Wingate Community Counseling Training Clinic

Our Mission

The Wingate Community Counseling Training Clinic is dedicated to providing free, high-quality, and accessible mental health counseling services to individuals and families residing in North and South Carolina. Our mission is twofold:

To serve the public by removing financial barriers to essential mental health care.
To provide a state-of-the-art training environment for our graduate-level counselors, ensuring they develop into ethical, skilled, and trauma-informed practitioners under the direct supervision of experienced, Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisors.

We look forward to partnering with you on your mental health journey, if you have any questions please reach out to Professor and Founding Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, Dr. Jennifer Jordan.

Jennifer Jordan (She/Her/Hers) Ph.D., LCMHC, NC Qualified Supervisor, LPC, LPCS, NCC, CCTP
Professor and Founding Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program
President, South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors, and Psycho-Educational Specialists
Executive Director, South Carolina Counseling Association

About the Clinic

Accessible and Affordable Care

We understand the financial barriers that often prevent people from seeking mental health support. All services offered at the Wingate Community Training Clinic are completely free of charge to the public.

In-Person Services: Available at the Wingate University main campus.
Telehealth Services: Available to anyone currently residing anywhere in North Carolina or South Carolina.

Our Counselors and Supervision

Your care is provided by master's-level graduate counseling students who are bright, motivated, and actively engaged in their professional training.

Training & Expertise: Our student counselors receive intensive academic instruction and clinical training.
Licensed Supervision: Every session and case is directly supervised by highly experienced Licensed Professional Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisors who are faculty members. This ensures the highest standards of ethical and effective care for every client.

Take the Next Step

The Wingate Community Training Clinic will officially begin seeing clients starting January 2026. Currently, we are accepting individuals aged 12 and older for our counseling services. To make an appointment, get on our waiting list or to inquire about our services please contact us today:

Phone: (704) 233-6652
Email: m.gilarreguin@wingate.edu
Our office is located at 301 Levine College of Health Sciences, Wingate NC, 28174
The zoom link to for our office is here.

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Office Zoom

Our Approach to Counseling

The Wingate Counseling Program emphasizes cutting-edge, evidence-based practices, ensuring our student counselors are prepared to meet the complex needs of today's clients.

Trauma-Informed Counseling
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Trauma-Informed Counseling

Our program operates from a Trauma-Informed perspective. This means our counselors recognize the widespread impact of trauma and understand potential paths for recovery. They are trained to approach every client with:

Safety: Prioritizing physical and emotional security.
Trustworthiness: Making tasks clear and maintaining appropriate boundaries.
Collaboration: Working together with you to set goals.
Empowerment: Highlighting your strengths and choices in treatment.

Our students have a sophisticated understanding of how trauma impacts mental health, including the differences between Top-Down and Bottom-Up therapeutic approaches:

Approach	Description	Goal
Top-Down	Focuses on the cognitive and rational brain (the prefrontal cortex). This involves using talk-therapy techniques like identifying, processing, and changing thoughts, narratives, and beliefs about one's self and experiences.	To gain insight, change limiting beliefs, and exert rational control over emotions.
Bottom-Up	Focuses on the body and nervous system (the limbic system and brainstem). This involves techniques that work directly with physical sensations, movement, and the body's natural stress response (e.g., grounding, mindfulness, and sensory-motor exercises).	To regulate the nervous system, release stored trauma responses, and feel safe in one's own body.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Our counselors are specifically trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based behavioral therapy. ACT helps clients create a rich, full, and meaningful life while accepting the pain that inevitably comes with it.

ACT focuses on six core processes to help you achieve Psychological Flexibility:

Acceptance: Openly and actively allowing difficult thoughts and feelings to be present without fighting them.
Defusion: Learning to step back from, observe, and gain distance from unhelpful thoughts, seeing them as just words, not absolute truths.
Being Present: Engaging fully in the here-and-now experience with openness and curiosity.
Self-as-Context: Seeing yourself as the container for your thoughts and feelings, rather than being defined by them.
Values: Clarifying what truly matters deep in your heart (e.g., family, growth, health, creativity).
Committed Action: Taking effective action guided by your values, even when difficult thoughts or feelings arise.

Questions?

Maira Gil-Arreguin
Administrative Assistant
m.gilarreguin@wingate.edu
(704) 233-6652