Each year we grant Top Non-Profit Badges to agencies based on these criteria:
- Consistently accepting clients
- Offering a wide range of services e.g. marriage counseling and child counseling as reported by our users.
- Our users reporting affordable services.
Our aim is to guide our users to agencies most likely to be able to help. In addition to the above criteria we also exercise editorial discretion with our choice based upon our experience. We take our responsibility and objectivity seriously. We don't accept any form of payment from providers for this honor.
SMU Simmons Center for Family Counseling
Our mission is to deliver developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive counseling services for families, couples, adults, adolescents, and children undergoing varying life circumstances, while providing SMU graduate counseling students with meaningful training experience via supervised therapeutic interactions. Counseling services are designed to assist individuals and groups seeking to enhance their overall life functioning, interpersonal relationships, self understanding, and career satisfaction for optimal well being.
Counseling Services
Family Services
The clinic's family counseling services are appropriate for families, couples, step and/or blended families, parent/child, sibling issues, and other relationship concerns as well. Instead of working on issues individually, families work together to become healthier and happier as a unit. Couples counseling can involve general relationship issues, pre-marital, or marital counseling. Families with young children will be involved in family play therapy, whereby counseling is modified to the youngest family member's development so that every member can fully participate in the counseling process.
Individual Counseling
The clinic provides personal, social, and career-related counseling on a one-on-one basis for individuals 18 years of age and older. Geriatric counseling is available.
Adolescent Counseling
Adolescent counseling includes talk and activity based counseling and expressive arts for ages 13-17 to assist with behavior, social, school, peer, and life transition difficulties. Activity therapy entails providing various activities for individuals to engage in for the purposes of facilitating the expression and working through of issues. Activity Therapy is also used for pre-adolescent children ages 9-12.
Parents/caregivers are involved in the process through parent/caregiver consultations. Parent/caregiver consultations are used to inform caregivers of general themes or concerns that arise in the teen's/child's therapy sessions. Parent/caregiver consultations also provide valuable information to the counselor about how the teen/child is behaving at home and at school, as well as how the caregiver typically responds to the teen's/child's needs. Additionally, a parent/caregiver consultation is a time when concerns can be discussed with the counselor about the teen's/child's mental health well-being. This also provides the counselor an opportunity to assist parents/caregivers in learning new skills and techniques to help their teen/child.
Play Therapy for Children
Play Therapy is used for children two years and older. Research supports the use of play therapy with children in this age range as an effective and developmentally appropriate therapeutic approach. Play therapy is utilized to provide children with concrete means of expressing and communicating experiences, thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Play is a child's language, as words can be too abstract for young children to use to process difficult situations (Landreth, 2002). Through the play therapy approach, a consistent, safe, and autonomous environment is established for children to facilitate problem solving, a greater self-concept, development of responsibility, an increase in self-control, and the expression feelings.
Group Counseling
The clinic's Group Counseling services include parent education groups (e.g., Filial Therapy, Positive Discipline), teen groups, activity groups (i.e., for children between the ages of 9-12), and play therapy groups (i.e., for children ages 3-8) for varied concerns and topics.Center for Family Counseling
The clinic provides low cost counseling services, with fees as low as zero, to ensure that services are affordable to all regardless of circumstances. There is no charge for the intake session. Currently, the Center takes payment in the form of cash or check. The clinic does not bill insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare, but provides a receipts for all payments should you want to file yourself.
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Services Offered
Family Services
The clinic's family counseling services are appropriate for families, couples, step and/or blended families, parent/child, sibling issues, and other relationship concerns as well. Instead of working on issues individually, families work together to become healthier and happier as a unit. Couples counseling can involve general relationship issues, pre-marital, or marital counseling. Families with young children will be involved in family play therapy, whereby counseling is modified to the youngest family member's development so that every member can fully participate in the counseling process.
Individual Counseling
The clinic provides personal, social, and career-related counseling on a one-on-one basis for individuals 18 years of age and older. Geriatric counseling is available.
Adolescent Counseling
Adolescent counseling includes talk and activity based counseling and expressive arts for ages 13-17 to assist with behavior, social, school, peer, and life transition difficulties. Activity therapy entails providing various activities for individuals to engage in for the purposes of facilitating the expression and working through of issues. Activity Therapy is also used for pre-adolescent children ages 9-12.
Parents/caregivers are involved in the process through parent/caregiver consultations. Parent/caregiver consultations are used to inform caregivers of general themes or concerns that arise in the teen's/child's therapy sessions. Parent/caregiver consultations also provide valuable information to the counselor about how the teen/child is behaving at home and at school, as well as how the caregiver typically responds to the teen's/child's needs. Additionally, a parent/caregiver consultation is a time when concerns can be discussed with the counselor about the teen's/child's mental health well-being. This also provides the counselor an opportunity to assist parents/caregivers in learning new skills and techniques to help their teen/child.
Play Therapy for Children
Play Therapy is used for children two years and older. Research supports the use of play therapy with children in this age range as an effective and developmentally appropriate therapeutic approach. Play therapy is utilized to provide children with concrete means of expressing and communicating experiences, thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Play is a child's language, as words can be too abstract for young children to use to process difficult situations (Landreth, 2002). Through the play therapy approach, a consistent, safe, and autonomous environment is established for children to facilitate problem solving, a greater self-concept, development of responsibility, an increase in self-control, and the expression feelings.
Group Counseling
The clinic's Group Counseling services include parent education groups (e.g., Filial Therapy, Positive Discipline), teen groups, activity groups (i.e., for children between the ages of 9-12), and play therapy groups (i.e., for children ages 3-8) for varied concerns and topics.Center for Family Counseling
Fees and Payment
Services Offered To:
Adults
Couples
Teens
Children
Adults
Couples
Teens
Children
Payment:
Sliding Scale
Sliding Scale
If You Call, Please Let Us Know How it Went:
Were You Able to Make an Appointment?
One quick last question. Who was seeking counseling today?
Do you know the reason they are not accepting clients?
214-768-7587
smu.edu
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|
3101 University Blvd
Building 3, Suite 102 Dallas, TX 75205 |
smu.edu
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Qualifying for assistance from Texas' program usually depends on the severity of your condition and financial circumstance. Read our full guide to Texas' program.
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.
