The mission of Community Counseling and Assessment Services (CCAS) is to provide quality clinical experiences for UMKC counselors and psychologists in training by offering a wide range of affordable mental health services to Kansas City’s diverse and under-served populations.
Practicum students are specifically trained on multicultural awareness and competence to work with a broad range of clients who represent various kinds of diversity, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, age, religion, and disability status. CCAS offers counseling services to residents of greater Kansas City and University students referred by the UMKC Counseling, Health and Testing Center.
CCAS is offering telehealth counseling services during the pandemic and hybrid telehealth assessment services. Individuals bring many types of concerns to CCAS including depression, anxiety, loneliness, familial and relationship issues, stress-related problems, issues surrounding sexuality or gender, and academic/vocational issues.
Research shows that as few as eight counseling sessions can reduce symptoms for those suffering from depression, anxiety disorders, or other mental health concerns. Counseling can also help families or couples that are struggling with issues of divorce, abuse, addiction, and loss.
Comprehensive testing services are often needed for children, adolescents, and adults who experience such things as low grades in school, difficulty paying attention or following directions, and problems with social skills to determine whether learning, attention deficit, emotional, or behavioral disorders are present. CCAS provides comprehensive diagnostic assessments to those who do not have access to health insurance or other healthcare resources. All assessments include written recommendations for intervention, accommodations, and/or referrals. When problems presented are not within the CCAS’s scope of practice, appropriate referral resources are identified for clients.
CCAS is administered by the Counseling and Counseling Psychology (CCP) Division in the School of Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and provides training opportunities to graduate students from CCP, the Department of Psychology, and the Department of Social Work.
