Dear Ladd Park Resident

Dear Ladd Park Resident:

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce our organization to each of you! The Refuge Center for Counseling, a Christ-centered non-profit counseling center, opened in December 2005 as the vision of its founders Amy Alexander (myself) and Jennifer Gillett. We had a strong desire to serve Williamson County which is recognized for its wealth – oftentimes overshadowing those who are in need. The Refuge Center’s mission was clear from the beginning—to offer affordable, professional counseling services in order to empower, educate and support individuals, couples and families in need. Amy and Jennifer had discovered that there were few opportunities for affordable counseling in the area, as many local therapists charge $90 – $175+ per session. They wanted to offer therapy to those who could not afford those fees, so they created a sliding-scale fee structure that ranges from $25 – $110 per session and is based on each individual’s income level.

The name for the center was inspired by a passage in Isaiah which says, “It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and a hiding place from the storm and the rain.” (Isaiah 4:6) Beyond being a place to receive affordable and professional counseling services, The Refuge Center has also become a place where people are able to find hope and healing from the storms of their daily lives. The Refuge Center currently has 30 counselors, one Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and multiple Master’s level interns on staff. Each counselor has a different area of focus, including trauma, adolescent behavioral issues, play therapy, anxiety, marital therapy, grief and loss counseling, family counseling, and therapy for parent training and adoption-related issues.

We want to be clear that The Refuge Center is not an overnight facility. Clients do not ever stay at our facility (this is not nor ever will be an option.) They simply come for 1-hour counseling appointments. We serve our community as professional counselors that provide quality care to all people – including people just like you and your family. To learn more about our services, we invite you to visit our website at www.refugecenter.org

It has been a long-term vision for our organization to find land in Williamson County to build our permanent home. We are excited to share with you that we recently began negotiations to buy property along Long Lane across from Ladd Park. We plan to build a beautiful 14,000 square foot lodge-style building where we can continue to carry out our vision for affordable, professional counseling for all residents of Williamson County. There will be spaces to gather as individuals, groups and as a community and the site is intended to be a physical manifestation of our name – a refuge. As part of this therapeutic vision, the site will include gardens, walking trails, play structures, outdoor pavilions, a water feature, fire pit, prayer chapel, and prayer labyrinth.

This land fits the mission and values of our organization in many ways and there are a number of reasons why we are thrilled about this opportunity. We would welcome a conversation with you. If you’d like to know more about our intent with this property or have any other unanswered questions, please reach out to us by December 11^th. Or, if you would like us to contact you, please fill out this form.

In the interim, we invite you to view videos that will further introduce us to you:

The Refuge Center for Counseling 2018 Video

Client Stories

We look forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,