By Craig Anderson

DOVER — Though she wasn’t sure when, Alisha McCanney had been planning to open a second location for her counseling facility in Middletown.

Now, thanks to recently awarded state assistance, her hoped-for arrival date in the Bunker Hill Professional Centre is mid-September.

The Willow Counseling Services owner will utilize the $50,000 grant from the Delaware Division of Small Business to build an office and fund marketing to fill the location, which will join a site at 222 S. Dupont Highway, Suite 102, in Dover.

The monies were awarded via the Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion program, which chose 10 small businesses to assist this spring.

Including this round, $6.51 million has been doled out to 100 promising enterprises since the program launched in 2019 — in industries ranging from medical technology to farming to restaurants, a news release said. The state matches the awards on a 3-to-1 basis.

Ms. McCanney has operated Willow since 2019, providing mental health counseling for pregnant women and for those who have given birth within the previous year.

Counseling for fathers is available, as well, she said.

Demand for such resources was enough to make a second location viable, but that proved challenging until the grant in EDGE’s Entrepreneur Category was given, she said.

“Without the EDGE grant, (I) still planned on going forward, but it would have been a slower process,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to build out offices, would have had a waiting list and (couldn’t) hire as many employees.

“So, with the EDGE grant, it speeds everything up exponentially.”

Besides Ms. McCanney, Willow Counseling Services’ Dover facility includes seven therapists and a clinical intern. Most major insurance plans are accepted.

“There are very limited resources through Delaware, and what we look to do is try to close that gap,” she explained.

A news release from the Division of Small Business said that Willow “has established itself as a reliable provider of mental health support, with a particular focus on the perinatal period.”

“Recognizing the lack of essential support for mental health during motherhood, Willow Counseling’s owner made it her mission to create a safe space where women could find solace and the support they need. Willow Counseling Services offers insurance-based services, ensuring that high-quality mental health services are accessible throughout Delaware.”

Other grant recipients were 3&D Sports Performance, Cellergy Pharma, Make the Play and NESTER, Toivoa and Anvigen, Beachin Bash, Coastal Key Lime Pie and G&R Campground.

The application period for the next round of these grants will open in August. Information is available at business.delaware.gov/edge.

To learn more about Willow Counseling Services, visit willowcounselingservicesde.com or call 302-313-1072.