On any given day, a life-changing experience may occur for clients as well as student counselors at the University of Detroit Mercy Counseling Clinic, where more than 450 adults and children have received no-cost, comprehensive mental health counseling since September 2005.

One particular student's revelation secured her belief in the importance of social justice. It resulted from a client's successful attempt at keeping his appointment despite the obstacles that tried to deter him that day. According to Sheri Pickover, the clinic's director, the client was depressed and wanted to attend his session. He says the clinic is the only place where he can go and not be judged.

"Just because clients cannot afford mental health counseling doesn't mean they don't have the right to receive services at a high quality," says Pickover, assistant professor, Counseling and Addiction Studies.

The clinic, located on UDM's McNichols Campus in Reno Hall, has become a place where second-year graduate Counseling students put their classroom knowledge to the test by facilitating ongoing sessions with clients seeking treatment for a wide range of issues, including grief or loss, addiction, emotional management and truancy. The clinic's mission is to meet the needs of individuals who do not have access to mental health services or cannot pay for it. Most clients are court-referred, have no insurance or are on a long waiting list at their community health center.

Working at the clinic allows students to fulfill their 40-hour, face-to-face program requirement, which is one component of their comprehensive, rigorous academic training. They are supervised by counseling staff and share cases with returning program alumni who donate their counseling services.

While she can't ensure that every student counselor will have a personal transformational experience before leaving the clinic, Pickover knows for certain that their hands-on work prepares them for their upcoming internships.

"I often hear that UDM interns are head and shoulders above other interns because of their work with clients," says Pickover.