Impact Story
Midlands Counseling Center at Epworth Children's Home
Providing Counseling Services to Vulnerable Populations
Adding a Counseling Center for Children and Families enabled Epworth Children's Home to provide better assistance to the people who turned to them for help.
About the Organization
Epworth Children’s Home was founded in 1896 to provide care and support to the orphans of South Carolina. Now, more than 125 years later, Epworth is known for being a champion for children and families in the area. They’ve consistently innovated and helped define best practices for children and family programs, and are always looking for opportunities to expand their services to better serve their community.
About the Grant
In 2019, Epworth wanted to add a Counseling Center for Children and Families to its support services. They were already supporting these communities through difficult times, and this additional layer of service would enable them to provide better assistance to the people that turned to them for help.
Why it Was Funded
The 2019 grant enabled the Epworth Children’s Home to build out its Counseling Center and services, directly addressing two of the Foundation’s key areas of focus (Access to Care and Investing in the Health and Well-Being of South Carolina Children and Families). They have been able to fill a desperate need.
Almost 1,000 children and families served—73% of patients served were 0-24 months old.
Project Results
Epworth Center for Counseling has provided services to nearly 1,000 children and families that otherwise would have had to wait 3-4 months for services, or not been able to access services at all. Seventy-three percent of the patients served were less than two years old and came from situations of abuse and neglect, chronic poverty, and traumatic family conditions.
As a direct result of the grant, the Center for Counseling now offers:
- Outpatient counseling for children, teens, and adults.
- Licensed and trained therapists specializing in treating mental, behavioral and substance use concerns.
- Parenting classes.
- Individual, family, and group therapy.
Ongoing Support
Epworth Children’s Home received an additional grant from the Foundation in 2022, which has allowed them to expand their Counseling Center to other regions of the state for increased access to much-needed mental health services. Their Anderson, SC, location opened in 2023, with a Charleston expansion planned for 2025.
