Clergy & Congregation Services
The Clergy and Congregational Care Program at the Samaritan Counseling Center aims to meet the unique needs of clergy and congregations and to provide quality professional services, including the following:
For Clergy:
- Confidential one-on-one coaching with specially trained therapists
- Training in Leading Congregational Change
- Training in Adaptive Leadership
- Facilitated Clergy Networking and Support Groups
- Psychotherapy with clergy therapists
For Congregations:
- Congregational Visioning and Strategic Planning
- Appreciative Inquiry Training
- Workshops and Retreat Leadership
- Interim Ministry Facilitation
- Clergy and Laity Trainings
- Grief Processing
- Navigating Pastoral Transitions
For Judicatories:
- Congregational Assessments
- Crisis Management Support
- Boundary Awareness Training
- Psychosocial Clergy Assessments
- Coaching Judicatory Leaders
- Systems Training for Judicatory Teams
- Mediation for Conflict Resolution
We have three seasoned consultants who have years of experience in ministry and church consulting:
Rev. James Fenimore M.Div, D.Min., Ph.D., LMFT
Director of Clergy and Congregational Care
Jim is both a Marriage and Family Therapist and the Director of Clergy and Congregational Care at the Samaritan Counseling Center. Jim is an ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church and a member of The Upper New York Annual Conference. He has served churches as a pastor in Vermont, New Jersey and New York. He has also served as the Albany District Superintendent of The Upper New York Annual Conference. In his role as a District Superintendent Jim has worked with many congregations helping them to resolve conflicts and develop a vision for the future. Jim is a graduate of The University of Vermont, Drew University (where he received a Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Theology and a Doctor of Ministry in 21st Century Leadership), and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he received a Ph.D. in Science and Technology studying congregations’ adoption of visual technologies. Jim is also a graduate of Iona College with a MS in Marriage and Family Therapy. Jim has extensive training in Bowen Family Systems through the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center and the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family. Jim is the co-author (with Carol Howard) of Wounded Pastor’s: Navigating Burnout, Finding Healing, and Discerning the Future of Your Ministry (2024).
Rev. David Olsen, M.Div.,Ph.D., LCSW, LMFT
Executive Director
David has served as Executive Director of Samaritan Counseling Center since its inception in 1985. David is an ordained American Baptist Minister and holds an M.S. in Counseling from Oneonta State University College, an M.S.W. from the University at Albany, and a M.Phil and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Religion from Drew University. David has done extensive post-graduate work in family therapy from a Bowen family systems paradigm and conducts boundary awareness trainings nationally based on his book Saying No to Say Yes: Everyday boundaries and pastoral excellence.
Rev. Jonathan Vanderbeck, MDiv, DSW, LCSW
Clergy and Congregational Consultant
Jonathan serves as a Clergy and Congregational Consultant for the Samaritan Counseling Center. A graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Social Work (DSW) and Western Theological Seminary (MDiv), Jonathan has extensive experience as both a congregational pastor and clinical psychotherapist. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he has served in Reformed, Presbyterian, and Lutheran congregations as pastor, interim pastor, and judicatory leader and has also completed post-graduate training from the Vermont Center of Family Studies and Rutgers University School of Social Work in family systems therapy. His doctoral research focused on working with reactive religious family and congregational systems, particularly around matters of diversity, gender, and sexuality. Previously, he served as the Coordinator of the Clergy-in-Crisis Assessment Program and Assistant Director of Training at the Danielsen Institute at Boston University.
Training |
Date |
Location |
| UCC Laity Boundary Training | September, 15, 2026 | Zoom Based |
| Boston Presbytery Training | September 19, 2026 | Boston |
| SNE Presbytery Laity Boundary Training | September 29, 2026 | Zoom Based |
If you are a member of the clergy or a congregational/judicatory leader and would like to schedule an initial appointment, email [email protected], and it will be routed to a member of the Clergy and Congregational Care team.
Director
The Rev. Dr. James Fenimore
Director of Clergy and Congregational Care