GMU Center for Community Mental Health

What GMU Center for Community Mental Health does

GMU Center for Community Mental Health (CCMH) is a non-profit training clinic operated by George Mason University as part of the Department of Psychology within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Established around 2019 (rebranded from the Center for Psychological Services founded in 1972), CCMH provides evidence-based therapy, diagnostic testing and assessment, and medication management services to children, adolescents, adults, and veterans in the Northern Virginia region. The center is staffed by nine core personnel, including an executive director, associate director, stepped-care director, business manager, and office supervisor, with clinical services delivered primarily by supervised doctoral students from GMU's clinical psychology PhD program.

The center's core differentiator is its Stepped Mental Health Care Program, a three-tier model comprising free anonymous emotional support lines in English and Spanish (available 8:30am-8:30pm daily), low-cost coping-skills-based brief intervention with no waitlist, and longer-term therapy as needed. Services are priced on a sliding scale based on income and family size, with sessions as low as $5 for those demonstrating financial need, typically one-third to one-half of private provider rates. The center does not bill insurance but provides receipts for client reimbursement. Distribution channels include an off-campus clinic in Fairfax, VA, telehealth, co-located services in pediatric primary care offices, and partner-delivered services through relationships with Inova Healthcare System, Pediatric Specialists of Virginia, Virginia Department of Veterans Services, and Fairfax County Public Schools.

Revenue is generated through a mix of client fees, philanthropic donations (including the annual Food for Thought fundraiser and the Circle of Champions recurring donor program), grants from organizations such as Inova, and corporate sponsorships (with Leidos as the presenting sponsor). The center also operates APA-accredited externship, postdoctoral fellowship, and undergraduate practicum training programs, and maintains therapy and assessment research databases for clinical outcome evaluation. Notable recognition includes the 2024 Association of Psychology Training Clinics Innovation Award and the 2021 Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations.

Name

GMU Center for Community Mental Health

Legal name

George Mason University Center for Community Mental Health

Website

https://ccmh.gmu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GMU Center for Community Mental Health is a university-affiliated non-profit training clinic providing affordable, evidence-based therapy, diagnostic testing, and medication management to children, adults, and veterans in Northern Virginia on a sliding scale as low as $5 per session.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) & Public Behavioral Health Providers (HLAFACAI)

Keywords

• Community mental health
• Psychological assessment services
• Clinical psychology training
• Sliding scale therapy
• Stepped mental health care

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Client Service Fees: Fee-for-service model with sliding scale fees based on family income and size. Services offered at less than half the standard rate, with fees reduced further for those who qualify. As low as $5 per session for those demonstrating financial need.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Annual Food for Thought fundraiser and individual/corporate donations. Contributions raised more than $175,000 over 18 months. Circle of Champions recurring donor program.
3. Grants: Received grants from Inova Community Health Promotion Fund ($7,000 in 2017, $15,000 in 2016) for treatment and testing services for high-risk, low-income clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CCMH is a university-affiliated, non-profit mental health clinic that provides evidence-based therapy (individual, group, family, and couples), diagnostic and psychological testing, and medication management to children, adolescents, adults, and veterans in Northern Virginia. Services are delivered by supervised graduate students under a sliding-scale fee model (as low as $5/session), with a distinctive Stepped Mental Health Care Program combining free bilingual emotional support lines, brief intervention, and ongoing therapy. The center also functions as a doctoral training clinic, offering APA-accredited externships, postdoctoral fellowships, and undergraduate practicum courses.

Product overview

GMU Center for Community Mental Health (CCMH) is a university-affiliated mental health clinic that operates as both a community health center and a training facility for George Mason University's doctoral candidates in clinical psychology. The center provides evidence-based, affordable, and culturally sensitive mental health services across the lifespan. The core offerings include therapy services (individual, group, family, couples), diagnostic testing and assessment, and medication management. A distinctive feature is the Stepped Mental Health Care Program, which offers a three-tiered approach: free emotional support lines in English and Spanish, low-cost brief intervention, and longer-term therapy. The center specializes in veteran services supported by dedicated funds, and maintains robust training programs including externship, postdoctoral fellowship, and undergraduate practicum opportunities. Research activities include clinical and assessment databases to evaluate treatment effectiveness. Community engagement includes free parent workshops and the annual Food for Thought fundraiser.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stepped Mental Health Care Program: A three-step mental health care model: free emotional support lines in English and Spanish, low-cost coping skills-based treatment, and longer-term therapy.

