Our Purpose
Banyan Tree Counseling is made up of trained, professional counselors who volunteer our time and expertise in countries where quality counselor training is hard to access. Our purpose is to equip counselors, social workers, and community leaders in under-served areas by providing specialized training and supervised experience. We also seek to mentor and develop individuals through counseling and children’s programs.
“You would not be able to rehabilitate child prostitutes effectively because of language and cultural barriers. I cannot rehabilitate them effectively because I lack skills and knowledge. But if you train me, I will do the work, and we can really help them.”– a counselor trainee
Our Programs
Training
We teach basic and advanced counseling topics at training seminars organized by local partners. Topics include counseling skills, counseling theories, marriage counseling, child development, attachment, mood disorders, stress management, and counselor supervision.
“Your sessions were wonderful, especially the demonstrations! I understood more about counseling theories from your four-hour class than I did from my whole Bachelor’s degree in Psychology!”– a counseling student
“I have learnt an immense amount of skills, and have been enriched in my own personal life.”-a seminar participant
Consulting
We give consultations and clinical supervision to local counselors and social workers. Participants include school counselors, HIV counselors, pastoral counselors, and postgraduate psychology students.
“I recently arranged an engagement between two young people. A week later, the woman, an orphan, came to me in tears and revealed that she’d been sexually abused growing up. She wanted to know if she should tell her fiancé or simply break off the engagement. I counseled her not to tell. I told her that it was not her fault, and that she should forgive herself, ask God’s forgiveness, and not think about it anymore. Did I handle the situation correctly?” – A Pastor
Counseling
We offer culturally sensitive individual and family counseling in under-served areas. Initially we hesitated to provide counseling out of respect for cultural differences, but soon we saw that our outsider’s perspective was sought after and appreciated. Some clients describe waiting for years for “the right person” to confide in, and being enormously relieved to come across us. Many people prefer to open up to counselors from another culture because they perceive them as highly professional and confidential.
Problems addressed in counseling include depression, self-esteem, sexual abuse, family violence, marriage problems, parenting, spiritual confusion, mental illness, anxiety, and addictions.
Although the abuse has been going on for years, this is the first time I’ve ever told anyone. I tried to tell a friend once, but she looked so horrified that I just stopped. But when another friend told me there was a professional counselor here, I thought you’d be the right person to tell. – a client
I am so much better now. I feel so happy. Your counseling was really a life-changing experience for me. – another client
Strengthening Children’s Homes
We work to strengthen small children’s homes that are run on a shoestring by dedicated locals. We are impressed by the talent, love, and sacrifice of the people who run these homes. Some of them work around the clock for no salary. Often they are eager to learn how to develop their programs and respond better to the emotional needs of the children.
We help children’s homes become better places to grow up by:
- Training staff and volunteers in how to respond to emotional and behavioral problems.
- Giving consultations on the specific problems of children.
- Promoting children’s holistic development through recreation, nutrition, and psychosocial activities.
- Linking children’s homes to volunteers and resources in their communities.
At my home we meet the physical, educational, and spiritual needs of our children. But we don’t have any idea how to meet their emotional needs. Can you help us? – a children’s home director
When the boy was crying over his mother’s terminal illness, I found myself listening more. I even gave him a hug. I wouldn’t have done that previously. It’s your influence. – a social worker
Core Commitments
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Partnering with local organizations to work toward mutual goals
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Responding to felt needs in communities
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Respecting local culture and perspectives
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Affirming the worth and potential of every human being
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Offering hope and dignity to those who are wounded and discarded
Goals and Dreams
To help counselors in under-served countries become competent and confident to strengthen marriages, prevent suicides, support victims of abuse, counsel children, respond to family violence, recognize major mental illness, cooperate with psychiatrists, and adhere to ethical standards.
To make specialized training and ongoing education affordable and accessible to counselors in under-served areas, by bringing qualified, experienced counselors as volunteer trainers and consultants.
To create practicum programs where counseling trainees can be directly observed and given feedback.
To help partner organizations develop and maintain counseling programs for children who are abused, orphaned, or coping with a parent’s terminal illness.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The massive banyan tree grows throughout Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. It is highly respected and cherished all over Asia. Villages often grow up around banyan trees, which serve as the center of town, the resting place for visitors, and the community forum for discussing issues and settling disputes. They are a place of strength, rest, shade, spiritual renewal, community, family, and justice.
In the words of an Indian volunteer, Banyan Tree Counseling “says shelter, a safe place, a place where one can find rest and refreshment. [It suggests] a haven where people can come in and find hope.”
The banyan tree has a unique way of reproducing. Its branches spread out and then drop down into the soil, rooting themselves. Rather than staying dependent on the mother tree for nourishment, they become self-supporting yet stay connected to the mother tree. Thus banyan trees are a metaphor for the best practice in development work: temporary dependence that leads to interconnected independence.
Contribution Information
A U.S. nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Banyan Tree Counseling is funded entirely by donations. Your gifts enable us to bring hope, personal growth, and professional competence to areas of the world where mental health needs greatly outweigh the available resources. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Banyan Tree Counseling, PO Box 6388, Colorado Springs, CO 80934.