Our Mission to Help Meet a Growing Community Need
Since 1981, Samaritan Counseling Centers of the Mid-South has offered hope and healing by providing affordable, accessible, high-quality, professional counseling and educational resources, while respecting the personal and spiritual values of individuals. We also provide high-quality mental health educational resources. Forty-four years after our founding, the need for mental health services has been on the rise:- More than 1 in 5 adults (21%) in the United States experiences mental illness each year, representing over 50 million people dealing with conditions ranging from anxiety to severe depression (Mental Health America, 2023).
- More than 4 in 10 (42%) U.S. high school students felt persistently sad or hopeless and nearly one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health (CDC, 2021).
- Approximately 50% of all adults and children who suffer from a mental health challenge do not have access to care (MHA, 2023).
- Tennessee ranks 43rd in access to mental health care in the U.S. (MHA, 2024).
- Cost of care remains a significant barrier for many individuals. With the average cost of a counseling session in Tennessee of $130-$150, and many providers choosing to not accept insurance, counseling is out of reach for so many.
Samaritan Counseling Centers of the Mid-South is committed to increasing access to mental health counseling and educational services by providing a sliding scale fee structure and a client assistance fund that allows us to offset the cost of services for lower-paying clients and lower-reimbursing insurance payments. We serve clients throughout the Mid-South (71 zip codes in 2024) from all racial and economic backgrounds, including those with low incomes, no insurance or low-reimbursing insurance.