Emmanuel Center
for
Pastoral Counseling
|
Richard Bondi, Ph.D.
Individual, Couple, and Group Therapy
Fellow, AAPC |
Tere Tyner Canzoneri, M.Div.,
LCSW
Individual, Couple, and Family Therapy |
Prayer Through the
Seasons of Life:
A Retreat Aug 31 - Sep 6, 2008
|
St. Bartholomew's Emmanuel Center for Pastoral Counseling, founded by
the Rev. Eloise Hally, then Priest Associate at St. Bartholomew's, offers
pastoral counseling to individuals, couples, and families. St. Bartholomew's
had supported parish-based pastoral counseling for a number of years before
the Emmanuel Center was officially incorporated in 1994. The services
are available to both parishioners and non-parishioners, and fees are
based on ability to pay. The Center, located in the Church building, also
provides free counseling for the Nicholas House residents. Dr. Richard
Bondi is the current Director. A copy of our current
brochure is available in the counseling center or church office.
The mission of the Emmanuel Center for Pastoral Counseling is
- To provide affordable pastoral counseling and psychotherapy
to a diverse community.
- Since the field of pastoral counseling contends
that emotional and psychological issues are also issues of the soul, consideration
of possible spiritual dimensions of clients' quests for health and well-being
shall warrant special attention.
- While the principal activities of the Emmanuel Center
shall be individual, couple, family, and group therapy, on a strictly
confidential basis, counselors shall also offer occasional educational
workshops and seminars.
- The Emmanuel Center maintains a commitment to the
provision of mental health services for the economically disadvantaged
and to those in the midst of life transitions that entail financial hardships.
To this end, the Emmanuel Center offers all its services on a sliding
scale according to a potential client's ability to devote funds to pastoral
counseling.
- Furthermore, the Emmanuel Center's Mental Health
Outreach (MHO) Program offers services at no or very low cost to those
in special financial difficulties, addressing, as needed, the spiritual
and psychological consequences of despairing situations.
During 2007, the
Emmanuel Center provided 499 hours of Mental Health Outreach out of a
total of 2,405 hours of counseling provided to the Church and the
community at large.
In accordance with our mission, many of the non-MHO hours were provided on
a sliding scale, making it possible for a wider range of people to draw on
our resources. The Emmanuel Center gratefully acknowledges the personal
and financial support provided by the members of St. Bartholomew's to make
this ministry possible.
While many private and public organizations offer programs geared toward
alleviating the pressures of financial difficulties, disability, displacement,
under-employment and unemployment, the negative psychological and spiritual
effects of these crises frequently go untreated. At the same time, even
people with regular incomes and health insurance now face shrinking and
restrictive benefits for mental health. These difficulties may exacerbate
a common reluctance to seek therapy in times of need. The result is a
gap in the continuum of care offered to the neediest members of our community,
to those caught in the midst of disruptive life transitions, and to those
whose needs are not well met by a medically oriented managed care model.
Because clients often report that pastoral counseling offers a less intimidating
psychotherapeutic environment than other more bureaucratic or medically
driven settings, the Emmanuel Center is well-positioned to provide accessible,
affordable, and spiritually sensitive care.
For more information on obtaining services or on how you might support
the work of the Center, please contact the Executive Director.
Richard
Bondi, Ph.D.
Executive Director
404.895.8509
Tere Canzoneri, M.Div., LCSW
404.664.6254
|
