POCATELLO — The wait to get an appointment with a mental health counselor is two to three months at agencies throughout town, explained counselor Sara Bigelow.

On Monday, Bigelow opened her own local private practice, Blackrock Counseling, located in the Herzog Building at 850 E. Center St., Suite B, to provide another option for people in need of help who haven’t been able to access counseling services in a timely manner.

For those experiencing anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges, Bigelow said long waits to see a counselor can lead to “a decline in their functioning and an increase in mental health symptoms.”

Bigelow said she has no current waiting list and will meet with clients immediately. She offers both in-person, telehealth video counseling services. She accepts private pay and private insurance.

She also offers couples counseling and is certified in accelerated resolution therapy, which has its foundation in the treatment of trauma but is also used to treat depression and anxiety as a means of resolving symptoms quickly.

Bigelow graduated from the Idaho State University counseling program in 2004.

“I grew up in this community so I chose to stay in this community to give back,” she said.

Bigelow has been in counseling for 17 years, working most of that time for Portneuf Valley Family Center.

She believes the combination of a shortage of local counselors and the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to the current backlog for counseling services. She said many people have struggled with isolation, limited social interaction and anxiety or depression about lost income or the potential to lose a job.