The Bert Nash Mental Health Clinic had its origins in the Douglas County, Kansas Health Board's 1935 budget, which included a $50 line item to study the possibility of an adult and child-guidance clinic. Dr. Bert Nash, an educational psychologist at the University of Kansas, was put in charge of planning this clinic. Nash continued to lead community efforts in mental health problems until his death in 1947.

The Bert Nash Clinic was esablished in 1950 in Lawrence, Kansas and named after Dr. Bert Nash. Initially, the clinic operated out of the basement of Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) a few hours a week with a small staff, including a psychiatrist and social worker and later a psychologist. In its first year of operation, staff saw approximately the same number of childred as adults; over the years, this changed with more adults coming in for services.

Throughout most of the 1950s, clinic services were free, fees only being added in 1959 as the program expanded and added staff. The clinic was initially funded through private donations, Community Chest funds, and money from the National Mental Health Fund. Eventually the county began supporting the clinc through a quarter-mill levy, in addition to new fee structures. Th clinic moved out of the LMH basement and is now located at 200 Maine Street in Lawrence, KS.

In the 21st century, the Bert Nash Center serves as a community mental health center and certified community behavioral health clinic for Douglas County, Kansas. The Center provides essential health care services, including group/individual/family therapy, urgent care and criss services, school-based services, and other mental health services to children, families, and adults regardless of their ability to pay.