AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new resource to help those facing mental health challenges celebrated its grand opening Thursday.

The Amplify Center at the Austin Community College Eastview campus just started a two-year pilot program with UT Dell Medical Center.

The project aims to improve quality of life for those experiencing mental health distress by helping them obtain support grounded in their personal interests and lives — including work, school and relationships.

The goal is to help young people face all the stressors of life and the barriers they may encounter while trying to access mental health care.

“Our current mental health system has limited access for young adults seeking care that meets their needs, until they are in crisis. The purpose of our clinic is to provide this care in an inviting, friendly setting when individuals first feel a need for help,” said Deborah Cohen, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Amplify Center and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Dell Med.

The Amplify Center offers personalized support and guidance to ACC Eastview students ages 18-29. ACC students with mild to moderate needs receive support on-site. The center also helps those with more severe conditions find care in the community.

The center is a program of Dell Med’s Center of Youth Mental Health, whose staff will evaluate the pilot project’s impact with an aim to replicate it at other facilities within the greater Austin community.