every page of its website. Corporate Office: 10451 Mill Run Circle, Suite 400, Owings Mills, Maryland 21117, phone 410-363-3713, fax 410-363-3715. Baltimore City: 1800 North Charles Street, Suite 600, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, phone 410-625-5088, fax 410-625-4980. Baltimore County: 3104 Lord Baltimore Drive, Suite 103, Windsor Mill, Maryland 21244, phone 443-893-3928, fax 443-200-5032. Harford County: 1833A Pulaski Hwy, Edgewood, Maryland 21040, phone 443-484-2306, fax 443-484-2970. Anne Arundel County: 7954 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Suite E and F, Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061, phone 410-590-3672, fax 410-590-3670. Prince Georges County: 4041 Powder Mill Road, Suite 310, Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (no phone number is published for this address in the footer). Resource Center: 105 East 25th Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, phone 410-467-5550, fax 410-467-4679. A Referral Line is published as 410-246-0169. Note one inconsistency on the site: the Transportation page gives the Baltimore City address as Suite 804, while the footer and the Individual Therapy page give Suite 600. Confirm the suite with the office before travelling. The areas served named on the site are Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Harford County, Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County, Maryland. The website publishes no email address and no hours of operation or opening times for any location, so do not assume when an office is open. Phone the location you want to contact to ask about hours, to book, or to schedule an appointment.

Lists Terre Haute, Baltimore, Beltsville, Edgewood, Glen Burnie, Owings Mills, Temple, and Anthem as a location. Names Maryland and United States as a service area. Areas beyond these are not published.

The page "Insurances We Currently Accept" publishes self-pay prices and an insurance list. Under "Rates for Self-Pay" it gives: Initial Consultation (50 minutes) $155 - $185; Initial Consultation (90 minutes) $205 - $235; Individual, Couple, or Family Therapy (50 minutes) $155-$180; Individual, Couple, or Family Therapy (90 minutes) $225 - $255. The referral form page publishes the same list but gives the 50-minute therapy rate as $155 - $185, so the site contradicts itself on that one price; EMRC staff should be asked which cost is current rather than either figure being treated as the quote. No estimate, quote or total for any programme other than these therapy sessions is published anywhere on the site. The page lists under Commercial Insurance: Aetna, Cigna Commercial, Carefirst Commercial, Kaiser Commercial, Anthem, United Healthcare, GEHA, Humana Commercial. Under Maryland Medicaid and MCO Organizations it lists: Carefirst Community, Amerigroup Medicaid, UHC Community, Medstar, Priority Partners, Physicians Care, Kaiser Medicaid, Wellpoint MC. Being on that list is not the same as a plan covering a given person, and only EMRC can confirm what a plan covers. The page also states: "if your insurance provider does not cover the full amount, the co-pay and any remaining balance will be the patient's financial responsibility. A Patient credit card on file is required." A question-and-answer block lower on the same page names a different organisation entirely and gives a different insurance list and sliding-scale fee terms; it appears to be template filler and is not treated here as EMRC's published policy. Ask EMRC directly about fees, rates and any discount. Patient payment portal links are published for Baltimore, Edgewood, Glen Burnie, Owing Mills and Temple Hills.

Empowering Minds Resource Center takes new enquiries through referral forms on its website and through a published Referral Line, 410-246-0169. The site's "Submit A Referral" menu links to three forms: EMRC Referrals, the BCDSS Wellness Program form, and the Targeted Life Skills Program referral form. The EMRC referral form asks for the client's contact details, address, date of birth, insurance details and a referring agency, and asks the referrer to pick a Referral Service from a list that includes Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program, OMHC School Based Therapy, Outpatient Mental Health Center, Care Coordination (Minors), Case Management (Adults) and Therapy Collaboration, and then to pick a service location. The website also publishes a Medical Records Request form, an Existing Client Collaboration (therapy collaboration) form, and a form-problem reporting page for people whose submission fails. The referral form contains screening questions and qualifying criteria. Whether any individual meets them, whether a programme is currently taking people, and how long anything takes are determinations for EMRC staff only, and are not stated here. Anyone asking whether they or a family member can be seen should be put in touch with EMRC: phone the referral line on 410-246-0169, or the office for the county they want, and ask staff to walk them through the referral, booking and appointment process. The website publishes no hours, no wait times and no confirmation of what any office can schedule.

The Individual Therapy page says EMRC works "with individuals on a broad range of issues including anxiety, stress, depression, dating, existential questions and crises, interpersonal skill, confidence, self-esteem, and relationship/family issues", and that it offers "comprehensive mental health counseling services designed to support individuals in achieving optimal emotional well-being". On format, the page says: "we offer both in-person and virtual therapy options. Whether you prefer face-to-face sessions in a comfortable and private setting or the flexibility of online therapy from the comfort of your own home, we have you covered." It names four locations for therapy: Glen Burnie (Anne Arundel County), Baltimore City, Windsor Mill (Baltimore County) and Edgewood (Harford County). The Transportation page says EMRC offers transportation for clients who "may face challenges in getting to their EMRC therapy appointments or attending our groups", describing a door-to-door service where clients "are picked up and dropped off right at their doorstep". On how to arrange it, the page says: "If you require transportation assistance, simply inform our staff during the scheduling of your appointment. Our team will coordinate the details." The Targeted Life Skills (TLS) Program page describes a Baltimore City programme for students aged 12 to 24, run in semester-format youth cohorts and "based on the Botvin Life Skills Training curriculum", based at 1800 North Charles Street, Suite 600, phone 410-625-5088. The site does not publish session length outside the self-pay rate list, therapist assignment, or whether transportation covers a given address. Ask EMRC staff when you book or schedule.