The statewide virtual free mental health clinic’s model expands access to mental health services and strengthens Virginia’s mental health workforce
RICHMOND, Va. (April 23, 2025) – In just one year after being established as a first-of-its-kind statewide virtual free mental health clinic and workforce development program, the Virginia Telemental Health Initiative (VTMHI) has more than tripled its reach, expanding from 10 to 30 free and charitable clinic partners across the Commonwealth.
Through these growing partnerships, VTMHI delivers free teletherapy to uninsured and underinsured patients referred by participating clinics – expanding access to critical mental health care statewide.
VTMHI is simultaneously focused on growing the mental health workforce. VTMHI matches volunteer pre-licensed mental health providers in the process of completing licensure with a clinical supervisor to achieve needed patient contact hours while providing pro bono services to patients of participating free and charitable clinics.
Since its inception, 60 pre-licensed mental health providers have served more than 350 unique patients. To date, over a dozen providers who volunteered with VTMHI to meet their patient contact hour requirements have become licensed.
“VTMHI has scaled rapidly to meet the growing demand for services and is bolstering the mental health workforce by creating shorter, more robust pathways to licensure for post-graduate mental health professionals,” said Kathy H. Wibberly, PhD, director of the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center and vice president of VTMHI’s board. “By working alongside clinic staff, VTMHI addresses not only mental health but also substance use, primary care, and social drivers of health, ensuring that patients receive comprehensive, holistic support.”
In addition to establishing partnerships with clinics to serve more regions across Virginia, increasing engagement from bilingual volunteer providers has remained a critical need since the program’s launch. Today, nearly one in five patients require therapy in a language other than English.
“Many of our [patients whose primary language is not English], especially older patients, want to talk to a provider in their own language without using an interpreter,” said Beth Collins, clinic medical coordinator with Guadalupe Free Clinic. “They worry things could get lost in translation. VTMHI has been able to connect patient referrals with providers who can speak [their native language], which has been a huge benefit.”
In 2024, VTMHI volunteers were able to provide teletherapy in Creole, Farsi, French, Guyanese, Hindi, Japanese, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Urdu.
“We’re proud to have been able to serve patients in their native language, and grateful to all our volunteers who made that possible,” said Mara Servaites, VTMHI’s executive director. “But we still have many patients waiting to receive mental health services in a language other than English. Expanding VTMHI’s multilingual services by recruiting more bilingual volunteers – especially Spanish-speaking providers – is among one of our top priorities right now.”
A recent behavioral health needs assessment of 158 Spanish-speaking Latinos in the Greater Richmond area found that 20 percent reported depression or anxiety and nearly half had experienced at least one traumatic event. However, nearly 70 percent had never sought mental health care due to lack of health care coverage, among other factors.
Mental health providers licensed in Virginia or pursuing licensure in Virginia can learn more about volunteering for VTMHI here.
Founded by the Virginia Telehealth Network, the program is made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the University of Virginia Karen S. Rheuban Center for Telehealth, the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center, and VTMHI’s volunteers and free and charitable clinic partners.
Interested patients can contact free clinics directly to determine their eligibility and make appointments.
To find a participating clinic near you, visit https://virginiatelementalhealth.org/accesscare/.
To learn more about VTMHI, visit https://virginiatelementalhealth.org/.
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About the Virginia Telemental Health Initiative
The Virginia Telemental Health Initiative (VTMHI) is a 501c3 nonprofit and first-of-its-kind statewide virtual free mental health clinic that provide telemental health services to un- and under-insured patients by collaborating with Virginia’s free and charitable clinics and pre-licensed mental health providers in the process of completing licensure.