Samaritan Interfaith: A Place for Healing and Hope

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- Our History

In the late 60's, three Naperville churches, Knox Presbyterian, Our Saviour's Lutheran and St. Raphael's Catholic, came together to form an interfaith counseling presence in the community. The Interfaith Family Life Center, Inc., began in 1971 to provide preventive and therapeutic counseling in family living and related concerns for all, regardless of religious affiliation or financial resources. In 1981 the Center became a member agency of the Naperville United Way and in 1983, affiliated with The Samaritan Institute of Denver, Colorado, becoming the Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Center.

The Center has outgrown three facilities since 1971 and has seen the professional staff expand to seventeen today. More than a dozen additional area churches representing varied denominations have joined the original three as supporting churches. Samaritan Interfaith also receives regular contributions from individuals, service clubs, corporations, foundations and the Naperville United Way.

A Community In Need

One in every 5 persons in the United States (20%) needs help for some type of mental health problem, yet only about 7% actually receive that help, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and the western suburbs of Chicago are no exception. The Naperville United Way Community Needs Assessment continually identifies the availability of individual and family counseling services as a priority in Naperville.

Our Record of Service in the Community...

In 2006, the Center's staff of professional counselors delivered over 17,000 hours of service to more than 4,000 people from Naperville and the surrounding communities. Fees subsidized by the Center last year totaled more than $418,000. A valued referral resource for physicians, clergy, school counselors, social service agencies and other mental health professionals, the Center welcomes close to 70% of new clients as direct referrals.

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