COUDERSPORT — Staff, consumers and members of the community were invited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dickinson Center’s (DCI) P.R.I.D.E. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program at the Gunzberger Building in Coudersport on Monday.

“I can’t believe it’s been a decade,” said Whitney Thomas, DCI Psychiatric Rehabilitation program director. “This is really an opportunity to celebrate our consumers’ success over the past 10 years and reflect on how far the program has come.”

Since Nov. 2, 2009, the DCI P.R.I.D.E. team has met the behavioral health needs of hundreds of individuals over the age of 18 in Potter and McKean counties. Their team of four professionals currently serves nearly 35 consumers.

P.R.I.D.E. promotes recovery, full community integration, and improved quality of life for people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness which seriously interferes with day-to-day life.

P.R.I.D.E. offers the following activities as part of their treatment plans: community awareness, anger management, coping skills for anxiety, depression and stress, arts and crafts, social interaction, positive thinking, journal writing, fitness, recovery, self-awareness, relaxation, wellness and independent living skills.

Comments from some of the many consumers who have walked in and out of the P.R.I.D.E. program included, “I now have a sense of belonging, purpose and self. My self-confidence is better. I believe in myself and know that I matter. I understand that mental illness does not define me. I have a job and can support my family now. My best friends are here and I know I am not alone.”

For more information about P.R.I.D.E. services at DCI, visit www.dickinsoncenter.org/prp-pride.