The Division of Science at IUPUC announced today the creation of a Mental Health Counseling Clinic to open in the Spring of 2020 and be named in honor of Columbus philanthropists Tom and Barbara Schoellkopf. The clinic will primarily operate as a training center for graduate students in IUPUC’s master’s degree program in Mental Health Counseling. The clinic will further deliver educational and preventive mental health services to the IUPUC, Ivy Tech Community College Columbus, and Purdue Polytechnic Columbus campuses, as well as residents of Bartholomew County.
In addition to the donation from the Schoellkopfs, funding for the project includes donations received during the 2018 IU Day crowdfunding campaign which were matched by David and Ella Elwood. Additionally, local foundation grants were received from The Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, Clarence & Inez Custer Foundation, and Elizabeth Ruddick Nugent and Walter C Nugent Foundations.
“Thanks to the generosity of our donors we are able to make the necessary renovations to improve the space which will impact and support our community. While these gifts will make the new space possible, we continue to seek funding for the technology that will truly make the clinic a best-in-class facility,” said Brenda Vogel, Director of Development and External Affairs at IUPUC.
The clinic will be located in a space on the IUPUC campus that will be renovated and updated to provide maximum flexibility for counseling services. When completed, the clinic will enable up to four individual, group, or family counseling sessions simultaneously. In addition to the physical renovations, technology will play a key role in the new facility by enabling both synchronous and asynchronous feedback to the graduate students who will be providing services.
“We are expecting to see both short-term and long-term benefits to the community from the clinic,” said Dr. Darrin Carr, PhD HSPP, the graduate program’s director. “Once open, the clinic will provide an immediate value through the counselling services it delivers to the residents of Bartholomew County. In the long term, the additional training provided to our graduate students will better prepare them to take on the challenges they will face as mental health counselors in South Central Indiana after graduation.” The clinic will also provide additional research opportunities for both the Mental Health Counseling and Psychology departments at IUPUC.
Launched in 2012, the Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling program has graduated 35 students, the majority of whom have earned or are seeking licensure as mental health counselors, and remained in the region to work. “One only needs to watch the evening news to see the types of mental health issues our community is facing,” said Dr. Carr. “Mental health counselors work on the front lines, addressing problems ranging from bullying in schools to addiction to depression and suicide. This new clinic will better prepare our graduates to help the communities they serve.”
Initiatives such as the new mental health clinic are at the heart of the strategic goals IUPUC has set, including increased community engagement and the development of programs to address critical regional needs. “As we look toward our 50th year here in Columbus, we are even more committed to providing the region with more than just a highly-educated workforce,” said Dr. Reinhold Hill, IUPUC Vice Chancellor and Dean. “We want to continually look for ways that our faculty, staff, and even students can positively impact the community we serve.”
For more information about the mental health clinic, please contact Dr. Darrin Carr at dlcarr@iupuc.edu. If you are interested in helping to fund the project, please contact Brenda Vogel at bvogel9@iupuc.edu.