Statements
Mission
Insight Counseling Centers (formerly known as the Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee) exists to restore lives to wholeness -- mentally, emotionally and spiritually. In order to accomplish this important work we seek to: -Provide excellent professionally licensed psychotherapy to any individual, couple or family in our community. -Offer help and healing from a heart of compassion and personal faith that accepts and respects the beliefs of every individual with whom we work. -Raise and provide financial support to help those who cannot otherwise afford care.
Background
The Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee, dba Insight Counseling Centers, began in August, 1985, as an outreach ministry of the Vine St. Christian Church in Nashville. Dr. Dan Moseley, Senior Minister of Vine St. and Dr. Liston Mills of Vanderbilt Divinity School were instrumental in shaping the vision of Insight as an ecumenical ministry of local congregations committed to offering the highest quality pastoral psychotherapy to anyone in need, regardless of their financial situation. Dr. James Coffman was appointed as the first Executive Director of the Centers and by the end of its first year more than a dozen congregations in Nashville had joined in support. Representatives of these supporting congregations were appointed to the Board of Directors to insure the connection between the Centers and the local congregations. By 1990 two satellite offices had opened in Brentwood and Clarksville, adding to the Centers' service delivery. During these early years a strong relationship between Insight and the Ph.D. program in Religion and Personality Studies at Vanderbilt became the foundation for the Centers' nationally accredited clinical training program. Dr. Coffman provided clinical supervision to students who, along with faculty of the program, provided much of the clinical service offered through the Centers. Throughout the 1990's demand for the services of the Centers continued to grow. Full-time clinicians were added to the staff and satellite offices were opened in Franklin, Murfreesboro, Manchester and Hendersonville. With the opening of each of these offices the model of cooperative effort between Insight and local faith congregations was continued. In 1999 Insight became the only organization in Tennessee to be accredited as a Service Center and Approved Training Program by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. In September, 2004, Dr. Coffman left Insight for another appointment in Memphis. Dr. Tom Knowles-Bagwell served as our second Director from 2005 to 2007. After a period of shared leadership with Chrissa Walsh and Chris O'Rear from 2007 to 2012, Chris O'Rear became executive director and service in that role until 2016. Pam Brown was named executive director in 2017.
Impact
Insight Counseling Centers seeks to impact the mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual lives of persons in Middle Tennessee in three ways. 1. Through our spiritually-informed therapy services we provide opportunities for healing and growth to persons dealing with a wide variety of relational and mental health difficulties. During 2023, we provided 6,441 hours of counseling to 857 individuals, couples and families across Middle Tennessee. Eighty-seven percent of these clients needed financial support via our income-based fee scale. Persons seek our help with problems ranging from anxiety and depression to post traumatic stress, addictions, and other mental health disorders. 2. Through our Speaker's Bureau programming we offer educational events designed to enhance participants' abilities to live full and meaningful lives, thus reducing the probability of developing major life problems. As often as possible we partner with other agencies to bring rich offerings to the community. For example, we routinely partner with congregations, local libraries, and other organizations to provide deep dive workshops on topics such as stress and burnout, parenting, and mental fitness. 3. Through our clinical training programs we seek to insure that future generations of Middle Tennesseans will have access to the services of highly educated and thoroughly trained pastoral clinicians. Interns and residents under our supervision are prepared for licensure as Clinical Pastoral Therapists in Tennessee.
Needs
1. Contributed income from generous donors allows Insight Counseling Centers to offer exquisite spiritually-integrated therapy on an income-based fee scale. 2. We are seeking caring, empathetic Volunteer Intake Practitioners who will provide the agency's first impression by speaking with clients (by phone) who call Insight to inquire about counseling services. Ongoing training and support will be provided.
CEO Statement
Insight Counseling Centers is a community treasure! We have a 39-year history of restoring lives to wholeness: mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We provide help, hope, and healing to individuals, couples, families, and other groups seeking care for a variety of emotional, relational, and spiritual problems. Many of our therapists are theologically trained, and all are professionally licensed in a mental health discipline by the state of Tennessee or working towards licensure under the supervision of an Insight licensed therapist/approved supervisor. Many people who seek help with a mental, emotional, or relational difficulty are aware that their particular struggle also affects their spiritual understanding or formation. A 2000 Gallop poll reported that 83% of the general population would prefer to turn to a professional who can integrate their faith values into the care they receive. Insight's spiritually-informed counselors are uniquely qualified to provide this service. We do not have a prescribed theology or creed and we seek to allow the client's own faith understanding to influence therapy. Charitable donations allow us to provide counseling on an income-based fee scale.
We have ten offices in the Middle Tennessee area: Brentwood, Cheatham County, Clarksville, Cookeville, Franklin, Hendersonville, Donelson, Murfreesboro, and Nashville (2).
While our current strategic plan included the the introduction of teletherapy in late summer/early fall 2020, the COVID-19 virus was the catalyst to our developing this program months ahead of schedule and we launched it in March 2020. One hour after announcing the availability of teletherapy in our e-newsletter, we received a call from someone who had been searching for this option. Between her job and her college studies, she did not have the bandwidth to navigate traffic and drive to a location for therapy. We were able to schedule her for a teletherapy session that very day. I am inspired by my colleagues who worked tirelessly so that we could launch this program in short order! While we have reopened many of our locations to in-person therapy, telehealth remains a preferred option for many of our clients. In fact, we are serving clients from all across the state of Tennessee via telehealth.
Please don't hesitate to contact me at pam@insightcenters.org or 615-383-2115, ext 108 if you would like to learn more about us.
Board Chair Statement
Insight Counseling Centers enjoys tremendous synergy between its staff and board. In fact, during a 2019 and 2022 strategic planning retreats, our facilitators marveled at how board members, admin staff, and therapists were on the same page to a degree to which they are unaccustomed. I'm proud to be a part of an organization that is filled with people who check their egos at the door and put client needs first. Board members skills and experience cover a broad swath needed by any nonprofit as well as Insight specifically: finance, legal, program delivery, human resources, spiritually informed services, and strategic planning to name just a few.
On the organization's continued journey to fulfill its vital mission, we welcome all opportunities for guidance and support from community members. If you are interested in being a part of this wonderful organization, please contact us so we may explore partnering with you.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Mental Health & Crisis Intervention - Counseling |
| Secondary Category: | Human Services - Family Counseling |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
We have locations in Mufreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, Nashville (2), Donelson, Hendersonville, Cheatham County, Clarksville, and Cookeville. We also provide telehealth to clients throughout Tennessee.
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Putnam |
