Meet Alexandra Thompson, LCSW | Director of Cumberland Counseling Centers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexandra Thompson, LCSW and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexandra, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
In mental health we usually see a dichotomy:

Sessions are either $160/hour, it smells like eucalyptus when you walk in and the therapist is fantastic because they are making a reasonable salary to have some work/life balance while carrying so much trauma of the clients they serve on their shoulders. But they are only meeting with those who can afford that, regardless of their love for the community they serve. And they have every right to! They have expensive practices and licenses to keep up with, they went to college for several years and have to pay off those debts, and they have families they provide for! This is not wrong of them by any means.

OR the other side of that is a “lower income community mental health center” where there is a light flickering in the corner and the carpet hasn’t been updated in 25 years, the therapists are burnt out and underpaid, and the turnover rate is high (and fast). These therapists are usually only meeting with the lower income in the community. All of the therapists want a livable wage and a better quality of life, but they may feel called to serve this specific population. And none of that is wrong either!

This division of care solely based on income is what is not right. It isn’t fair that high income earners can afford high quality mental health care with a rested therapist, while low income earners get a high turnover rate and a therapist with too many clients than they have time to keep notes on during their regular working hours.

People also don’t realize that by using your insurance for mental health care, therapists have to make a mental illness diagnosis on the first session, and based on the diagnosis are usually given a number of sessions that correspond. Insurance panels also don’t usually pay the therapists what they can make as “private pay.” And just getting to a therapist on your insurance panel means wading through hundreds of therapists you have to take a chance on, many of whom do not have any availability right now!

None of this is fair to the therapist AND the community, or to the community AND the therapist.

This is why we are partnering with the local Church to help financially support the community mental health outreach, so that overhead can be kept lower, therapists can make what they need to make, and so the entire community has the opportunity for the same quality of mental health care.

We don’t only meet with lower income clients, and we don’t only meet with high income clients. We serve everyone, and we do so by partnering with the local Church.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Cumberland Counseling Centers believes that quality mental health services should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their income.

We offer high quality individual counseling for adults and adolescents, family counseling, marital or relationship counseling, premarital counseling, supportive/therapeutic groups, as well as periodic workshops & seminars.

Through our counseling center, we treat anxiety disorders, depression, trauma, grief and loss, relational issues and more.

We believe our mental health is the foundation on which we view and relate to everything, so if you are struggling with your mental health we are ready to walk alongside you as you heal and transform into more of who you were meant to be!

To begin in therapy with us, visit: CumberlandCenters.org

Additionally, we are a non profit clinical counseling center that partners with the local Church to create mental health equity in our community!

In 2022 we served 308 clients & gave away over $44,000 in scholarships to clients who wouldn’t be able to afford the same high quality of mental health care.

One thing that makes us unique, is that if a client needs a counseling scholarship, we don’t put a cap on it for them. So whether they are in therapy with us for 6 months or 2.5 years, we support them financially until they are done with therapy. Most other scholarships for counseling are specific allotments, like $500 or $1000 to put towards counseling- which usually has the client prematurely end counseling once the money is used up rather than staying with their healing process as long as they really need to.

This year we are focusing on sharing our story with our community much more so they know we have availability for new clients, and that folks in our community who are equally passionate about mental health know how to partner with us and donate regularly to our scholarships fund!

For anyone interested in linking arms with us in the pursuit for mental health equity, please visit:
CumberlandCenters.org/Donate

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a mother of a 4 year old and 8 month old. Mostly everything we do involves our babes and we love that!

Specifically, we love taking them to the Marietta Square which is close to our home.

On an adventure out, we would take you to:

Silla del Toro, Spanish Tapas in Marietta Square

Douceur de France, a French restaurant we’ve been taking our son to since he was one month old!

Tiny Bubbles, bubble tea shop in Marietta Square

Glover Park Brewery in Marietta Square

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To my husband, Ben Thompson. I wouldn’t be able to be brave and take some risks if it weren’t for his steadfast support in every since of that word. He is the best partner, the best partner, the best friend I could have ever imagined.

Website: CumberlandCenters.org

Instagram: @cumberlandcounseling

Facebook: @cumberlandcounseling

Image Credits
Alexandra Thompson, LCSW