Dr. Marcy Webb has been a counselor for more than 20 years and helped start the school-based counseling program for Mercy Community Healthcare in Franklin nearly a decade ago. Last month, she was recognized for her service and dedication by the Tennessee Licensed Professional Counseling Association (TLPCA) as this year’s recipient of the Susan Hammonds-White Leadership Award. The award is presented each year at the TLPCA annual conference to a licensed professional counselor who, like Dr. Hammonds-White, leads by example to make a difference in the field of clinical mental health counseling in Tennessee.
“It’s an honor to win an award named after Dr. Susan Hammonds-White,” Webb said. “She took the lead on lobbying for our licensure in the state of Tennessee. We owe our profession to her.”
Webb spends part of her week as a clinical therapist working on-site at Mercy’s Counseling Center, mostly serving children on the autism spectrum. However, a majority of her time is spent supervising the clinic’s school-based counseling program.
“Marcy has been an integral part in the development, growth and continued success of our school-based counseling program,” said Jonathan Boye, chief behavioral health officer at Mercy. “She started the program with one school in 2008, and when school begins for the 2018-2019 year, Mercy will have a presence in 26 elementary, middle and high schools in Williamson and Marshall Counties.”
By providing mental health counseling in schools, Mercy removes the transportation and time barriers for working parents.
“Since we are located in the schools, we can see students more than once a week if needed,” Webb said. “We see what happens to them on a daily basis and can collaborate with their teachers and school administrators as well. Also, parents don’t have to worry about rearranging work schedules to get them to the clinic for an appointment.”
The school-based counseling program includes one-on-one therapy, group therapy, and crisis management to students, along with educational lectures for parents and educators.
Webb earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lee University; a master’s degree in Christian education from the Pentecostal Theological Seminary; a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Wheaton Graduate School; and a doctorate in education (learning and leadership) from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A licensed professional counselor in Tennessee since 1998, Webb is a member of and has held several leadership positions with the TLPCA.
About Mercy Community Healthcare
Mercy Community Healthcare was founded in 1999 as Mercy Children’s Clinic, with a mission to reflect the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by providing excellent healthcare to ALL and support to their families. The nonprofit clinic added mental health and social services to its integrated care program in 2006, and expanded to a new facility at Williamson Square on Murfreesboro Road in 2009. Mercy was awarded a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services designating it as a Federally Qualified Health Center in June 2012, and in 2013, Mercy merged with Grace Medical Clinic and opened the Richard Anderson Adult Center.
As a result of this additional area of focus, Mercy Children’s Clinic transitioned to Mercy Community Healthcare. With its new name, Mercy Community Healthcare seeks to reflect its mission of providing quality, experienced care to everyone – adults, children, insured and uninsured, throughout Middle Tennessee.
As a nonprofit community health provider, Mercy depends on the support of private donations to operate. For more information or to get involved, please visit www.
