Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus has opened the Tom and Barbara Schoellkopf Community Counseling Center to provide telehealth services to the campus and the south central Indiana community.
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 to the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, it opened Monday for telehealth services.
The 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 and mental health counseling services to the campus and community.
As a training clinic, potential clients are carefully screened to ensure 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 and 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 Community College Columbus and Purdue Polytechnic and active duty military, their families and veterans.
Although the services are free, there is a fee for specialized testing materials. Community members also will have access to services at the center for a nominal fee, ranging from $10 to $50 depending upon the services.
Located inside the 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.
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For information about the Tom and Barbara Schoellkopf Community Counseling Center and to request services, visit iupuc.edu/tbsc.
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