Counseling

OGDEN — At a time when similar agencies are cutting back on the services they offer, the Family Counseling Service is putting out a plea to the community for more clients.

The agency’s board of directors has set a goal to serve 10 percent more clients in 2012 than it did in 2011.

But officials know that in order to do that, they’ll have to overcome a stigma that mental health services often have with people who could use the help.

“It’s hard to admit there’s a problem you don’t know how to fix,” Center Clinical Director Curt Watson said.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- David X spilled his story to the other men seated around him, revealing how his boyfriend -- angry about leaving the heater on too long -- had punched him so hard that his eye socket shattered. Instead of receiving comfort at the counseling session, a man told him: You should have just punched him back. You're a guy.

That was the moment that David, a 56-year-old San Jose gay man whose last name is not being used to protect him, realized he was in the wrong place.

Santa Clara County is the wrong place for many gays and lesbians suffering from domestic abuse, local experts say. There is a dearth of help for victims of abusive same-sex relationships. David said he's never received the kind of therapy and support that he needed. It shocks and saddens him that such a large and progressive-minded county could be so far behind the times.