Mission Statement
- The Refuge Center for Counseling exists to offer affordable professional counseling services in order to empower, educate and support individuals, couples and families in need.
Refuge Event Tickets
- Buy Tickets to Songwriter's Night Event
Donate
Giving Matters
Board Members
- Tricia Joy Murray, Realtor Re/Max Elite
- Martin Maguire, Partner, Brown & Maguire CPAs, PLLC
- Carol K. Wood, MA, CLU, Partnership Financial
- Keith H. Solomon, Attorney at Law, McCann, Hubbard & Solomon
- Heather Higham, General Manager, Higham Management
- Renee Yarbrough, Owner, Renee Yarbrough Photography
- Robin McDonnell, Community Volunteer
Advisory Council
- Jennifer Brinkman, Program Manager, Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
- Elizabeth Edmondson, Program Specialist, Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
- Jon Gillett, President, Mission Capital Management
- Dan Alexander, Speed and Strength Coach, Refuge Sports & Realtor, West End Homes
- Anthony Herron, Broadcaster, The Big Ten Network
- Dave Hutchins, Executive Director, Genesis Institute
- Ryan Roth, Recruiter, D1 Sports
- Melanie Reeves, Paralegal, HCA
- Emily Nourse-Connelly, Family Services Counselor, Family and Children's Services
- Matt Toy, Corporate PR Manager, D1 Sports Training
- Debra J. Partee, Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
- Linda Crockett Jackson, Executive Director, Bridges of Williamson County
- Greg Stegall, Consulting Buisness Analyst, HCA
- Kristi McLelland, Director of Women’s Ministries & Christian Education, Strong Tower Bible Church
- Dr. Ted Klontz, Founder of Klontz Coaching and Consulting, the American Society of Experiential Therapists, and the Institute for Brain Technology.
Resources
Refuge Partners
Recent Posts
- Refuge Fundraising Event...Songwriters Night: Coming Soon!!
- New Client Testimonials
- An Article from today's Williamson Herald Newspaper:
- Did You Know?: Healthy Couples
- Did You Know?: Fear and Anxiety
- Photos from Refuge Fundraiser: An Evening of Hope
- Did You Know?: People Problems
- An Article from today's Tennessean Newspaper
- Refuge Benefit Event: "An Evening of Hope...Finding Calm in the Midst of a Financial Storm."
- "An Evening of Hope..." How to purchase tickets for this event
June 15, 2009
June 11, 2009
New Client Testimonials
Female, Age 46
"I have been blessed by the counseling of The Refuge Center since September of 2007. My counselor has counseled me through the toughest time period of my life. In the course of the past two years I have been through a divorce, was a victim of a brutal attack by my ex husband and sustained traumatic physical injuries, and have buried my beautiful teenage daughter who was in a fatal automobile accident. There are no words that could adequately express my gratitude and thankfulness for the services that The Refuge Center provided and continue to provide for me. Not only has the counseling and support been a blessing but the added relief of being able to pay on a sliding scale has been vital. When you’re in crisis mode the last thing you want to worry about is how in the world you’re going to pay for the help that you desperately need. Thank goodness, even when I couldn’t afford counseling, I was able to still take advantage of the services provided. The Refuge Center was and is a lifeline for me. I pray that it thrives and grows and is able to help countless other women."
Female, Age 26 "I was going through a really difficult time in my life, struggling with minor depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem when a pastor recommended The Refuge Center to help me navigate the phase in life I was in. I came to the center directionless, lacking hope and full of confusion....At the end of my treatment I left confident, hopeful, empowered, and ready to embrace life and my dreams.
Had it not been for the sliding-fee scale, it would have been nearly impossible to receive the regular treatment that I needed. I've never been one to want an experience to be wasted on me, especially a transformative one, so I really appreciated that the fee I paid weekly would be used to keep the center alive and active so that others could have a safe place to heal and to be restored."
Female, Age 26 "I was going through a really difficult time in my life, struggling with minor depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem when a pastor recommended The Refuge Center to help me navigate the phase in life I was in. I came to the center directionless, lacking hope and full of confusion....At the end of my treatment I left confident, hopeful, empowered, and ready to embrace life and my dreams.