Products and services

• Therapy Services Individual, group, family, and couples therapy delivered by supervised graduate students using evidence-based treatments for children, teens, adults, and veterans.
• Diagnostic Testing & Assessment Psychoeducational and psychological assessments including cognitive testing, ADHD evaluations, learning disability assessments, and mental health evaluations across the lifespan.
• Medication Management Psychiatric medication management provided in collaboration with psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners on a sliding scale basis.
• Stepped Mental Health Care Program A three-tiered care model offering free emotional support lines (English and Spanish), low-cost coping skills-based brief intervention with no waitlist, and longer-term therapy as needed. Recognized with the 2024 APTC Innovation Award.
• Emotional Support Line (English) Free, anonymous, confidential emotional support hotline available daily 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. at 703-215-1898.
• Línea De Apoyo Emocional en Español Free, anonymous, confidential Spanish-language emotional support hotline available daily 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. at 703-914-3878.
• Specialized Services for Veterans Free assessments and therapy for veterans supported by the Jennifer DiMauro Honor Fund for Veterans, including psychological evaluations for VA claims and discharge upgrades.
• Consultation Services Professional consultation for schools, healthcare providers, and community organizations on mental health matters.
• Psychology Externship Program APA-accredited externship for doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology, with tracks in combined therapy/assessment, primary therapy, primary assessment, and psychometrist roles including veteran and pediatric specializations.
• Postdoctoral Fellowship Programs APA-accredited postdoctoral training in adolescent/young adult clinical psychology and child clinical/pediatric psychology with $61,500 annual stipends.
• Undergraduate Practicum Courses PSYC 412 (Emotional Support Line Training & Practicum) and PSYC 430 (Internship in Psychology) providing undergraduate students hands-on clinical experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ children, teens, adults, and veterans served annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LeidoscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 May 2024Presenting sponsor for Food for Thought annual fundraiser. Leidos is committed to strengthening communities and championing mental wellness, continuing collaboration with CCMH and George Mason University. Senior Manager of Sustainability Carla Post serves on CCMH Committee.
• ConnorStrong FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 May 2024Sponsors monthly community workshops for parents on topics including breaking stigma, social media, graduation blues. Foundation provides ongoing support for community mental health resources.
• The Women's CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Positive Parenting Webinars. Dr. Mehlenbeck partnered with Eileen Long-Farias from The Women's Center for free webinars on managing stress in children and parents.
• CGI FederalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored parenting webinars along with Attain for The Women's Center collaboration.
• AttainminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored parenting webinars along with CGI Federal for The Women's Center collaboration.
• Inova Healthcare SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor community partnership for mental health services. Part of Dr. Mehlenbeck's recognition with Jack Wood Award for numerous community organization partnerships.
• Pediatric Specialists of VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for pediatric mental health services. Part of coordinated care approach in Northern Virginia.
• Virginia Department of Veterans ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing mental health services to veterans. Includes psychological evaluations for VA claims and discharge upgrade cases.
• Fairfax County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool-based mental health partnership providing services to students. Part of Dr. Mehlenbeck's community collaboration recognized by Jack Wood Award.
• AblevetsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIT company in Reston dedicated to helping veterans. Event sponsor for GMU CPS 2nd Annual Fundraiser.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board: The publicly funded behavioral health authority for CCMH's primary service area, providing outpatient mental health, substance use, and case management services. Comparable in mission (community mental health) but operates at a larger public-system scale.
• Inova Behavioral Health Services: Largest regional health system in Northern Virginia and an active CCMH partner. Comparable in that it provides outpatient behavioral health services in the same geography, but at broader hospital-system scale with insurance billing.

Regional players

• Wendt Center for Loss and Healing: DC-area nonprofit providing counseling and mental health services with a community-access mission. Comparable as a DMV-based nonprofit mental health provider, though narrower in its focus on grief and trauma.
• Northern Virginia Family Service: Large Northern Virginia social services nonprofit offering counseling, case management, and behavioral health supports across the lifespan. Comparable in regional nonprofit mental-health service delivery and sliding-fee approach.

Direct peers

• James Madison University Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): Another Virginia public university counseling and training clinic serving the surrounding community. Closely matches CCMH in terms of being a state-university affiliated training site in the same Mid-Atlantic region.
• University at Buffalo Clinical Psychology Training Clinic: University-affiliated training clinic explicitly cited as replicating CCMH's Stepped Mental Health Care model. Operates on the same university-training-clinic model delivering therapy, assessment, and training in a single structure.
• University of Maryland Center for Counseling, Assessment, and Psychological Services (CCAPS): Regional public-university psychology training clinic providing therapy, assessment, and training services to the surrounding community. Closely comparable in mission (community service + doctoral training) and scale.
• Virginia Tech Psychological Services Center: Virginia public-university psychology training clinic offering therapy and assessment services to the community while training doctoral students. Comparable regional training-clinic model and sliding-fee structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gmucps
• Instagraminstagram.com/gmucps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gmuccmh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about GMU Center for Community Mental Health