Friends Counseling Service

The Charge
The Friends Counseling Service offers psychological support to members  of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and their dependent family members, as well as regular attenders and employees of PYM. Services include individual, couple, and family therapy, and consultation on parenting and pastoral care issues. There is a program offering support and education on issues surrounding substance abuse and addiction.

All of the therapists on the Counseling Service are fully licensed and insured mental health professionals who are also members of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and active in their own monthly meetings.
Clients are charged according to a sliding scale, with lower rates than comparable professional services. Everyone is expected to pay something, but arrangements can usually be made to help cover the costs. Many meetings choose to subsidize their members and attenders by making donations to the Counseling Service. However, the idea is to make therapy available to Friends in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting who may not otherwise be able to afford it. If you need the help of a counselor but are afraid of the cost, inquire by calling Deborah Cooper, coordinator, 215-248-0489, and she will explain your options.

History and Philosophy

The Friends Counseling Service was founded in the 1940s by Dr. Lovell Dewees, a member of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, who recognized the need for a counseling service staffed by mental health professionals who were also Friends and active in the life of their meetings. The Counseling Service was founded to supplement the work of membership care committees of monthly meetings, to be a resource to them and to the members and attenders of Friends meetings, and to integrate a concern for our spiritual life into professional counseling work.
In its early years, the Friends Counseling Service provided counseling to individuals and couples only. In the 1970s, the service expanded and developed into the present form. The Counseling Service now offers individual, couple, family, and group therapy; consultations on parenting and pastoral care issues, and issues of addiction. The Counseling Service periodically sponsors conferences on pastoral care issues and is available to provide consultations for meetings on request.