TACC adds 11th partnership site for low-cost mental health care in Atlanta

Training and Counseling Center is expanding its community-based mental health network with a new partnership at Lutheran Towers, bringing affordable therapy and spiritual care to seniors in subsidized housing. The move comes as Atlanta faces a shortage of trauma-informed clinicians and widespread unmet need for treatment.

Why it matters: - Atlanta still has a major mental health access gap, with roughly 25% of U.S. adults who have a mental illness receiving no treatment. - More than 60% of youth with severe major depression go untreated. - TACC’s model aims to bring low-cost, trauma-informed care into community settings where people already live and gather. - The new Lutheran Towers site extends that approach to seniors in subsidized housing.

What happened: - Training and Counseling Center announced Lutheran Towers as its 11th partnership site. - The new site will provide affordable therapy and spiritual care to seniors. - TACC marked the expansion as part of its 50-year effort to meet mental health and spiritual care needs in Atlanta.

The details: - TACC was created by Atlanta community leaders 50 years ago to fill the gap between private therapy and homelessness. - The organization provides care, trains providers and delivers services through partnerships across Atlanta. - Existing partner sites include Atlanta Children’s Shelter, Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence, Motherhood Beyond Bars, Crossroads Community Ministries, Year Up Greater Atlanta, Central Outreach and Advocacy Center, Holy Comforter Friendship Center, Emmaus House, Nicholas House and Church of the Common Ground. - TACC addresses the shortage of trained therapists and chaplains through Counselor Internship and Residencies and Clinical Pastoral Education. - Interns and residents receive hands-on supervision during master’s-level training and licensure preparation. - Dorothea Lotze-Kola, TACC executive director, said trauma often drives mental health needs and that the center uses body-centered practices, including yoga and other holistic support, to help people heal. - TACC is supported by charitable grants, which the organization says are shrinking in today’s economic environment. - TACC also accepts online donations. - TACC is a nonprofit counseling and training center in downtown Atlanta that offers counseling, support groups, CPE training and workshops through a social justice lens.

Between the lines: - The partnership model lets TACC expand care without relying only on a traditional clinic setting. - The addition of a senior-housing site suggests TACC is targeting populations that can face isolation, fixed incomes and barriers to regular treatment. - The grant-reliant funding mix leaves the organization vulnerable as donation and charitable support tightens.

What's next: - TACC will celebrate its 50th anniversary at a fundraising gala on September 26 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at St. Luke's Episcopal Church. - The Atlanta community can also support the organization through direct donations. - More information is available through TACC’s announcement