Mental health took center stage Tuesday at the annual public meeting for the Rockland-based Volunteer Counseling Services – a nonprofit that provides counseling services and mental health treatment with an anti-racist, social justice mission.

The meeting in Nanuet was a chance for members of the public to hear what the group has accomplished in the last year.

Volunteers and community leaders were invited to mix and mingle over appetizers and listen to music from a string quartet. Once the meeting started, guests heard emotional testimonies and impact statements from those who have sought the group's services.

Board members and staff also got a chance to share how the group has expanded and improved.

"We had a lot of clinical innovations,” said Ruth Colon-Wagner, the group’s CEO and executive director. “We hired a psychiatric nurse practitioner in order to really expand our medication management capacity…Sometimes, that could be really hard if you've got 700+ clients.”

She also spoke about renovations to their facility and added security advancements – all to make the counseling experience more comfortable for the clients.