The Samaritan Center for Counseling and Pastoral Care is an interfaith ministry that promotes wholeness and healing by offering affordable counseling services that integrate the mental, spiritual, emotional, physical and community dimensions of life. The Center provides professional mental health and pastoral counseling services for the child, adolescent, adult and geriatric populations. Payment is based on a sliding scale, and no one is turned away because of inability to pay. The work of the Samaritan Counseling Center has been acknowledged by the American Medical Association, the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, the President's Commission on Mental Health and major religious denominations.
The Center deals with a wide range of issues including grief, relational discord, depression, anxiety, parenting, divorce, abuse, disaster recovery, career counseling and life transitions. Counseling sessions are available in individual, couple, family and group formats. Also available are educational seminars to individuals, employers and congregations on topics such as stress management, conflict management, preparing for marriage and parenting after divorce.
To subsidize services for low-income clients, the Center must depend on contributions from private foundations, congregations, individual donations and special events. Currently the Center is experiencing a period of change and growth requiring the addition of new staff, new board members and new programs. In response to this rapid growth, the Center will soon begin construction of a new building at the intersection of 183 and Burnet Road. Groundbreaking is scheduled on May 7. Most importantly, this new building is expected to double the Center’s capacity to serve low-income individuals in the Austin area. The Center has launched a five year, $1.3 million dollar Capital Campaign to cover construction costs and increase the endowment fund for annual income to cover additional expenses expected in a larger facility. This new building will help to ensure the success of The Samaritan Counseling Center for years to come.
Recently the Center sponsored the Ethics in Business Awards dinner and silent auction attended by several from the St. Matthew’s Outreach Commission. This event honors those "good Samaritans" in Austin area businesses and nonprofit organizations that practice the highest ethical principles. The next annual fundraiser is the Minister’s Cup – an open to the community fundraising golf tournament. If a congregation forms a team that includes a minister, the minister plays for free!
The transformations taking place will ultimately place The Samaritan Center in a position to help thousands of Central Texans in desperate need of counseling services. Because of the work at the Center, they provide individuals and families with the services necessary to avert crisis, build healthy relationships and lead productive lives. Healthy and productive individuals leads to healthy and productive families and communities, and this affects us all.