Unpacking the RMHCPA Vision Part 1: Establishment of a Clinic with Low Fee Therapy Options

The Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association (RMHCPA) recently announced that it is seeking to purchase a building and establish an institute in Colorado Springs. I am going to begin unveiling aspects of the vision for this institute in a series of announcements. Each aspect of the vision is still in development, so there will likely be some changes over time. Our initial fundraising efforts are going well, which has inspired us to continue developing this vision.

Establishing a Clinic with Low-Fee Therapy Options

Before RMHCPA was officially formed, we established our commitment to including a service component to the organization. The establishment of a low fee therapy clinic in Colorado Springs is an important development in our commitment to service. In Colorado Springs, there are few low fee therapy options. The uninsured and underinsured often struggle to find good options for therapy.

The RMHCPA Clinic would combined offices for independent therapy practices with practicum students that would see clients for low fees. The rent from the therapists will help support the RMHCPA Institute and Clinic. We will maintain additional offices that are reserved for use by our practicum students, who will offer the majority of the low fee therapy services.

Students with a primary interest in learning humanistic, existential, and transpersonal approaches to therapy would be eligible to be practicum students at the clinic. In addition to seeing clients, they would receive supervision and training in these therapy modalities.

A Volunteer Model

The established fee for therapy services would be a low fee, likely $25.00 per session. However, clients will have options to lower their rate further. If clients volunteer at local non-profit organizations for 2-hours a week, their rate would be lowered to $15.00 a session. If they volunteer 4-hours a week, their rate would be further reduced to $5.00 a session. For individuals who are not able to volunteer, such as individuals with a disability or single-parent households, there would be other options to receive the reduced rate.

The therapists in private practice in the clinic will be encouraged to provide 1-2 hours of low fee therapy as well. In exchange, they would receive lower rates for their monthly rent.

We believe this model will provide a variety of benefits. Clients often benefit from being involved in meaningful work. This provides an opportunity for them to engage in volunteering, which may have psychological benefits for clients, while also receiving more affordable therapy. Additionally, we believe this model will also benefit the community by encouraging people to volunteer with organizations that are making a positive impact upon the Colorado Springs community.

How to Support the Low-Fee Clinic

The rental and other income for the institute would support the low fee clinic. Thus, we would need to engage in ongoing grant writing and fundraising. If this part of the RMHCPA institute vision is of interest to you, we encourage you to consider talking with us about a tax deductible donation that will help for this vision to become a reality.

Louis Hoffman, PhD
Executive Director
Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association