Counseling & wellness centre - the centre for women is a well-recognized and respected organization in the community, providing care to those in need for more than forty-five years

The centre's counseling and wellness program addresses the increasing need for mental health services by providing mental wellness counseling for low to moderate income individuals and families in the tampa BAY community. Local service agency partners have relied on the centre's counseling program for decades. These services are particularly important during the current time; the recent covid-19 pandemic has helped raise awareness of the importance of mental health and the community's acceptance of mental health treatment. We serve a specific niche of people in that they do not require hospitalization or intensive psychiatric care; however, they face challenges in managing major life stressors and transitions. Professional support helps to offset and prevent crisis, hospitalization, suicide, and community violence. Upon receipt of the samhsa grant award, we will expand our capacity for delivering mental wellness counseling to the most at-risk and underserved members of our community. We will transform a well-located property in seminole heights into a counseling center. Simultaneously, we will help to grow the field of behavioral health care workers by providing an excellent learning environment to local clinical student interns. This is an effort to provide a solution for the shortage of behavioral health care workers in our geographic area. We will continue to expand our collaborative relationships with local colleges and universities by hosting interns from clinical programs as well as employ licensed eligible clinical interns. Students will be trained, supervised and mentored as we welcome the next wave of mental health counselors and social workers. As we broaden our impact, our agency will continue to aim for equity of access to mental health services. We welcome diverse populations that are representative of our entire community; accordingly, we have spanish speaking counselor(s) to serve the large spanish-speaking population segment. Also, our capability to provide in person and virtual services so that everyone has access regardless of geographic location or level of mobility. Through the provision of free counseling to residents who are UN/under insured and could not otherwise afford needed services, and through the delivery of educational programs targeted on social emotional learning, we will deliver an "upstream" approach to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities resulting in an increase in academic, employment, relationship, and life successes.