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Affordable, Accessible Mental Health Resources

The prolonged economic recession has taken its toll on available community resources for people who are uninsured and have little to no access to quality care. The scarcity of affordable
counseling and therapy resources makes it difficult for families and individuals to access the support they need in times of distress.

The Lewis & Clark College Community Counseling Center is an excellent resource for people who need immediate and low-cost access to mental health counseling and therapy. The teaching facility pairs up trained therapists and counselor trainees with people seeking help. The trainees are advanced graduate-level students who provide services under the supervision of faculty and licensed professional supervisors.

People come to the counseling sessions for a variety of reasons, from trauma, depression, anxiety and stress, to dealing with overlapping problems. Counselors address all facets of addiction in areas related to family, culture, ethnicity, gender, and spirituality.

I had the chance to visit with faculty members Dr. Andrae Brown and Dr. Pilar Hernandez-Wolfe, as well as Clinic Director Antonia Mueller. In the clip below, clinic director Antonia Mueller talks about the community needs addressed by the center.



Here, Dr. Pilar Hernandez-Wolfe talks about the importance of culturally competent services and avoiding "ethnocentric" world views when working with community members from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Hernandez-Wolfe leads the team that provides counseling to Spanish-speaking families and individuals.


I am working on editing the portion of the interview with Dr. Brown, who talks about his perspective on helping people overcome the cycle of violence in their lives and communities.

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