For years, counseling students at both the master’s and doctoral levels in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development have been able to prepare for their careers by working in the Nicholas A. Vacc Counseling and Consulting Clinic on the UNC Greensboro campus. The Vacc Clinic is a training facility that aims to provide mental health services to both the UNCG and greater Greensboro communities.
During the 2024-25 academic year, the clinic served 333 adult clients, an increase of 23 percent from the previous year. This year, the clinic will be expanding its services to provide resources for children and adolescents. Children can receive services beginning at age five.
Clinic director Alex Cammarano said, “We decided to restart services for minors to support the growing need for mental health services among children and adolescents. In recent years, this population has faced increasing challenges, including heightened stress, anxiety, and behavioral concerns. Often these concerns may be related to family dynamics, life transitions, school pressures, and social changes. By reintroducing these services, we hope to provide early intervention and developmentally appropriate support. These efforts are aimed at long-term goals of promoting resilience, strengthening family relationships, and preventing more significant concerns from developing later in life.”
The Vacc Clinic offers individual counseling, couples and family counseling, group counseling, and psychoeducation workshops and training. Both the individual and group services are available either in-person or via telehealth.
Cammarano said, “It is important to reach the greater Greensboro and North Carolina communities because the mental health needs of children, adolescents, adults, and families extend well beyond the university’s campus. While serving the university setting remains a priority, expanding services to the broader public allows the Vacc Clinic to address gaps in access to care, especially for individuals who face barriers to receiving counseling services.”
One of the missions of the Vacc Clinic is to provide services that are affordable. Rates are determined on a sliding scale and consider a family’s household income. Fees range from $10-30 per session for individuals. UNCG students, faculty, and staff can obtain services for $5 per session for individuals. Couples and family services begin at $20 for community members and $10 for UNCG students, faculty, and staff.
This semester, the Vacc Clinic expects to have between 30 and 35 counselors-in-training, both at the master’s and doctoral level, available for client services.
Cammarano said, “This outreach and mission not only benefits the community by promoting well-being, but also enhances the training experience for our graduate counseling students by exposing them to a wider range of client concerns and cultural contexts.”
The clinic operates throughout the academic year and has hours from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday.
