COUNSELING CENTER NEARS COMPLETION OF NEW FACILITY

Moving day for the Community Counseling Center is just over a week away.

On Dec. 9 the center will open its new 20,000-square-foot, $1.5 million building at 402 S. Silver Springs Road.

The Community Counseling Center provides a variety of mental health services in the community.

Mati Stone, clinical director at the center said: "The Community Counseling Center has been in existence since 1974. We finally have a home, a permanent home. We have space for growth within the building and there is land available here should future expansion be necessary."

Funds for the building came from loans, federal grants and $200,000 collected in a capital campaign.

The Community Counseling Center is currently housed in a leased, 8,000-square-foot building at 24 S. Mount Auburn Road

The building has two levels. Entrance for the upper level is at the front of the building; entrance for the lower level is at the rear of the building.

The upper level includes offices for individual, family and group therapy and medical services.

The lower level provides space for educational services like the Alcohol Related Traffic Offense Program, defensive driving, alcohol and drug education programs and other community programs.

The Family Learning Center, a program for children, will be housed in the lower level. It is currently in a house on South Sprigg.

In-home therapist services and business offices are also on the lower level.

"We will have five empty offices when we move in," Stone said.

"We have been really pleased with everything," Stone said. "Everything came in on schedule and within the budget."

Many of the rooms have been donated by different businesses.

"We are very pleased with the layout. It's functional and serves its purpose. The colors are very comfortable."

For example, some rooms are equipped with two-way mirrors and are wired for a video camera.

"This is all very exciting," Stone said.

She has been active in the process of raising money and designing the new building. "It's exciting to see all this come together."

While business continues as usual at the counseling center, Stone said: "We've already started to box things. We've started clearing out old, non-essential materials and begun to pack for the move."

Stone said the administrative and support staff will move to the new building Dec. 5.

The center will close for one day Dec. 6 and the clinical staff will move. On that day, a recorded message at the Community Counseling Center will refer clients with emergencies to call the hotline at 1-800-356-5395.

On Dec. 9, the Community Counseling Center will open for business in its new home.

A public open house is planned Jan. 19 from 2-4 p.m.