Technology is helping to bring counseling to rural Brazos County residents.
Clinic Director Dr. Carly McCord says the Telehealth Counseling Clinic functions like Skype or Facetime to give people free access to counseling who would not otherwise receive any.
McCord says the counseling is provided by doctoral level students in the counseling psychology program at Texas A&M.
Areas served include Centerville, Madisonville, and Brenham, with plans to expand to Caldwell and Navasota by August of 2014.
She says most of their clients are treated for depression, and they have seen notable improvement.
To sign up, call 979-436-0700, or you can go to the website if you CLICK HERE.
Click below to listen to Clinic Director Dr. Carly McCord visit with WTAW’s Kat McMullen.
Additional information, courtesy of Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health
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The Telehealth Counseling Clinic aim is to increase access to and provision of mental health services for indigent and low income residents throughout the Brazos Valley by providing telehealth counseling and assessment services to underserved populations. Remote clinics are located in Centerville, Madisonville, and Brenham.
The TCC evolved from an ongoing collaboration between community stakeholders, representatives from several key health care and social service agencies, and the Center for Community Health Development at the Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health. The group identified resources to develop the clinical infrastructure and then partnered with the faculty and students in the American Psychological Association-accredited Texas A&M University Counseling Psychology doctoral program as an avenue for the expansion of mental health counseling in rural communities.
Doctoral students in the Counseling Psychology program, supervised by licensed psychologists, provide counseling to individuals at rural clinics using high-quality videoconference technology. The clinic provides individual and couples counseling to adolescents (13+) and adults in English and Spanish. Additional services such as outreach, workshops, and assessments are available on a case by case basis. In the last year, more than 350 counseling sessions were provided to rural residents.
The TCC is currently supported through the School of Rural Public Health, grant funding, and in-kind local resources. Two additional sites are planned for Burleson County and Grimes County in 2014.