CareNet serving mental health needs of area

Sept. 05--In 2012, 18.6 percent of adults in the United States had some form of mental illness, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported by the National Institutes of Health. That 18.6 percent represented 43.7 million adults ages 18 or older.

And while it may not be a topic often discussed openly in the community, there are resources for people in the local area who are need of counseling services to help cope with a number of disorders.

CareNet Counseling is a statewide agency that is a nonprofit network of Wake Forest Baptist Health, explained Robert Willis, a local clinician with CareNet. "We are employees of the hospital, but no money changes hands," Willis said of the relationship between CareNet and Baptist.

"We have clinics from Mooresville, Statesville, Mount Airy, Mocksville, Wilmington, Elkin, Wilkesboro," he said of the organization's widespread reach to serve those in need. "It is the largest hospital-based counseling center in the nation to my knowledge."

CareNet's presence in Elkin, which at the time is one day a week, but will be gradually expanding in the future, began about three years ago, according to Willis. "The president of CareNet identified there were no mental health services in Elkin. So we talked to doctors, churches, police officers and verified it was a therapeutic desert of sorts," he said.

Funding to expand the CareNet Counseling of Wilkes center into Elkin was secured through the Yadkin Valley United Fund and the Winston-Salem Foundation.

"We've been here about a year one day a week. We are set up with a full-time clinician and a resident, and our main office is out of First United Methodist Church," said Willis, who is the clinician at the Elkin office while also spending time in Wilkes.

Will Eads is the resident. He is a doctoral student and is mainly working at Grace Clinic serving under-insured patients there, Willis said.

CareNet provides "mental health service for anxiety, depression, phobias, marital issues, basic mental health issues and, up to a certain point, provide substance abuse therapy," Willis explained. "If patients are actively using heavy substances then we work as a bridge to get them services.

"CareNet is known as a faith-based counseling center, but our roles are not to be evangelists but to counsel them in any difficulties they are facing," he said. "We are legitimate counselors. Everybody either has an associate license or is fully licensed in North Carolina to practice as one of three -- Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist."

The counseling center does bill insurance, and it works on a sliding scale for payment for those who are not insured.

"We partner with Grace Clinic and the ARK, and we also work with doctors, lawyers, and provide services to a full range of economic statuses," Willis said. "A majority of our referrals come through word of mouth."

He said that plans are in the next couple of weeks to have an office space with Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital through the new psychiatrist, Dr. Lee Bourgeois, at Hugh Chatham Behavioral Health.

"We have an advisory board here in Elkin, which is a satellite location, but we report back to the Wilkes board on finances," Willis explained.

"We're growing, we had 12 referrals yesterday with five of those from Elkin. More of the doctor's offices in Elkin are recognizing we are legitimate, not just someone hanging a shingle out on the door."

As the new offices are secured with Hugh Chatham, Willis said CareNet will be slowly adding days that clinicians will be in the Elkin office. "We are in a process of capacity building," he said. "We will gradually over time grow. We will meet the need."

Do I need counseling?

Willis said there are several factors that counselors weigh, and that an individual can consider, when determining if someone is in need of mental health services.

"We would measure, is there something that is impacting one's mental state -- emotions, mood, reactions -- keeping you from participating in normal life," he said. "When I was in classes, it was if something was impeding your functioning at least 30 minutes a day, then it is enough to seek help. For someone with obsessive compulsive disorder, it might be needing to repeat an action several times before moving on to something else, checking a lock over and over."

Outreach, education offered

Another service of CareNet Counseling is providing educational seminars to groups in the community, whether it be a Rotary club, church group, a group of parents within the CareNet network, on topics such as suicidality, parenting, mental health in Elkin.

And Willis said those interested in having a speaker attend a meeting should just contact CareNet. "We're open to doing just about anything mental health," he said.

"We provide integrated care at Grace Clinic. I do a diabetic support group each Monday, and it runs for so many weeks and then we switch it up," said Willis.

"We really want to invest in the community and constantly are working for ways to provide services that work to help people," he said.

To reach CareNet Counseling, those in the community can call 336-838-1644, and Willis can be reached at rawillis@wakehealth.edu.

Wendy Byerly Wood may be reached at 336-258-4035 or on Twitter @wendywoodeditor.

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