Even small gifts equal large impact at UAB’s Community Counseling Clinic

In addition to adults, the clinic also sees children and relies on a strong referral network throughout Jefferson County and beyond to get children the help they need.
Photography by Steve WoodOn average, an hour of counseling can cost upward of $150 to $300 an hour — cost-prohibitive for many Birmingham-area residents. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is looking to change that, opening up mental health resources for members of the Birmingham community at large.

The clinic, run out of the School of Education, is committed to increasing access to outpatient mental health counseling services in Jefferson County and beyond. The clinic benefits not just those the clinic serves, but also the clinicians themselves, students who get to practice what they learn in the classroom on real individuals with real needs. The clinic adopts the medical model — it allows practitioners to not just read about best practices in textbooks but take their skills into practice on those who need it, as medical students might do when treating a patient.

The highest-achieving master’s-level students in counseling interview to be accepted as counselors for the Community Counseling Clinic. Three or four students are accepted to practice all they have learned in their studies and are given oversight by faculty members, all of whom are licensed counselors. Patients pay a sliding scale of payment, often totaling only around $10 to $20 an hour and based on giving what patients are able to — no one is turned away.

“I consider the Community Counseling Clinic a beacon of hope and support for the general Birmingham area, Jefferson County, Shelby County — whoever can make it to the clinic,” said Yusen Zhai, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Education and director of the Community Counseling Clinic. “We foster a positive impact on mental health for many individuals, particularly those who have low socioeconomic status and who are underrepresented individuals. We serve those in need while also providing our graduate counseling students with a transformative educational experience. Our services provide people who seek help here with the best possible care.”

In addition to adults, the clinic sees children and relies on a strong referral network throughout Jefferson County and beyond to get children the help that they need. One of the clinic’s core beliefs is that those with mental health issues should not be discriminated against by ability or inability to pay.

The clinic began in 2011 and is specifically for the community, as its name suggests, and not UAB faculty, staff or students. Most mental health issues can be addressed at the clinic, but it does have a strict intake policy; clinicians do not see patients with active addiction or suicidal thoughts, for example. Since its inception, the clinic has served more than 1,000 patients who might not have had mental health resources otherwise. For every $10 given, someone in the community can receive the mental health help they need.

“By donating to this vital clinic, people are contributing not only to an essential service provider, but also to an innovative leader in the field of mental health and training the next generation of professional counselors,” Zhai said. “Those who can donate will help provide immediate assistance to people in need and contribute to the ongoing education and professional growth of future mental health counselors. By donating to this clinic, you’re making a meaningful investment in mental health and to people in general as we break down barriers to mental health care.”

Click here to support the Community Counseling Clinic.