HELL'S KITCHEN — A new mental health initiative is offering therapy to anyone — for as cheap as one dollar.
The sessions, with sliding-scale prices based on the client's financial situation, start Thursday, July 21, at Metropolitan Community Church, on West 36th Street near 10th Avenue. Volunteer therapists from the non-profit Our Collective Mental Health will take individual appointments, with no limit on the number of sessions.
"We won't turn anyone away," said Jennifer Ray, a licensed clinical social worker and one of the staff volunteers working on the project.
Collective Mental Health started in January as an all-inclusive counseling provider with locations in Union Square and Vermont, and most of the therapists are currently working on their masters degree in mental health counseling, Ray said.
"We try to reach out to populations that have been neglected in the past, which is one of the reasons we're excited to partner with MCC," she said, adding that the LGBTQ community in particular, which the church caters to, has received insufficient counseling attention.
However, Ray emphasized that anyone can schedule an appointment for a therapy session.
MCC, at 446 W. 36th St., will offer sessions Mondays and Thursdays.
