Education Specialist

First Compass Health Center opens in Minnesota. * anja wuolu [email protected] * apr 24, 2026 updated apr 24, 2026 * 0. Golden Valley is now home to the Compass Health Center, which offers mental health services to individuals ages 12 and older. "The compass story began with a simple but very powerful idea that patients who are in a mental health crisis should be able to obtain services in the moments that they need them, not weeks or months later," Dr. Claudia Welke, co-founder of Compass, told the crowd. Welke said they began with three patients and today they help over 1500 people each day. To illustrate what they do at Compass, Welke shared an emotional anecdote about someone named Claire. "Claire was 20 when she came to Compass," Welke said. "Two years before coming, she had set off to college, like so many young people, full of hopes and dreams about what college would be like. Tragically, during her first semester of college, she was sexually assaulted by a well-known university athlete. As you can imagine, her world unraveled things that seemed so simple to her before going to class, chatting with friends, just feeling safe - no longer felt possible." Welke said Claire tried a therapist, but symptoms grew worse. She considered hospitalization but took a chance with Compass. "I came to Compass not expecting change, but each of you challenged that," Claire wrote in a note to her treatment team. "For the first time I'm present in class, I can talk about my traumas, and I can be in a room with men without breaking down, and I can say that a meaningful life feels possible." What does Compass do? There are a few different treatment plans, but patients usually spend several hours a day, five days a week at Compass while continuing to live in at home. Patients at Compass are usually those suffering from things like OCD, trauma and PTSD, anxiety and mood disorders. Compass collects and publishes data on outcomes and has found a 30% average improvement "emotional and functional well-being" from patients treated from 2023 to 2025. The main therapy treatments include acceptance and commitment therapy, which "focuses on values, acceptance of difficult thoughts and feelings, and taking meaningful action." Then there is cognitive behavioral therapy, that "helps people identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors." Compass also offers dialectical behavior therapy skills, which "teaches emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness." The other co-founder is Dr. David Shreiber, who said "This is not just a ribbon cutting event. It marks the beginning of a new chapters for those in need of Minnesota, one defined by immediate access to crisis mental health care that is evidence based, specialized, compassionate and designed to buy care when people need it most." Speakers spoke about the ongoing mental health crisis, especially in the wake of Operation Metro Surge. According to national statistics presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 24. One person dies by suicide every 11 minutes. Among speakers at the ribbon-cutting on April 22 was Marcus Schmitt, the executive director for the Minnesota branch of NAMI. Schmitt spoke about his own history with mental illness, delaying treatment before eventually seeking help. He spoke about cultivating "radical positivity" in the new space. "I think with everything going on right now outside of these four walls, I think we need that radical possibility right now. It's a strategy for partnership. It's not naive, we are in a moment where we need something radical," Schmitt said. Follow the Sun Post on Facebook at facebook.com/mnsunpost and Instagram at instagram.com/sunnewspapersmn.

Chicago, IL | August 18, 2025 - Compass Health Center is proud to announce the launch of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) at its Chicago location, offering a non-invasive, FDA-approved, evidence-based option for young adults and adults who continue to experience symptoms of depression or OCD, even after trying medications or traditional therapy.