Church Scholarship Program

Part of the heartbeat of Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. is to support the local church, and we want to be a resource for those times when professional support is needed. We also want to be good stewards of the Lord's money, so when a church is willing to invest in a client, we want to invest in them too. Therefore, for the duration of the time that a client is being sponsored by a church, we discount our rates as well. Discounts are as follows:

Kerry Williamson - Normal rate $200, Church rate $150
Carolyn Dixon and Rachelle Honohan - Normal rate $170, Church rate $135
LPCs and LMFTs - Normal rate $150, Church rate $125
LMFT-Associates and LPC-Associates - Normal rate $105, Church rate $85

Discounted rates are only available during the time the church is contributing, so we encourage clients to contribute a portion as well. The advantage of clients contributing is two-fold. First, the funds the church can contribute last longer, so the scholarship lasts longer, which means the client continues to receive the benefit of the discounted rate. Second, we have found that it helps the counseling process when the client has financial investment because financial investment often correlates with personal investment. A partnership between us, the church, and the client often has the best chance for therapeutic success. However, sometimes churches prefer to sponsor a client for a particular number of sessions, rather than for a set amount, and we are happy to serve in that arrangement as well.


How the Process Works

In order to sponsor a client with a scholarship, we ask that a member of the church staff email us indicating:

  • The name of the client to be sponsored
  • The amount (or number of sessions if preferred) that the church wishes to contribute
  • The person to whom we should email invoices

Once the client's file is set up, we document that email in their file so that we have a record of how to proceed. The client can reach out to us and inform us that they are being sponsored by a church and set up their initial appointment. At that time, we will ask them to complete a Release of Information Form giving us permission to communicate with the church about billing. If the client is contributing a portion of their counseling fees, we will collect their portion at each counseling session. We will email an invoice for the church's portion monthly.

We have found this arrangement to be very rewarding over the years, since it gives us an opportunity to serve the local church while also stewarding the gifts of our team. Additionally, it often allows clients to receive the care they need but might not otherwise be able to afford. If  this arrangement seems like something that could be beneficial to you and your congregation, we would be honored to partner with you!