How Salem
Pastoral Counseling Center Began
By 1979 the
need for a pastoral counseling center in Salem had been evident to
clergy and lay people for some time. In July of that year a group
of five began to share the dream, and pledged together to make it
happen. These five met regularly to brainstorm how to create such a
counseling center. The initial group was: Chuck Berger, full-time
CPE supervisor at Oregon State Hospital; Loris Buccola, a Catholic
priest and therapist; Robert Weimer, a psychologist at OSH who had
previously helped another center in another state; James Turner, a
local clergy person; and Myrna Phillips, who was ordained and had
recently graduated from a counseling program.
While the
first logical step was to talk about fundraising, Jim Turner
re-directed us to begin with the real priority: a mission
statement. Once the mission statement was finalized (this took
several meetings), the group developed a list of names of people who
we believed would be outstanding members of the first board. We
contacted these people asking them to embrace our mission statement
and our dream. All nine we selected said “Yes”, and our first board
was formed; a thrilling and exciting moment for the group.
Chuck, Loris
and Myrna then applied to the now established board to be therapists
and were hired. The Center opened January 1, 1980, renting space at
what was then the Garden Road Christian Church. Virginia Curtis,
one of the charter board members, donated $200, which paid the first
month’s rent of $100, and the installation of a telephone. All
office furnishings were donated, and the ministry of Salem Pastoral
Counseling Center was born.
In the past years, there have been many changes. A variety of counselors have
come and gone. Board members have served and left, and we have had
two changes in office locations. In 1987 we moved to a
four-counseling office location on Cottage Street, and the past six
years we have been on Union Street, where we have five counseling
spaces and a much larger work space for the office manager.
We have
experienced the challenge of obtaining licenses (initiated by the
State in 1990), and have been more than slightly challenged by the
influx of insurance agencies expanding mental health benefits. When
we began in 1980 we received virtually no third-party payments, now,
close to half of our clients use insurance.
In many ways
the Salem Pastoral Counseling Center has remained the same. We
continue to be committed to our mission statement, to believe our
work is ministry. Churches continue to be a main referral
resource. Our staff remains available to the area churches for a
variety of services. Our board members have always been a stable,
foundational part, offering support and vision. A fee of $95
is charged for each counseling session. Some adjustment is possible
in cases of need and when discussed in advance with the counselor. We are
intentional about hiring staff who are ecumenical and bring varied
theological backgrounds as well as unique clinical skills. We
continue to live simply, balancing our ministry with a need to be
financially responsible for our expenses. After these years, our image
in the community remains the same: stable, trustworthy counselors who
work well with churches and are dedicated to providing the best
clinical and spiritual care possible to our clients.
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CENTER STAFF
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