Media Room

This week, the historic railroad depot at the intersection of Colorado and Pikes Peak avenues officially reopens to the community as a “best-in-class” counseling center.

Rockies Counseling Center is a training facility for graduate students and a place where individuals, children and families in the Pikes Peak area can receive high-quality, low-cost therapy services. Students who are training to become mental health providers practice their skills in the clinic under the supervision of licensed clinical psychologists.

The clinic occupies an area of the railroad depot that was once used for luggage storage when the building first opened in 1918. For 54 years, it was an active passenger depot for travelers on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railway. In 1972, the railroad tracks were removed as routes were consolidated.

The counseling center was established in 1992 as an entity of Chapman University with only a handful of counseling rooms. The clinic transferred ownership to the Colorado School of Professional Psychology (COSPP) in 1999 when Chapman closed its Colorado Springs campus. COSPP opened in 1998, and acquired all of Chapman’s graduate students.

At that time, Drs. Robert and Margaret Switzer provided generous support to the clinic, and it became known as the Switzer Community Counseling Center.

When the clinic was first opened the location was chosen, in part, for its proximity to public transportation, providing low-income clients easier access to mental health services. Today, the clinic sees patients from a broad range of backgrounds and income levels.  

Rockies Counseling Center currently offers its services for a flat fee of $25 to individuals who have insurance but choose not to use it, and a sliding scale is in place for those without insurance or with limited income. No one is denied services based on inability to pay.  

“We offer a wide range of services at a very low cost to the community,” explained Dr. Marian Edelbrock, director of behavioral health, who oversees the clinic. “We also have a sliding scale fee structure in place so that no one is denied care.”

Before its renovation, RCC provided over 4,300 therapy sessions annually to individuals in the community. With the additional space, the RCC increased its capacity to serve – and it’s already on track to do so. In the first four months of 2011, more than 1,800 hours of therapy were provided. 

“The need for quality, low-cost mental and behavioral healthcare in this community is great. We are pleased to be filling a need while also providing our students with the best possible training,” said Dr. Bob Edelbrock, vice president and campus director for University of the Rockies. 

Over the past four years, the clinic has undergone many changes. Bridgepoint Education purchased the Colorado School of Professional Psychology in 2007, changing the name to University of the Rockies. The counseling center was renamed Rockies Counseling Center in 2010. 

At a community celebration and grand reopening on June 3, visitors will see other, more important and exciting changes. 

The counseling center doubled in size and is now approximately 10,000 square-feet. It includes a dozen therapy rooms, a charting room, an audiovisual room, a classroom, an intake office, seven offices and a student lounge.

Each therapy room is uniquely designed so that clients and student therapists can test room orientations and color schemes. In addition, therapy rooms play music. The clinic also gained several rooms that can accommodate group therapy.

“Our students are being exposed to a wide range of therapies, which will help them discover techniques and preferences that they may incorporate into their own practices someday,” said Dr. Marian Edelbrock. 

Along with the physical expansion, RCC is upgrading its use of technology. 

All 12 therapy rooms are equipped with video cameras so therapy sessions may be recorded for supervision and teaching purposes. An audiovisual room located in the clinic has 13 wall-mounted monitors and wireless headphones for secure viewing.

One of the therapy rooms is dedicated to neuropsychology. Using electroencephalography (EEG) and neurofeedback, trained clinicians can view, analyze and train brain activity in patients. With the dedicated space and newly acquired tools, Rockies Counseling Center is able to offer neuropsychology assessment and training. This room also contains an “egg chair” used for relaxation and biofeedback.  

The student charting room contains 17 cubicles, each equipped with a computer connected to a secure database. The room was designed for maximum privacy and HIPA compliance as students electronically record their notes after each therapy session.     

Members of the community are invited to tour the facility at a grand reopening celebration at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 3. To attend this free event, RSVP to 719.442.0606.

Private tours will also be available upon request.

About University of the Rockies

University of the Rockies is a graduate school specializing in master's and doctorate degree programs in the social and behavioral sciences. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org), classes are offered online and at the University's Colorado Springs, Colorado, campus. For more information, please visit www.rockies.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations, at 866.621.0124 x2513.

About Rockies Counseling Center

Rockies Counseling Center provides low-cost psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families who chose not to use their insurance or have only a limited ability to pay. Located on campus in Colorado Springs, students of University of the Rockies use the center for on-site training, allowing them to practice their psychotherapy skills. For more information, please visit www.rockies.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations, at 866.621.0124 x2513.