LINCOLN (SNR) – The Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center (IHMCC) will separate from Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska in the coming year. That decision was approved by the Catholic Social Services Board of Directors Thursday, Dec. 1.
The move means IHMCC will become an independent, nonprofit corporation. Katie Patrick, executive director of Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska, said the decision was made “after extensive prayer and consultation with Bishop James D. Conley, and with the full support of Dr. Courtney Miller and Dr. Peter Martin” of IHMCC.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center will continue to provide professional, community-based counseling that is both faith-integrated and faithful to Catholic Magisterial teaching, according to Patrick.
“CSS has given IHMCC its foundational mission and has been the invaluable vehicle through which IHMCC could begin to bring psychotherapeutic healing to the people of the Diocese of Lincoln,” Patrick said.
IHMCC was started in 1995 by Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska. Information gathered by a diocese-wide assessment indicated at that time psychological services within the Catholic structure were necessary.
“Two questions guided our assessment: What do you need; and how can we, as Catholic Social Services, help?” said Dr. Kathryn Benes, founding director of clinical services at IHMCC. “The overwhelming response was: our families are falling apart; our kids are running amuck; and alcohol is a huge problem. Moreover, there was no mental or behavioral health services where our Catholic faith would be upheld.”
Dr. Benes said together with priests, Catholic school personnel, and parishioners, “we designed a Catholic mental health program that has grown and adjusted to the ongoing needs within our diocese, ultimately even extending to the Catholic community throughout the United States.”
Patrick said with IHMCC under CSS, it remained also under the diocesan structure of governance, which poses challenges in fully serving diocesan priests, diocesan employees, and any individual with needs associated with the diocese.
“In true adherence to professional and ethical standards and in the best interest of the client, this new classification as a separate non-profit religious corporation will afford IHMCC the opportunity to serve a wider range of individuals without such conflicts of interest or duality of relationships,” Patrick said.
IHMCC has provided psychological services to the parishes through an indirect service delivery model, working with priests to support parishes through education and consultation, Patrick said. “While this will continue to be a resource provided to our priests and parishes, IHMCC will also improve its direct assistance.”
IHMCC will continue to bring psychology to people across the diocese, including schools, teachers, students, support staff, administrators, parishes, priests and religious, as well as non-Catholics.
“We sincerely hope to give psychology a more fulfilling pathway, a better way,” said Dr. Peter Martin, IHMCC internship director of integrated training and formation. “As St. John the Baptist made straight the pathways of the Lord, IHMCC hopes to do similarly by providing services that are Catholic and catholic (universal), supporting persons of faith and persons of no faith alike. We strive to offer a voice of hope in the psychological “deserts” or seasons of desolation in which our clients present. We accompany clients in developing key virtues that assist them in developing authentic freedom.”
Dr. Martin emphasized IHMCC’s focus will remain Catholic and faith-based.
“We will continue to offer Catholic-based, faith-integrated services, helping people to overcome psychological obstacles that may be preventing deeper spiritual intimacy with God, as well as to more broadly increase their capacity to give and receive love,” Dr. Martin said.
IHMCC is also the only Catholic American Psychological Association-accredited doctoral internship site in the country.
“For the past 19 years, IHMCC has been a training clinic that shares its model of faith-integrated psychology with trainees, who can take this out to their own communities as they begin their professional career,” said Dr. Courtney Miller, IHMCC clinical director.
Dr. Benes added in addition to the training program, IHMCC has also responded to needs including “the development of faith-based tele-counseling services, longstanding seminarian and religious vocational assessments, consultation to our diocesan Catholic schools, and counseling services for St. Gianna Women’s Homes.”
Those with IHMCC said its mission will continue to be centered on the Diocese of Lincoln, but they will have increased capacity to provide psychological support to all within the diocese. IHMCC will also work to ensure financial status is not a barrier to high-level quality mental health care. The center will continue to help provide financial support to such individuals through the support of charitable donations from the community.
The transition period to establish the Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center as an independent non-profit corporation is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Dr. Benes said IHMCC is prepared to lead the way.
“Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center, under the leadership of Dr. Courtney Miller and Dr. Peter Martin continues to respond to those two organizational questions of nearly 30 years ago: what do you need, and how can we help? Through God’s Grace, Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center will grow and thrive.” Dr. Benes added, “I was blessed to be a part of its history and I am excited to watch as it develops as an independent non-profit organization serving the Diocese of Lincoln and building the Kingdom of God.”
