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Accreditation

The Samaritan Institute

THE SAMARITAN INSTITUTE, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Denver, is the international office for a network of counseling Centers.  The Samaritan Counseling Center, accredited by the Samaritan Institute, is a member of this network called The Samaritan Ministry; it is one of the largest providers of professional counseling in the United States. 

Samaritan Centers provide professional mental health services, healthcare education, and consultation in more than 380 cities and communities throughout the United States and Tokyo, Japan.  Annually, over $20 million of subsidized counseling is provided for those who cannot afford the full cost of counseling.  The Samaritan Ministry’s growth has been in direct response to the needs of congregations and communities.
The Samaritan program began in Elkhart, Indiana in 1972 when two parish pastors, a physician, and a seminary professor observed that by working together, ministers, therapists and physicians were very effective in helping people with stress-related problems.  This team approach became the foundation of the Samaritan Center.

Samaritan counselors believe that there is a close relationship of mind, body, spirit and community and that optimal health care involves consideration of all four. In 1979, the Samaritan Institute was formed as a non-profit corporation to unite and develop counseling centers using the Samaritan name and model.  To provide the growing Center network with more cost-effective, centralized management services, in 1983 the Institute relocated its headquarters to Denver.  Today the Samaritan program is one of the largest providers of professional counseling.  There are almost 500 Samaritan Center offices in 380 cities in the U.S. and Japan.  Using cost-effective management practices and low-cost, sponsor-provided facilities, centers are able to offer counseling at affordable rates – typically about two-thirds of other providers.  As a result, more people can receive help.

For more information on the Samaritan Institute located in Denver, Colorado, visit their website at http://www.samaritaninstitute.org.

American Association of Pastoral Counseling

The Samaritan Counseling Center is also accredited by the American Association of Pastoral Counseling (AAPC.org)

Pastoral counseling moves beyond the support or encouragement a religious community can offer, by providing psychologically sound therapy that weaves in the religious and spiritual dimension. “It is interesting to note that not only is this a time of increased emphasis on therapy, but also a time of increased interest in spirituality,” said Gerald DeSobe, PhD, past president of AAPC. “Combining these two areas in a person’s life in helpful and healing ways is what pastoral counselors do.”

“AAPC affirms as a moral imperative that the American people, without exception, must have access to quality health care,” says Roy Woodruff, PhD, past executive director of AAPC. “That imperative refers not only to mental health resources, but also the quality of services.”

Under the auspices of AAPC, pastoral counseling adheres to rigorous standards of excellence, including education and clinical training, professional certification and licensure. Typical education for the AAPC-certified pastoral counselor consists of study that leads to:

a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
a three-year professional degree from a seminary
a specialized masters or doctoral degree in the mental health field

A significant portion of this education is spent in clinical training. Post-graduate training involves completion of at least 1,375 hours of supervised clinical experience (that is, the counselor provides individual, group, marital and family therapy) and 250 hours of direct approved supervision of the therapist’s work in both crisis and long-term situations.

“As a result of this extensive study, pastoral counselors are among the most educated of mental health professionals,” notes Woodruff. “Pastoral counselors also possess a depth of training that is significantly more intense than that of many other mental health professionals of the core disciplines.”

Beyond education and training, certification is also key in ensuring excellence in pastoral counseling. Candidates seeking certification as a pastoral counselor by AAPC are thoroughly tested and evaluated to assure that AAPC certifies only the most competent individuals who not only have the required education and clinical training but who possess the highest personal standards.

The Samaritan Counseling Center has 2 counselors who have met AAPC certification – Dr. Randy Simmonds and Dr. Bryan Austill.