Had it not been for the sliding-fee scale, it would have been nearly impossible to receive the regular treatment that I needed. I've never been one to want an experience to be wasted on me, especially a transformative one, so I really appreciated that the fee I paid weekly would be used to keep the center alive and active so that others could have a safe place to heal and to be restored."
June 04, 2009
An Article from today's Williamson Herald Newspaper:
Refuge Center offers affordable counseling services
By Carole Robinson, staff writer
crobinson@williamsonherald.com
Ten years ago, Sandy found herself completely without hope. Born with a catastrophic heart problem and not expected to survive the week, her son lived to see his 13th birthday before his damaged heart finally gave out. A few years later she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a double mastectomy, her husband left her.
“For years I was crawling through life – the shell of the person I used to be – I had no purpose,” she told a group at a fundraiser for The Refuge Center for Counseling. “Tragedy hits every age and every socio-economic level. The Refuge Center changed my life. I want to live – I want to laugh.”
Even in a county known for its wealth, there are many who are struggling financially and need counseling services. Often they feel invisible, said co-founder Amy Alexander during a recent fundraiser.
After completing their Master’s Degrees in Marital and Family Therapy, Williamson County residents Amy Alexander and Jennifer Gillett had a strong desire to serve the people within the county who have an unserved or underserved need.
“The waitress who works at Cracker Barrel who finds out her three daughters had been sexually abused and would like them to go through therapy cannot afford a sliding scale that begins at $60 a session,” Alexander said. “We wanted to create a scale in which anyone had access to therapy, no matter what their income level or insurance.”
There is a real need to provide counseling services for regular people dealing with life’s issues, she added.
With help from a foundation set up by their husbands and a founding board member, The Refuge Center opened in 2005 providing services in a Christ-centered agency serving clients who were victims of domestic violence, had attachment issues regarding adoption and marital problems. The goal was to eventually be able to serve the whole family on one site and their vision was to create the opportunity for every individual and family, no matter what the income level, to receive therapeutic resources.
During that first year, Alexander, Gillett and one intern treated 30 clients. The second year they had 284 clients and additional therapist came on staff. The third year they saw 530 and the first quarter of 2009 they already had more than 300 clients. Considering each individual is seen an average of 10 times, “We stay busy,” she said.
Addiction, job loss, marital strife, parenting issues, abuse, grief and loss – The Refuge Center exists to offer affordable professional counseling services that will empower, educate and support individuals, couples and families in need using a “sliding payment scale that meets people where they are,” Alexander said.
The scale at The Refuge Center for Counseling ranges from $10 to $85.
About one third of the referrals are for family or relational problems. Alexander said. Another third is domestic violence or sexual abuse.
“We have a very close relationship with the shelters in the area,” she said. “We have an alliance with the Child Advocacy Center and Mercy Children’s Clinic.”
At the Center, specially trained therapists offer a broad range of specialized therapies including art therapy, play therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, internal family systems, EMDR – eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy that assists in moving the impact of a trauma from center stage in the brain to a memory, and dialectical behavioral therapy to help overcome the affects of anxiety, child abuse, domestic violence, identity issues, parenting problems, relationship issues and more.
The Refuge Center receives referrals from more than 35 local including child advocacy center, churches, health clinics, domestic violence shelters, but “someone can pick up the phone and talk to us,” Alexander said. “We will hook them with the right therapist. Right now our number one reference resources are our current and former clients.”
To offer the sliding scale payment plan, The Refuge Center relies on funding from churches, individuals, special events, grants and foundations.
“Each session costs about $63,” Alexander said. “The average payment is $28. We have to raise $35 to scholarship clients.”
Since The Refuge Center is a non-profit agency, its success is dependent upon the generosity of donors and volunteers that provide time and talents in administrative, marketing, technical areas and more.
Fundraisers are also an important means for accruing resources. There will be a songwriter’s night at the Boxwood Bistro on July 16 from 6 -10 p.m. featuring songwriter, Doug Johnson, who wrote "Three Wooden Crosses," which was recorded by Randy Travis.
