Our story

30+ years championing the emotional and behavioral health of children in the Triangle Area of North Carolina.

Lucy Daniels with a group of kids and staff

Lucy Daniels Center is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization devoted to the healthy emotional development of young children. Established in 1989 with a grant from Raleigh writer and clinical psychologist Lucy Daniels, Ph.D. the Center began with an early intervention therapeutic preschool program serving 8 children in 1991. Throughout its 30 years of service, Lucy Daniels Center has expanded to become the largest nonprofit provider of mental health services for children in the Triangle with multifaceted mental health resources for children, their parents and teachers.

The principle which underlies all the Center’s programs is the belief that the contemporary psychoanalytic model of emotional life is a powerful tool for helping children become flexible, strong, and happy individuals. If parents, teachers, and children themselves understand the ways in which children’s biology, experience, and temperament influence the development of personality, behavior, and even cognitive function, many difficult school, family, and personal problems can be solved or avoided.

The Lucy Daniels Center Today

Today, our dedicated team continues the work that Lucy Daniels embarked upon in 1989. Here are a few things that make us unique!

  • We see the world through the child’s eyes
  • We consider the child’s experience in everything we do
  • We understand how feelings impact a child’s school performance and participation in social relationships
  • We support the whole family in enhancing their child’s growth and development
  • We work as a team and collaborate regularly to ensure that each child is heard, valued, and empowered to be successful in school and in life
  • All of our therapists hold Masters or Doctorate degrees in their field
  • We offer 1:1 child/therapist ratio and 5:1 child/teacher ratio promoting dedicated, individualized attention for each child
  • We are proud to now offer TELETHERAPY in the state of NC

Licenses and Certifications

  • Lucy Daniels Center is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit, charitable organization legally incorporated and licensed with the State of North Carolina. Our Tax ID # is 58-1863104.
  • Lucy Daniels Center is a licensed mental health facility by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Lucy Daniels School is licensed by the N.C. Department of Non-Public Education, NCES ID A 9702579.
  • Lucy Daniels School is proud to be rated a 5-Star Preschool, the highest rated license standard administered by the North Carolina Division of Child Development, Department of Health and Human Services for our teachers’ levels of education and training, quality of our classroom environments, and our student-teacher ratios.