IUPUC’s new mental health training clinic will be named after Tom and Barbara Schoellkopf, Columbus-area philanthropists and entrepreneurs who founded Tobar Inc., a Columbus-based oil seal manufacturer for a range of industries, including the automotive and agricultural sectors.
The Schoellkopfs said they hope the mental health training clinic will offer residents and students a space to receive services that will help solve their problems and play a role in solving the long-term problems in the community, including the opioid epidemic and issues surrounding social media.
Additionally, Tom Schoellkopf said it is “invaluable” to have trained professionals obtain degrees in Columbus and potentially find jobs locally where they can support the mental health of Columbus-area residents.
“(Mental health issues are) seen sometimes as a weakness instead of a strength to recognize that there is a situation that you need professional help to get through one way or the other,” Tom Schoellkopf said. “As far as the training that will go on at the new center, not only will it help train professionals, but we hope it will be an open area for students to walk in who might want to be dealing with something with a professional.”
Barbara Schoellkopf said she and her husband hope that the new training clinic will help reduce the stigma associated with receiving mental health services.
“I think the stigma, in some ways, is on its way to being removed,” she said. “But something like (this training center) can help further that.”
Barbara Schoellkopf, a native of Perryton, Texas, graduated from the Indiana University School of Law in 1983. Tom Schoellkopf grew up in Indianapolis and received a business degree from IU in 1963.
“We’re partners in life, we’re partners in business and we’re partners in giving,” Tom Schoellkopf said, grinning at his wife. “We’re pretty blessed people.”
