Community Services

Counseling Center

Who We Serve

St. PJ’s Counseling Center serves the entire San Antonio community. We provide mental health evaluations and counseling services to children and adolescents, ages 3-18, adults, and families. We specialize in healing psychological and emotional trauma related to abuse or neglect, family violence, grief and loss, relationship problems, and common mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, anger management issues, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

We receive referrals from various sources including former clients, the United Way, the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services, school personnel, health or social service agencies, juvenile probation, other professionals, victim services providers, and managed care.

Intake

Initial contact with St. PJ’s Counseling Center is typically done by telephone, and we can be reached at (210) 531-8519, or on our main number at (210) 533-1203. When a caller requests services, an intake worker will determine the child or individual’s eligibility for services and method of payment, e.g., Medicaid, insurance, sliding-scale, grant-funded services (for victims of crime and/or trauma). Everyone is served regardless of ability to pay.

Following this initial phone call and intake process, the case is assigned to a licensed therapist, and we will call back to offer an appointment time. Most clients are able to be seen within two weeks of the initial intake. For children and adolescents, both the parent or legal guardian and the child need to attend the first therapy session.

Walk-ins are welcome to come in to complete an intake.

When the child with parent/legal guardian, or adult client comes to St. PJ’s Counseling Center for their first appointment, they will complete a child or self-assessment form. They will then meet with a therapist for an initial mental health assessment, at which time preliminary treatment goals and frequency of services are determined.

Therapy

After initial information is gathered and the nature of the individual’s presenting challenges is determined, treatment will begin.

Individual therapy

Our professional therapists are trained in a number of effective treatment models to include cognitive-behavioral therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, client-centered, solution-focused and psychodynamic psychotherapy, Christian-based counseling, and play therapy. The approach that you and your therapist decide upon will depend on your needs and your therapist’s expertise. At St. PJ’s, we view therapy as a partnership between you and your therapist. Goals and action steps will be established together. Our experience is that the more active and engaged you become in your treatment, the more effective it will be. Therapy sessions typically last for 50 minutes.

Group Therapy

Group therapy is offered for the children who reside at St. PJ’s and for adults in the community on abuse recovery and relationships. Please contact our intake coordinator at (210) 531-8519 for the most current group therapy information and schedule.

Family therapy

At times issues are best addressed within the context of the entire family. St. PJ’s offers family, couples, marital, and sibling therapy. Some of the issues that can be addressed in family therapy include communication, family rules and expectations, discipline, conflict resolution, and trauma resolution.

If you or a family member needs support, contact our Counseling Center at (210) 533-1203 or (210) 531-8518 or email counseling@stpjhome.org .

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Brave Beth's Story

Beth is a 10 year old girl that was placed with a relative after CPS removed her and her two siblings. When Beth began therapy at St. PJ’s Counseling Center, she was very mistrustful of any adult and would frequently question her therapist's actions and facial expressions in the sessions. She was very depressed, had poor behaviors, problems at home, and would not smile or show any facial expression at all. She became suicidal and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) over the extreme abuse by her mother and father.

“Beth worked very hard in therapy and together, we created a trauma narrative in which she processed the hurt and abuse she suffered and she was able to heal from her past,” said Michon, her therapist. With the added support from her family, she was able to overcome her past and she began to trust adults and feel good about herself.

She now calls herself "Brave Beth" and she wants other kids to read her story to learn how they can become brave and heal. She now comes to therapy smiling and laughing and she no longer questions her therapist in the sessions. Beth has now been successfully adopted by her extended family and she is doing well in school and in her new family.

*name changed to conceal identity