For information about services, or to contribute, check out the Web site at www.therefugecenter.org or call 771-1155.
By Carole Robinson, staff writer
crobinson@williamsonherald.com
Ten years ago, Sandy found herself completely without hope. Born with a catastrophic heart problem and not expected to survive the week, her son lived to see his 13th birthday before his damaged heart finally gave out. A few years later she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a double mastectomy, her husband left her.
“For years I was crawling through life – the shell of the person I used to be – I had no purpose,” she told a group at a fundraiser for The Refuge Center for Counseling. “Tragedy hits every age and every socio-economic level. The Refuge Center changed my life. I want to live – I want to laugh.”
Even in a county known for its wealth, there are many who are struggling financially and need counseling services. Often they feel invisible, said co-founder Amy Alexander during a recent fundraiser.
After completing their Master’s Degrees in Marital and Family Therapy, Williamson County residents Amy Alexander and Jennifer Gillett had a strong desire to serve the people within the county who have an unserved or underserved need.
“The waitress who works at Cracker Barrel who finds out her three daughters had been sexually abused and would like them to go through therapy cannot afford a sliding scale that begins at $60 a session,” Alexander said. “We wanted to create a scale in which anyone had access to therapy, no matter what their income level or insurance.”
There is a real need to provide counseling services for regular people dealing with life’s issues, she added.
With help from a foundation set up by their husbands and a founding board member, The Refuge Center opened in 2005 providing services in a Christ-centered agency serving clients who were victims of domestic violence, had attachment issues regarding adoption and marital problems. The goal was to eventually be able to serve the whole family on one site and their vision was to create the opportunity for every individual and family, no matter what the income level, to receive therapeutic resources.
During that first year, Alexander, Gillett and one intern treated 30 clients. The second year they had 284 clients and additional therapist came on staff. The third year they saw 530 and the first quarter of 2009 they already had more than 300 clients. Considering each individual is seen an average of 10 times, “We stay busy,” she said.
Addiction, job loss, marital strife, parenting issues, abuse, grief and loss – The Refuge Center exists to offer affordable professional counseling services that will empower, educate and support individuals, couples and families in need using a “sliding payment scale that meets people where they are,” Alexander said.
The scale at The Refuge Center for Counseling ranges from $10 to $85.
About one third of the referrals are for family or relational problems. Alexander said. Another third is domestic violence or sexual abuse.
“We have a very close relationship with the shelters in the area,” she said. “We have an alliance with the Child Advocacy Center and Mercy Children’s Clinic.”
At the Center, specially trained therapists offer a broad range of specialized therapies including art therapy, play therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, internal family systems, EMDR – eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy that assists in moving the impact of a trauma from center stage in the brain to a memory, and dialectical behavioral therapy to help overcome the affects of anxiety, child abuse, domestic violence, identity issues, parenting problems, relationship issues and more.
The Refuge Center receives referrals from more than 35 local including child advocacy center, churches, health clinics, domestic violence shelters, but “someone can pick up the phone and talk to us,” Alexander said. “We will hook them with the right therapist. Right now our number one reference resources are our current and former clients.”
To offer the sliding scale payment plan, The Refuge Center relies on funding from churches, individuals, special events, grants and foundations.
“Each session costs about $63,” Alexander said. “The average payment is $28. We have to raise $35 to scholarship clients.”
Since The Refuge Center is a non-profit agency, its success is dependent upon the generosity of donors and volunteers that provide time and talents in administrative, marketing, technical areas and more.
Fundraisers are also an important means for accruing resources. There will be a songwriter’s night at the Boxwood Bistro on July 16 from 6 -10 p.m. featuring songwriter, Doug Johnson, who wrote "Three Wooden Crosses," which was recorded by Randy Travis.
For information about services, or to contribute, check out the Web site at www.therefugecenter.org or call 771-1155.
June 01, 2009
Did You Know?: Healthy Couples
Did you know that "In healthy, stable relationships couples have at least 5 positive interactions for every negative 1?"
