Rural South Georgia faces a significant mental health care shortage, with 55 of Georgia’s counties lacking licensed mental health professionals. According to the Georgia Department of Community Health, an estimated 34% of adults struggling with mental health issues go untreated due to cost and access barriers. The Lowndes Drug Action Council (LODAC), which has worked to address these gaps for more than 30 years, offers free counseling and classes to remove barriers to care.
LODAC recently received two grants to expand its Truancy Intervention Program (TIP), which provides mentoring and counseling for students in Lowndes County and Valdosta City Schools experiencing attendance issues. The program helps eliminate transportation challenges by meeting students directly at school. “We’re excited about the truancy grants because we get to go into the schools even more than before. And that’s our main focus is the students in the school,” said LODAC Program Specialist Marilyn Orr.
Beyond student services, LODAC connects with parents to offer additional counseling and support aimed at improving mental health for the entire family. Licensed social worker Natasha Boone noted that many parents of students request that counselors come to the schools, which helps support both students and parents. According to LODAC Program Specialist Marilyn Orr, the free counseling “gives people access to services that they may not have otherwise had, and it’s an opportunity to have a voice.”
LODAC offers free services on select days in the Lowndes County area and is located at 601 N Toombs Street, Valdosta. The organization can be reached at (229) 333-5175 Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for more information.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.walb.com/2025/09/09/free-counseling-bridges-mental-health-gap-rural-south-georgia/