About

Our Mission 

To provide affordable, accessible, high-quality mental health services to all central Texans who desire them. To provide an unparalleled training environment for pre- and post-graduate therapists from all of the helping professions.
 
History of Capital Area Counseling
 

Capital Area Counseling(CAC), formerly known as Capital Area Mental Health Center, was organized by the Capital Area Psychological Association in 1980 in response to the need for low-cost psychological services to the citizens of Austin and Travis County. During its first year, CAC had 51 volunteer psychologists who donated 1,652 hours of therapy time.

It was a new concept. While there were low-cost medical clinics across the nation, no one had developed a mental health clinic using professional volunteers. Without the dedication of pro-bono work shown by our professional volunteers, CAC would not have begun.

Table and plantIn the late 1980′s CAC added a new facet to our mental health services: becoming a training setting for advanced doctoral students and graduate interns in counseling and social work. Today, therapists-in-training provide therapy as part of their practicum, and maintain a caseload of 2 to 15 clients, investing 6 to 25 hours weekly. The majority of CAC therapists are post-graduates, accumulating hours towards their permanent license, or advanced licensure. These therapists are supervised by CAC community professional volunteers and CAC staff, resulting in one of the strongest, multi-disciplinary training and mental health centers available in the Austin area.