Some suggested strategies are to interrupt a cycle of negativity by:
~calming yourself (taking time outs)
~learning to speak and listen non-defensively
~validating each other
~repeatedly practicing positive techniques
A marriage is more than two people sharing a space and juggling responsibilities. It is not something that happens just because two people made a commitment many years ago. It is more like a bank account. What we have set aside, prioritized, invested and withdrawn is what we find in it at the closing of each day.
From: If Only I Had Known by Odell, Methven, and Weeks
May 17, 2009
Did You Know?: Fear and Anxiety
There is so much to be anxious about these days. For some it may be losing their retirement or even their homes. Everyday, we hear of someone else getting laid off from work and many are anxiously awaiting the call that our job is next to go. Loved ones all around us seem to be struggling with cancer, loss, and pain. Of course we are anxious.
Only, anxiety is nothing new for us. Just as many people were struggling with panic attacks, anxiety and depression before our circumstances took a down turn.
“Anxiety is a physiological reaction that denies the heart and commands the brain to look externally to find a threat to explain our sense of dread…Anxiety misinforms us. It says for us to control when we need to let go.” (Dodd, 86).
Fear is a gift that alerts us to danger and moves us toward an action that protects us from danger. Fear offers us wisdom, discernment and judgment. When we try to control our environment so that we will not be vulnerable, our hearts choose anxiety. When we are able to acknowledge our fears, we open our hearts to wisdom.
“Anxiety commands that you make yourself invulnerable. Fear requests that you expose vulnerability and neediness to gain healthy control, the appropriate care of your own welfare” (87).
It is an uncertain time. Everything may feel out of control. But it is also a time that will only be more confusing if we allow anxiety to take control of our lives. Use your fear to embrace wisdom, let go of those things you can’t control and make informed decisions to move you forward in your life. When we are able to acknowledge our fears, we open our hearts to wisdom?
All quotes are from "The Voice of the Heart" by Chip Dodd
May 08, 2009
Photos from Refuge Fundraiser: An Evening of Hope
The Refuge Center fundraiser "An Evening of Hope...Finding Calm in the Midst of a Financial Storm" was a great success. Dr Ted Klontz provided the attendees with an inspirational, informative and interactive presentation that offered hope and insight. With just over 100 guests in attendance a total of $8,000 was raised for The Refuge Center.
May 07, 2009
Did You Know?: People Problems
If you are in a relationship with a difficult person this book can help. Although it is easy to write off these types of people as hopeless, the author says that these individuals simply have a deficiency of skills. As we mature from children to adolescents and into adulthood, sometimes parts of us get left behind which results in a lack of interpersonal skills.
According to Godwin, the skills essential to be in healthy intimate relationships are:
humility~
a modest view of one’s own importance, awareness
responsibility~
to be accountable for oneself
empathy~
to understand and share the feelings of others
reliability~
able to be trusted
(Definitions adapted from dictionary.com)
This is not a cure all for difficult relationships, but it is a great resource for how to be (and remain) a healthy individual even when the one you are relating to has left some parts behind.
May 04, 2009
An Article from today's Tennessean Newspaper
Refuge Center offers counseling in time of need
BY KELLY BOURQUE • MAY 4, 2009
Millions of Americans watch the news every day and try to wrap their heads around the global financial crisis. Ultimately, it comes down to this — no matter the reason for the economic climate, the effect it is having on people's lives is large, and it is real.
As a therapist at The Refuge Center for Counseling, I have seen this firsthand.
The Refuge Center is a local nonprofit that offers a variety of counseling services to people regardless of income level. For people who are struggling economically, places for them to turn are few and far between. Whether they are suffering from depression or trying to cope with marital problems or trauma, The Refuge Center offers them an affordable counseling option.
My role at The Refuge Center is to work with children and their families. Many of the families I see come for services about a problem with such urgency that it makes counseling a high priority — even when they think they can't afford it. When I dig deeper, I find that the problem is further complicated by job loss.
In these uncertain economic times, the families I counsel are experiencing an incredible amount of stress. Daddies and mommies are doing things they never wanted to do, such as commuting to other states to take jobs because they can't wait any longer for something local, relying on extended family for temporary loans, or working more hours to keep the family budget afloat. Fast-forward several months, and you see the consequences — marital struggles, behavioral problems in children and overall family tension.
