Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
NON-PROFIT OFFERS MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
New London Counseling Center hopes to make an impact on mental wellness
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY >> In the United States, more than 44 million adults have a mental health condition and more than 46 percent of adults will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Worse, most can’t afford treatment.
With assistance from the Christian Life Center on Saginaw Road in Lincoln University, New London Counseling Center, a non-profit organization called New London Counseling Center has opened. By the end of the year, it hopes to relocate to a nearby building owned by the Life Center.
“Mental health is important because the statistics are scary,” said Katie Bowman, a licensed psychologist who heads up the Counseling Center with seven other licensed and certified therapists. “Twenty percent of all Adult Americans have a mental illness right now. And high schools are overwhelmed today with kids who are depressed and anxious and the suicide rate is skyrocketing. I think it’s more important now, more than ever.”
Statistics show that 62 percent of youth with Major Depressive Episode received no treatment. The suicide rate for those under the age of 18 has spiked and is now the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 34, according to the National Alliances for Mental Illnesses.
“This is important because we want to destigmatize mental health,” Bowman said. “There is a lot of stigma and taboo about going to ask for help. We want to humanize it, to make it less scary. Counseling doesn’t have to happen inside of four walls.”
Bowman said many people today are concerned about mental wellness after recent mass shootings.
“Mass shootings seem so far away, but really it’s everywhere,” Bowman said. “No place is immune.” Bowman said counseling can treat most disorders.
“Anxiety, depression and eating disorders are all treatable,” Bowman said. “It’s hard to say they are curable because we don’t’ know what will happen 20 years from now. The point is we can help them learn coping mechanisms. We don’t want people to be in therapy the rest of their lives. We want to help them to build the skills within themselves that they need to be able to handle it on their own.”
Fee for service is based on ability to pay, and many pay just $5 to $10 for a one-hour session. The regular rate is $100 per
hour, and many counseling centers in Chester County charge much more. The church, Bowman said, provides much of the overhead costs and that is passed along to clients.
“We want people to get help and not get turned away because it’ s too expensive ,” Bowman said.
The center is located at 125 Saginaw Road, and phone is 484-746-3112 and website is www.newlondoncounselingcenter.com.