Clergy & Congregation Services
The Clergy and Congregational Care Program at the Samaritan Counseling Center aims to meet the unique needs of clergy and congregations and to provide quality professional services, including the following:
If you are a member of the clergy or a congregational/judicatory leader and would like to schedule an initial appointment, email [email protected], and it will be routed to a member of the Clergy and Congregational Care team.
Director
The Rev. Dr. James Fenimore
Director of Clergy and Congregational Care
For Clergy:
- Confidential one-on-one coaching with specially trained therapists
- Training in Leading Congregational Change
- Training in Adaptive Leadership
- Facilitated Clergy Networking and Support Groups
- Psychotherapy with clergy therapists
For Congregations:
- Congregational Visioning and Strategic Planning
- Appreciative Inquiry Training
- Workshops and Retreat Leadership
- Interim Ministry Facilitation
- Clergy and Laity Trainings
- Grief Processing
- Navigating Pastoral Transitions
For Judicatories:
- Congregational Assessments
- Crisis Management Support
- Boundary Awareness Training
- Psychosocial Clergy Assessments
- Coaching Judicatory Leaders
- Systems Training for Judicatory Teams
We have two seasoned consultants who have years of experience in ministry and church consulting:
James Fenimore, D.Min, M.Div, Ph.D., LMFT
Director of Clergy and Congregational Care
Jim is both a Marriage and Family Therapist and the Director of Clergy and Congregational Care at the Samaritan Counseling Center. Jim is an ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church and a member of The Upper New York Annual Conference. He has served churches as a pastor in Vermont, New Jersey and New York. Jim has also served as the Albany District Superintendent of The Upper New York Annual Conference. He is the co-author of Wounded Pastors: Navigating Burnout, Finding Healing, and Discerning the Future of Your Ministry.
David Olsen, Ph.D., LCSW, LMFT
Executive Director
David has served as Executive Director of Samaritan Counseling Center since its inception in 1985. David is an ordained American Baptist Minister and holds an M.S. in Counseling from Oneonta State University College, an M.S.W. from the University at Albany, and a M.Phil and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Religion from Drew University. David has done extensive post-graduate work in family therapy from a Bowen family systems paradigm and conducts boundary awareness trainings nationally based on Saying No to Say Yes: Everyday boundaries and pastoral excellence.
If you are a member of the clergy or a congregational/judicatory leader and would like to schedule an initial appointment, email [email protected], and it will be routed to a member of the Clergy and Congregational Care team.
Director
The Rev. Dr. James Fenimore
Director of Clergy and Congregational Care