Family and Medical Counseling Service

About Family and Medical Counseling Service

Family and Medical Counseling Service (FMCS) is a community health center in the Ward 8 neighborhood of Washington, DC, east of the Anacostia River, that offers substance use treatment alongside primary medical care, mental health services, and HIV care. Four clinical social workers founded them in 1976, and they remain minority-controlled and African American-operated, with a long focus on culturally responsive care for communities that are often hard to reach. They serve people regardless of income or social status and take a whole-person approach that accounts for the social factors shaping health. Their behavioral health team works with substance use disorders, mental health conditions, and co-occurring disorders, and their three mobile units bring services directly into neighborhoods.

Care typically begins with a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, and clinical care coordination links each person’s behavioral health and medical providers. Substance use counseling is available in individual and group formats and focuses on underlying causes, coping skills, and relapse prevention, while their medication for opioid use disorder program pairs buprenorphine with counseling and other support. Peer and professional recovery support includes HIV-specific and gender-specific groups, and they also provide co-occurring therapy, psychiatric medication management, crisis intervention, and drug and alcohol testing for employment or court requirements. People facing a DUI or DWI can complete their Traffic Alcohol Program, which offers education, counseling, and help clearing DMV records, and their harm reduction services include a safer-use supply exchange and tools to lower the risk of HIV and hepatitis C.

About Family and Medical Counseling Service

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