Qlarant Foundation Grantee, Pro Bono Counseling, Connects Marylanders to Mental Health Support

Qlarant Foundation awarded Pro Bono Counseling (PBC) a $16,000 grant as part of the 2024 grant cycle. PBC removes barriers and provides relief by connecting Marylanders to mental health support. PBC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded with the goal of connecting uninsured and under-insured low-income Marylanders with compassionate and qualified mental health professionals who provide care on a volunteer basis at no cost.

PBC was born from the vision of Sally C. Millemann, MSW. In 1989, while serving as Associate Director of the Maryland Disability Law Center and President of the Maryland Conference of Social Concern, she saw a critical need that was going unmet. Too many Marylanders were at risk of “falling through the cracks” in the state’s mental health care system, because they earned too much to qualify for state benefits yet could still not afford counseling on their own.

Her solution was a request for clinicians in private practice to take a single pro bono case per year, providing needed care and resources to these at-risk Marylanders. With the generous support of the Morris Goldseker Foundation and other local philanthropic organizations, Pro Bono Counseling officially began on May 1, 1991.

Since its founding, Pro Bono Counseling has helped over 30,000 individuals and families throughout Maryland connect with volunteer counselors and obtain the mental health care they could not otherwise afford. Presently, PBC has over 800 volunteer clinicians all over the state of Maryland who give over 16,000 hours of their time each year.

Pro Bono Counseling’s services are provided via three programs: Counseling Services, the PBC WARMLine, and Clinician Education and Support. Qlarant Foundation funds will support the PBC WARMLine which provides on-demand, telephone-based connection with a mental health professional. It addresses many common barriers to accessible mental health care including high cost, time constraints, lack of transportation, technology difficulties, and stigma.

The WARMLine began in 2020 to address the unique mental health needs felt during the height of the pandemic. Over time it has proven to meet a number of needs that existed prior to the pandemic and continue to the present including social isolation and gaps in care.

The WARMLine is not a substitute for crisis services or ongoing therapy; when callers express these needs, they are connected to appropriate resources, including local crisis centers and the PBC Counseling Program. In 2022, the WARMLine received 1,595 calls from over 500 unique callers.