Neighborhood group donates $2000 to USM clinic

The University of Southern Mississippi Community Counseling and Assessment Clinic received a boost in the form of a $2,000 donation Friday from the Hattiesburg Historic Neighborhood Association.

The gift — a portion of HHNA’s proceeds from the 2014 Downtown Crawfish Jam — will be used to offset fees for client services, said Lauren Osborne, a fifth-year doctoral Southern Miss student.

“This donation means so much because it will allow us to continue to bring affordable mental health services to USM students and members of the community,” she said.

The counseling and assessment clinic provides low-cost sliding fee mental health services to Southern Miss students and Pine Belt residents. Fees range from $5 to $35 and services include psychological assessment, alcohol and drug evaluations, ADHD evaluation, and individual and couples therapy.

The clinic sees 100 to 125 clients per month, said David Gavel, a fourth-year doctoral student and president of the Counseling Psychology Student Government.

“For the past three years, the students who provide services at the clinic have volunteered and worked the Kids Zone at the Crawfish Jam,” said Andrea Saffle, HHNA president. “We wanted to give back to them because they give so much to the community in the form of the mental health services.”

Saffle also noted that Drs. Michael Madson and David Echevarria — both members of the Southern Miss psychology faculty — are members of the Crawfish Jam committee.

“This was a neat way to show support of a worthwhile program that they are both involved with,” she said.

Madson, who is the faculty adviser for the students and an associate psychology professor, said the Southern Miss Community Counseling and Assessment Clinic allows for real-world, hands-on training for the students.

All the clinic’s services are provided by graduate students in the Counseling Psychology Program. Counselors are directly supervised by licensed or license-eligible psychologists.

“This clinic is where these students come to learn how to become counselors and psychologists,” Madson said.

At a glance

The Southern Miss Community Counseling and Assessment Clinic is in Owings-McQuagge Hall, 121 Golden Eagle Ave. For more information, call (601) 266-4601.

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