Overview
Walk-In Counseling Center was founded by a group of psychologists in 1969, in response to the unmet need for accessible mental health services in the Twin Cities. We incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 1971.
For the past 51 years we have provided free mental health counseling to help thousands of people address issues of depression, anxiety, chemical abuse/dependency, trauma, domestic violence and a variety of other emotional and interpersonal concerns.
Our mission is to provide free, easily accessible mental health counseling to people with urgent needs and few service options. Our overarching goal is to help people stabilize during a time of crisis and resolve problems before they become severe.
We achieve this goal by involving approximately 150 volunteer mental health clinicians each year who provide the services. We estimate the value of our volunteer clinic services at more than $29 million over the past 51 years.
We are, to our knowledge, the only walk-in mental health service in the world (!) staffed entirely by volunteer clinicians.
In 2020 we…
Served approximately 1,500 individuals: men, women, and young people (unduplicated)
Provided 3,000 free formal counseling sessions
Engaged 135 volunteer counselors, team consultants and receptionists who gave counseling, case consultation, outreach and administrative services valued at over $1.1 million
Responded to the pandemic by moving all of our services from in-person to call-in/log-in using the Zoom platform.
Our History & Future
What we've done
Did you know Walk-In Counseling Center has been around for 51 years?
We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2019. Watch a video/read a brief history of Walk-In.
Read a narrative history of our first 40 years and our impact on the Twin Cities’ mental health community.
Where we're headed
We plan to be around for many more years. Learn about our most recent Strategic Plan.
