Mission
The Community Counseling Clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham aims to increase access to outpatient mental health counseling services in Jefferson County, to provide an innovative educational experience for the UAB graduate counseling students, and to operate a flexible research lab capable of accommodating various interests and funding opportunities.
Vision
To become an integral service provider of outpatient counseling services in Jefferson County and to become an exemplar in the counseling profession through innovations in research, practice, teaching, and clinical training.
Values
Accountability—We have a duty to provide responsible and ethical services, to create an effective training site for graduate counseling students, and to conduct innovative and ethical research.
Affordability—We provide effective services at low cost to increase community access to outpatient counseling services.
Caring and Responsive Service—We strive to exceed the expectations of our clients and to create a supportive, responsive, and calming atmosphere where all involved are treated with empathy, dignity, and respect.
Collaboration—We seek to build collaborative partnerships with community providers and research entities.
Commitment to Professional Excellence—We offer evidenced-based counseling interventions informed by current research and continuously strive toward improvement.
Data—We use data to improve the effectiveness of services and to guide our decisions.
Diversity—We value individual differences and provide a multicultural and sensitive environment free from discrimination and inequity.
Growth—We value the professional growth of counselors as they develop from novices into experts with the corresponding knowledge, skills, and disposition.
Integrity—We value honesty, diligence, trustworthiness, moral reasoning, and ethical conduct.
A Student-centered Approach—We strive to prepare counselors who can support the development of their clients from adolescence through adulthood.
Standards—We align our training standards with the established guidelines of the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs (CACREP).
Training—We strive to enhance the training experience through technology and innovative supervision.
Philosophy
Mental illness leads to impairments in thinking, behavior, and interpersonal functioning that can adversely affect our wellbeing, compromise our performance at work or school, and negatively impact our personal relationships. The goal of our clinic is to promote well-being through therapeutic interventions designed to enhance emotional and psychological health.
Strategic Plan
Goal 1: Quality Enhancement
Expand to Children under 12 (new faculty hired for AY 15-16)
Offer Educational Testing Services (goal removed after investigation)
Build a Clinical Assessment Inventory (expand to include child, couples, and family assessments)
Enhance MCF Treatment (faculty hired; curriculum proposal approved by ADCOM) Therapeutic Assessment (completed)
Goal 2: Optimized Learning Environment
Establish Electronic Health Record System (approvals acquired; cost sharing agreement in process)
Increase Faculty Participation (completed)
Monitor Learning Outcomes (initial process complete; revision in progress)
Goal 3: Clinical Research
Secure External Funding for Research and Training
Promote Outcome-based Clinical Research
In Progress
- Department-funded CALM pilot study; plans for NIH proposal
In Development
- Department pilot study proposed NIH R21/Early Career Proposal Pilot proposal with Midfield City Schoolsto be submitted for President's/ Dean's funding
Research Personnel
- New faculty hired for AY 15-16 with Clinic research expectations
Executive Summary: Funding, Impact, and Future Priorities
Funding Sources
- School of Education: Director's Salary, Clinic space
- Department of Human Studies: Technology, Furniture, Assessment, Program
- Lab Fees: Maintenance
- Client Fees: Office supplies
- Impact to Date
- 579 unduplicated clients (average of 112 served per year)
- Collaborations: Psychiatric Nursing, Kinesiology, Parker High School, Health Education, Genetic Counseling, Midfield School District
- 120 Counseling Education Program students received training in the clinic
- 64 unduplicated referral sources
Future Priorities
- Increase referrals from UAB sources
- Increase collaborations with UAB colleagues
- Expand the range and impact of services