It's not that my clients wouldn't have come in for services eventually; it's just that financial crisis has made matters of mental health more complicated, more urgent and more overt.
In such tenuous economic times, when our clients need us more than ever, The Refuge Center depends upon our many donors, grant monies and fundraisers. Our fee is based on income — $1 per thousand that a family brings in per year (gross) is what we charge per session. The sliding scale starts at $10 an hour and caps at $85 an hour. Our needs are growing as quickly as the number of hurting people who need our services.
One way individuals can support The Refuge Center's efforts and learn more about how to cope with financial stress is by attending its workshop titled "An Evening of Hope: How to Find Calm in the Midst of a Financial Storm." The event will take place on May 5 and will feature renowned author and counselor Dr. Ted Klontz.
I encourage you to join us and help us to continue to spread the message of hope to Tennesseans in need. For more information regarding the workshop and the services that The Refuge Center offers, call 615-771-1155 or visit www.therefugecenter.org.
Kelly Bourque, M.M.F.T., is the Children's Program coordinator and therapist at The Refuge Center for Counseling.
BY KELLY BOURQUE • MAY 4, 2009
Millions of Americans watch the news every day and try to wrap their heads around the global financial crisis. Ultimately, it comes down to this — no matter the reason for the economic climate, the effect it is having on people's lives is large, and it is real.
As a therapist at The Refuge Center for Counseling, I have seen this firsthand.
The Refuge Center is a local nonprofit that offers a variety of counseling services to people regardless of income level. For people who are struggling economically, places for them to turn are few and far between. Whether they are suffering from depression or trying to cope with marital problems or trauma, The Refuge Center offers them an affordable counseling option.
My role at The Refuge Center is to work with children and their families. Many of the families I see come for services about a problem with such urgency that it makes counseling a high priority — even when they think they can't afford it. When I dig deeper, I find that the problem is further complicated by job loss.
In these uncertain economic times, the families I counsel are experiencing an incredible amount of stress. Daddies and mommies are doing things they never wanted to do, such as commuting to other states to take jobs because they can't wait any longer for something local, relying on extended family for temporary loans, or working more hours to keep the family budget afloat. Fast-forward several months, and you see the consequences — marital struggles, behavioral problems in children and overall family tension.
It's not that my clients wouldn't have come in for services eventually; it's just that financial crisis has made matters of mental health more complicated, more urgent and more overt.
In such tenuous economic times, when our clients need us more than ever, The Refuge Center depends upon our many donors, grant monies and fundraisers. Our fee is based on income — $1 per thousand that a family brings in per year (gross) is what we charge per session. The sliding scale starts at $10 an hour and caps at $85 an hour. Our needs are growing as quickly as the number of hurting people who need our services.
One way individuals can support The Refuge Center's efforts and learn more about how to cope with financial stress is by attending its workshop titled "An Evening of Hope: How to Find Calm in the Midst of a Financial Storm." The event will take place on May 5 and will feature renowned author and counselor Dr. Ted Klontz.
I encourage you to join us and help us to continue to spread the message of hope to Tennesseans in need. For more information regarding the workshop and the services that The Refuge Center offers, call 615-771-1155 or visit www.therefugecenter.org.
Kelly Bourque, M.M.F.T., is the Children's Program coordinator and therapist at The Refuge Center for Counseling.
April 10, 2009
April 09, 2009
"An Evening of Hope..." How to purchase tickets for this event
To order tickets for our May 5th, "Evening of Hope" Event:
Ticket Information
• To order by check please send money and information to: 106 Mission Court, Suite 302 Franklin, TN 37067 (write "Event" in the memo line)
• To order by credit card please visit our website: www.therefugecenter.org (Halfway down the left column click the ‘donate now’ button. Type ‘event’ in the box that says ‘special instructions’)
- Once you order your tickets your name will be placed on a "will-call" list and you will give your name at the door of the event. You will not receive a paper ticket for the event.
