WAUKESHA, Wis. — A new mental health outpatient clinic has opened in Waukesha County, the third facility to open in the area within six months.
“So, we currently have seven clinicians,” said Kelly Kuehl, clinical director at Ellie Mental Health.
The Ellie Mental Healthoutpatient clinic just opened its doors and therapists say they are already seeing calls from families. Kelly Kuehl and Dawn Reese said their goal in the opening was to give more people in Waukesha County access to mental health help.
“Just seeing that there are six-month waiting lists, year-long waiting lists to see someone as simple as an outpatient therapist. That is incredibly frustrating and unfair,” said Kuehl.
And that is especially true for parents who want their children seen. A 2021 study of Waukesha County High School students found 56 percent were experiencing anxiety, depression, or thoughts of harming themselves. That has translated into a lot of calls from families for help to Ellie.
Watch: Third new facility for mental health opens in Waukesha County
“A lot of referrals that we are getting are those who want to work with kids. Even younger kids so we are seeing 5-year-old, 6-year-old referrals,” said Reese.
The need in Waukesha County is so great that, in the past six months, three new mental health facilities have opened. Kuehl says it’s not just families but also people battling substance abuse and trauma who are driving the demand.
“It is like concentric circles. There are a lot of folks trying to get into treatment and there are not a lot of practitioners. As we kind of move out, there are a lot of people who want treatment and you get fewer and fewer practitioners as you move further and further from Milwaukee,” said Kuehl.
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