Discovery’s mission is to offer “Soul Care” whenever and
wherever it can in helping to expand God’s Kingdom. We
feel one way of accomplishing this is by offering counseling
services in churches at very affordable rates. It
is amazing to sit in a counseling room and watch God touch
the lives of men and women who have struggles in varying
areas for years. Christian counseling is just another
way, in a different format, to present the living Word
to men and women and children suffering with the pains
of our times.
Discovery Counseling, as an independent 501(c)(3), was
created in 2002 with the goal to distribute its counseling
efforts to churches in Central Florida. The idea
is that Discovery will, at no cost to the church, set up
a counseling center in the church’s facilities and supply
the licensed counselors and/or registered interns to help
the church meet the needs of its members.
The counseling center would be a collaborative effort
between your church and Discovery Counseling and would
work in the following manner, subject of course, to the
needs of your church:
Discovery Counseling will:
- Provide mental health counselors or/and registered
mental health interns who will counsel from a Christian
perspective.
- Discovery will schedule all counseling sessions with
the clients directly to ensure confidentiality.
- Verify that each counselor working at your church has,
and maintains, the supervision required by law, and moreover,
ensure the counselor is moving in the direction best
suited for his or her clients.
- Ensure that each counselor is covered by professional
liability insurance.
- Fees charged to the client will be collect by the Discovery
Counselor with absolutely no obligation on the part of
your church.
- Discovery Counseling will provide all operating systems
necessary so as to operate the center, at your church,
as if it were a stand-alone counseling center.
- From time to time Discovery will provide marketing
handouts for your church to distribute to the members,
subject, of course, to your approval.
Your church will only need to:
- Provide an office, or offices, if more than one
counselor is needed, to allow for the counseling services
to be provided at your church.
- Allow for a reception area for clients to wait for
their scheduled appointment as well as for them to fill
out any paperwork when necessary.
- Inform your church members of the counseling services
available. This can be done in any number of ways. Some
possible ways would include: providing information on
the counseling center in the weekly bulletin, brief discussion
on Sunday mornings, inclusion of Discovery’s handouts
in the bulletin periodically, allowing one of the counselors,
to speak briefly on Sundays mornings or at any other
suitable times, providing a link from your website to
Discovery’s, as well as many other methods.
- Meet with a representative of Discovery Counseling
from time to time to discuss this counseling center and
ways in which to improve upon it.
It is Discovery’s intention that this counseling center
looks like, and becomes, the counseling center of your
church. Discovery’s sole purpose is to help
God’s children in yet another way. Discovery Counseling
makes no profit from the fees charged for counseling services;
the fees cover the salaries of the counselors, counselor
supervision, and the other operating costs associated with
running the counseling centers.
Dennis Gowin, Executive Director of Discovery Counseling,
is available to meet with you to discuss the benefits of
opening a center at your church. Please call 941-807-3974 to schedule an appointment or complete the contact form.
May God bless you and your congregation.