The University of Montevallo held a celebration dedicating the new Grainger Community Counseling and Wellness Clinic on May 9.
Thanks to a generous donation from Michael and Donna Grainger, the clinic, which is located in Sims House on Middle Street, will provide free mental health counseling services for adults and children in need living in Montevallo and the surrounding communities.
“Having a counseling and wellness clinic in the community recognizes two major issues in mental health: individuals being willing to reach out for help and individuals having readily available access to quality mental health resources,” said Michael Grainger.
“Having this clinic as a component of the graduate program in counseling aids in addressing the country-wide issue of a tremendous shortage of mental health professionals.”
Dr. Courtney C. Bentley, interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, said the College of Education and Human Development is delighted about the opening of the Grainger Community Counseling and Wellness Clinic.
Under the direction of Dr. Latofia Parker and other expert faculty, graduate students will work first-hand with individuals and families, removing barriers and increasing access to high-quality mental health care, Bentley said.
Through counseling services, the clinic will cover depression, anxiety, grief, anger, marital problems, recovery, extreme behaviors and other psychosocial concerns that impact individuals, couples and families.
Students in UM’s Graduate Program in Counseling will provide the clinic’s healthcare services, gaining an abundance of hands-on training.
“It’s a way of providing a much-needed service for people in our community while also being a training clinic for future clinicians,” said Parker, director of the clinic and an associate professor of counseling at UM.
The clinic is scheduled to open in fall 2022.