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It is the mission of Tri-Cities Ministries Counseling to provide an opportunity for all people in the Tri-Cities to access professional Christian counseling to meet the spiritual, psychological and
emotional needs of our community.
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SERVING COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS
Tri-Cities Ministries Counseling has been providing professional Christian counseling for people in the Tri-Cities area for more than 30 years. It is the brainchild of the Tri-Cities Cooperative Church Ministries, a group of churches who formed an organization to work together collaboratively to meet the needs of the community. This organization, formed in the late 1960’s, included 21 member churches and became known as the Forum. Meeting monthly, Forum members shared ideas, planned joint waterfront services, initiated hospital chaplaincy and fostered collaboration among its member churches. It was a result of these monthly meetings that the Forum recognized the need to provide affordable, quality counseling services to people within and outside their churches.
The Forum gave birth to Tri-Cities Ministries Counseling Services and a 13-member board of trustees was appointed to oversee the counseling ministry. Prior to its incorporation, counseling services were provided in local churches and in homes by professional care providers on a volunteer basis. As the demand for counseling services increased, the need for its own location and professional staff became evident. In 1973 the first part-time, paid director was appointed and an office was opened on Franklin Street. TCM moved to its present location at 120 S. Fifth Street in Grand Haven, a house owned by First Presbyterians Church of Grand Haven.
TCM became a legally incorporated entity in 1977. From that time through 1999 it employed counselors to provide services and relied on professionals who volunteered their time. In 2000, TCM changed the way it delivered counseling services to people in the Tri-Cities by utilizing local therapists on a contract basis instead of employing its own counseling staff. This method of delivery allows TCM to provide more counseling sessions, an expanded number of therapists and increased accessibility to care.
GIVING BIRTH TO LOVE, INC. & FIRST CALL FOR HELP
In 1984, TCM established the Tri-Cities chapter of LOVE, Inc., a ministry of World Vision and founded in the mid-1970s by Virgil Gulker in Holland, Michigan. Its mission is to mobilize churches to pool their resources and services so that those in need are not turned away. Twenty years later LOVE, Inc. had grown immensely and was financially self-sustaining. In 2003, TCM and LOVE, Inc. became separate non-profit organizations and are no longer legally or financially affiliated with each other. However, they continue to work collaboratively to provide support for members of the community.
TCM established the Ottawa County chapter of First Call for Help in 1998.
First Call for Help is an organization that connects individuals and families seeking health and/or human services to the organizations best able to meet their needs. First Call for Help offers both confidential telephone support to people in crisis and personalized information and referrals to those needing assistance or wishing to contribute to their community. By 2005, First Call for Help and TCM initiated the process to become separate legal and financial entities. In 2006, First Call for Help of Ottawa County merged with Call 2-1-1 of Muskegon County and became Call 2-1-1 of the Lakeshore.
LIVING OUT OUR FAITH
Our motto is, “Helping people. Strengthening families. Serving community.” This motto is a reflection of our core values and what we continuously strive to achieve. Our core value statement is:
Tri-Cities Ministries Counseling, through its panel of professional therapists, assists people in their relationship to and understanding of God, self and others. TCM affirms the redemptive, transformative nature of God and helps people identify and lead lives toward healing and wholeness. TCM affirms the inclusive and loving nature of Jesus Christ while providing professional counseling, marked by honor, respect and love in a spirit of service.
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NO ONE IS TURNED AWAY
TCM is experiencing a drastic increase in the number of people utilizing our services, either through individual counseling or participation in the expanding number of support groups offered. As our local citizens continue to be turned away at other agencies, or lose their health care coverage or employment, they are asking for our help. If a person lives, works or worships in the Tri-Cities, he or she will not be turned away. Co-pays are determined on a generous sliding scale based on a person’s income and can be as low as $6 per session. For clients who are unable to contribute financially, TCM may accept in-kind services from them in the form of cleaning; yard work; minor repairs; and various other tasks that help clients maintain dignity and self-sufficiency while they receive counseling services from TCM.
Many area churches continue to utilize TCM as an extension of the emotional care and counseling given to members of their church family. The counseling that Tri-Cities Ministries Counseling offers is accessible, affordable, and confidential.
MISSION STATEMENT
It is the mission of Tri-Cities Ministries Counseling to provide an opportunity for all people in the Tri-Cities to access professional Christian counseling in order to meet the spiritual, psychological and emotional needs of our community.
THE NEED IS GROWING
TCM is experiencing a drastic increase in the number of people utilizing our services, either through individual counseling or participation in the expanding number of support groups offered. The number of people seeking individual counseling in the first five months of 2007 has DOUBLED from last year.
An increase of this magnitude threatens our promise of assuring that no one is turned away who reaches out to TCM for help.
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