L’ANSE, Mich. (WBUP/WJMN) ─ unitē Mental Health and Wellness serves the populations of the Copper Country, providing mental health services to individuals and families in the area.
Angela Price, co-founder of unitē, explained how her and fellow founder Beth Shannon had grown up in Baraga County, and that the idea to start the practice came when the two were having discussions about mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During COVID, my friend Beth and I, we would go for hikes and she was really talking about (how) we have great resources for mental health in our area, but there’s such a lack of them…I said, ‘Well, if this is a problem, I think that if we just put the problem together with what it’s going to take to solve this, let’s give it a try.’ So, Beth and I formed unitē,” she said.
Price shared that the design for unitē’s spelling comes from trying to create an environment that is comfortable and relaxing rather than feeling strictly clinical. The practice doubled this year, going from employing six to 12 therapists in 2025. Their three offices – two in Houghton and one in L’Anse – offer a variety of services such as individual therapy, pediatric services, couples counseling and substance use assessments. When the organization was first taking root, Price said that she thought that the statistical need for mental health services in the Western U.P. was far greater than the numbers she originally saw.
“I think we were really surprised at how fast this has really gone, because when we first started, we were looking at the statistics for our area. Some of the Rural Health Report had said that between Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon County, that need was three and one-half full-time equivalents, and they had less than one FTE in Baraga County. Needless to say, I think we’ve far exceeded that. I think the need was far greater. Copper Shores, they had done their own analysis as well, and they’ve said ‘No, the need was much greater than that’ as well,” said Price.
The nonprofit raised over $22,000 last year during Giving Tuesday, and this year will be their fourth time participating. All of last year’s funds went to the organization’s HUG Fund, which helps clients who need financial assistance to pay for services.
“Our HUG Fund is, it’s like a separate pot of funds that are used for people that need help paying for services. Sometimes people are in-between jobs (and) they don’t have insurance. Sometimes there are certain meetings like a parent meeting with a therapist to help a child that’s not covered by (an) insurance plan,” said Price. “There are certain things that this has been really helpful for, whether (it’s) no insurance, gap insurance, sometimes their deductibles are so high that (it) creates a barrier to care. It’s really there to help people (and) eliminate one of those barriers to care, and to help people have consistent care during life transitions (and) that sort of thing. This year has been incredible. Our entire HUG Fund has been used this year, already in the first ten months of the year.”
During the time that unitē has been operating, Price said that being able to help their clients has been a rewarding experience, as well as an opportunity for the organization to learn about additional community needs that they may not have known about before.
“It’s been really fulfilling and rewarding and, at the same time, eye-opening to community needs. I think when we’re in this, when we’re talking to people and helping people, there are other needs in our community as well. I think we’re just trying our best to fill this need, and it’s been exciting and fulfilling,” Price mentioned.
More information about unitē Mental Health and Wellness, as well as their services and how to volunteer with them, can be found on their website. To donate to their Giving Tuesday fund, please visit the Copper Shores website.
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