Wellroot Family Services, a faith-based nonprofit, opened two new behavioral health clinics in DeKalb and Hall counties, Georgia, expanding access to mental health services for children and families. The clinics in Tucker and Gainesville now offer individual, family, and group therapy, along with psychiatric care and prevention education designed to address behavioral health challenges early in development.
Comprehensive Approach to Prevention
Wellroot’s model integrates behavioral health services with broader family support programs including foster care, kinship care, family resiliency counseling, transitional and independent living for young adults, and family housing. According to Christina Lennon, chief strategy and innovation officer at Wellroot Family Services, the organization’s mission is “to help children and families and prepare them to be healthy, stable, and productive.” The comprehensive approach aims to reduce the risk of substance misuse and lessen the need for emergency mental health care by serving families holistically.
Measurable Prevention Impact
The organization’s preventive interventions produce measurable results. Parenting coaching has led to reduction in household hostility and over-reactivity by as much as 30%, helping preserve families. According to Lennon, a trauma-informed environment produces downstream benefits: “If we provided a trauma-informed environment for kids, you would see less substance use. You would see less need for real acute mental and behavioral health, and we know how to do it.” The organization emphasizes moving upstream to help those most affected by trauma, enabling them to use their experiences to help others and break cycles of behavioral health challenges.
A Protective Factor in Child Development
Wellroot describes its trauma-informed approach as a preventive intervention. “When a child is in a trauma-informed environment, and believes that they’re safe, believes that there’s someone listening to them, believes there’s something they can talk to — It’s basically a vaccine for future trauma,” Lennon said. This model frames early behavioral health support as a protective factor that establishes resilience and healthy coping patterns during formative years.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.gpb.org/news/2026/02/27/wellroot-opens-2-new-behavioral-health-clinics-in-georgia-vaccine-against-mental