IUPUC announced today that it has opened the Tom & Barbara Schoellkopf Community Counseling Center to provide telehealth services to the Columbus campus, and the south-central Indiana community at large. Originally scheduled to open in April with in-person services, the new mental health training clinic and counseling center was forced to postpone its opening due the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The purpose of a training clinic like the Schoellkopf Center is to provide high quality services to the community while training the next generation of mental health professionals,” said the center’s director, Dr. Diedra Hayman, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology and Mental Health Counseling at IUPUC.
The Schoellkopf center has been two years in the making, beginning on IU Day in 2018 with a crowdfunding campaign that was advanced with donations from several community members including Tom and Barbara Schoellkopf, for whom the center is named. The center is designed to provide additional training for graduate students in IUPUC’s master’s degree program in Mental Health Counseling, as well as mental health counseling services to the campus and community.
As a training clinic, all potential clients are carefully screened to ensure that appropriate care can be provided, and if not, they are referred to more appropriate providers. In addition, all services are recorded and observed by licensed clinicians, practicum students, and student interns for training purposes.
Typically, the center can help with mental health issues such as anxiety & depression, relationship concerns, grief issues, difficulties adjusting to life changes, parenting challenges, and career and educational decision making. These services may be provided in individual, couple, family, or group formats.
When open for in-person sessions, the center will offer free counseling services to students attending IUPUC, Ivy Tech Columbus, and Purdue Polytechnic, as well as active duty military, their families, and veterans. Although the services are free, there is a fee for specialized testing materials. Community members will also have access to services at the Schoellkopf Center for a nominal fee, ranging from $10 - $50 depending upon the services.
Free Telehealth Services During COVID-19 Pandemic
Located inside the IUPUC Campus Center building, the Schoellkopf Center is currently closed to the public, however, IUPUC is offering free teletherapy services to both students and the community during the COVID-19 crisis. Teletherapy or telehealth refers to counseling sessions that occur via phone or videoconference using a variety of technologies. The Schoellkopf Center utilizes a HIPAA-compliant Zoom Health platform to interact with clients.
“Although we were disappointed that we were not able to open the center as planned this spring, we are happy that through the use of secure technology, we can use the center to provide our community with an additional mental health resource during this time of need,” said Hayman.
For more information about the Schoellkopf Center and to request services, visit iupuc.edu/tbsc.