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By LIZZIE BOWEN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Integrative Health in Pelham opened in December, moving from Hoover and seeking to serve the local community with counseling and mental health services.

“We are licensed professional counseling,” Office Administrator Laura Sparks said. “We have specialties in trauma, marriage counseling, grief counseling, anxiety, depression and ADHD.”

There is no MD on staff, meaning no medications are coming through Integrative Health, and Sparks said that the office often opts for a more wholistic approach.

“We have grown significantly,” Sparks said. “We were in a small office in Hoover, with four office spaces we were renting to eight on staff therapists and a receptionist.”

Sparks said this kind of growth is what brought Integrated Health from Hoover to the Pelham area.

“We needed a space,” Sparks said. “We had completely outgrown (the area.) We definitely needed space. There was nothing wrong with being in Hoover because that is where a lot of cliental comes from with it being a big city. That is why we chose Pelham. It is still on the borderline of all the places. You can easily to get to this part of Pelham from Hoover with no problem.”

Sparks just celebrated three years with Integrated Health Services and said that Integrated Health is pleased to have made their way to the Shelby County area.

“We 100 percent love being in Shelby County,” Sparks said. “We are with the Shelby County Chamber. They did our grand opening. Our cliental is anybody and everybody who is struggling.”

Sparks said there is still a great stigma when it comes to mental health and seeking a therapist or counseling. Despite the stigma, Sparks encouraged people of all ages to see counseling if needed.

“Our cliental is anybody and everybody who is struggling.” Sparks said. “We have an approach that is going to fit everyone. We see children as young as three years old. We do have three registered play therapists on staff, and then we also have people who are pushing 90.”