Mental Health Needs? Call the CTS Counseling Center! 

 

According to the Indiana Capital Chronical, approximately 1 in 3 Hoosiers go without mental health care due to lack of access or other barriers. The CTS Counseling Center is able to address those barriers with immediate opportunities to meet with a clinician.  

Bryan Votaw, Clinic Director, said that while the Counseling Center is on pace to conduct 11,000 sessions this year, they have capacity for at least a 50 percent increase and telehealth capabilities – a combination that could directly address the magnitude of mental health needs that go unmet in our state. Right now, there are 40 Student Interns from CTS’s School of Counseling in supervised training and another 20 Post-Graduate Residents who have openings to see clients on their caseload.  

“I hear comments all the time that people have never heard of the CTS Counseling Center,” Votaw said. “But we have a lot to offer Indiana residents in terms of affordable mental health care. We are here to provide help to those in need and serve our community.” 

The student clinicians who work at the Counseling Center are enrolled in either the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) or Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MACMHC) programs at CTS. Each program has different requirements for the number and kinds of therapy that students must complete, but all the students are under direct supervision.  

“It’s a hidden benefit of working with a student practitioner,” Votaw said. “In addition to the student who is being trained on the most cutting-edge treatment approaches, clients also get the benefit of a seasoned supervisor.”  

The Counseling Center also employs post-graduate residents who are completing supervised hours required for licensure. Clinicians offer individual, couple, family, and group therapy sessions at the clinic (which is found on the CTS campus). 

Votaw said that the therapists can address a variety of issues from depression and anxiety to life and relationship adjustments and trauma. Due to their training in a seminary setting, they are all well prepared to address any spiritual issues that the client may present. He stressed, however, that it is not a Christian counseling service.  

“You don’t have to be a Christian to come here,” Votaw said. “We can talk about God if that’s what the client needs, but we don’t have that as an agenda.” Votaw noted that CTS often receives feedback that our clinicians are some of the best trained providers in the State. 

If you are considering engaging in mental health services and are not sure where to start, Votaw encourages folks to give the Counseling Center a call. Staff are available to help answer questions prospective clients might have. Votaw said that they can contact the clinic by phone or web and complete a very brief intake (questions about the presenting issues, their availability, and any characteristics of a therapist they would prefer). Often, the person can have an appointment scheduled with a clinician within a week.  

“It’s important to get help before the problem gets too big.”     

The Counseling Center is a fee for service operation and does not bill any health insurance plans. According to Votaw, this helps CTS clinicians offer treatment that is more focused on the needs and goals of the clients who seek treatment than being bound to third-party payer requirements and obstructions. Fees for services rendered by Student Interns are decided based on CTS’s subsidized fee scale, which ranges from $15-99 an hour depending on household income.  

While they do not offer medication management services, CTS clinicians can offer referrals to medical providers in the area and can collaborate with other providers if a client signs a release form giving the clinician permission to do so. All clinicians at the clinic use an electronic medical record system. 

Votaw also said that CTS clinicians can offer telehealth sessions to reach Hoosiers who do not live in the Indianapolis area. In some areas of the State, there are a limited number of mental health providers to address the needs of their communities – and the CTS Counseling Center can help in those cases.  

“Where there is a treatment desert, we can help,” he said. “As long as the prospective client is physically in Indiana, we may be able to work with them depending on the presenting concerns.” Votaw added that all services, virtual or in person, are bound by applicable confidentiality laws and ethics. 

“From a public health standpoint, we need more access to mental health treatment,” Votaw said. “Even if you don’t need services, please tell others about the Counseling Center. We can help.” 

If you, or someone you know, is interested in learning more about the services offered at the CTS Counseling Center, please visit https://www.cts.edu/counseling-center/ or call 317-924-5205.