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By Travis Gupton

The Selma Times-Journal

The City of Selma has a new place to go for mental health support.

The Irby Wilkins Group has opened the doors to the City Block Wellness Center.

The Center, beside the Coffee Shoppe on 300 Broad Street,will serve as a centralized hub for providing mental health services  and special activities. The building is broken up into different sections for either one-on-one counseling or group activities. There are rocking chairs in the office should anyone want to come in and sit down and clear their mind. The focus of the Wellness Center is on the physical, mental and social wellness of those who walk through the door.

In December 2021, the Surgeon General released a public health advisory addressing America’s youth mental health crisis. Selma was no exception to that crisis and Dr. Rose Wilkins began working with Selma City Schools to help with the mental health of the students in the district. She created a wellness center in Selma High School to help create a safe space for students to go and the success she has had from that has now shown her that there is another group she needs to focus on.

“Our work and success at Selma High School demonstrate the need to offer wellness support beyond the school level to provide broader options for families and the community,” Wilkins said.

The need became even more apparent after the tornado on January 12. Offering a community-based center will expand mental health services for you and adults to help those affected by the tornado and trying to process what happened.