The area’s largest counseling center has a brand-new home

The Refuge Center

Twenty years ago, Refuge Center CEO Amy Alexander and co-founder Jennifer Thames-Hamilton came to the realization that there were few opportunities for affordable counseling in Williamson County. Aiming to offer therapy to individuals, couples, and families who could not afford the fees, they created Refuge Center and began offering counseling services on a sliding-scale fee structure based on income.  

In the two decades since, the Center has become the largest counseling center in the region, having provided more than 337,000 sessions since opening its doors in December 2005. The most common “presenting issues” among clients are anxiety, depression, addiction, and grief & loss, though the Center’s 70 counselors and therapists (including 15 full-time staffers) address a wide range of issues that also include pre-marital counseling, marital issues, and divorce adjustment, among others.

“We served more than 4,000 clients last year, and 89 percent of those clients paid between $25 and $125 per session,” offers Tate Foster, marketing manager for the Refuge Center, noting that upwards of 20 percent of the sessions were provided to kids and teenagers. That’s well below the typical cost range for counseling services in Williamson County.   

In 2024, the Refuge Center also moved into a $13 million building on Long Lane, encompassing 15,200 square feet of space. 

"We were fundraising and dreaming and planning for over a decade,” says Foster, who describes the brand-new building as “lodge-like, with very Pacific northwest vibes and a lot of wood and stone…. Everything is designed to cultivate healing and inner peace, whether it’s before or after a session,” he adds. The grounds also feature four acres of walking trails, a healing garden, an outdoor prayer chapel, a playground for children, and a spacious multi-purpose room for seminars and group activities.

Connecting With a Refuge Center Counselor

Finding a therapist at the Refuge Center is a straightforward process that begins with calling and setting up an intake appointment. This hour-long chat helps the intake specialist understand your goals and match you with the right counselor. 

“Our intake specialists will give you a few names, and you can look at those individuals on our website. During the call, they also provide your sliding-scale rate,” explains Foster.  

There are also other ways to get to know more about the Refuge Center, which offers tours of the facility each Tuesday at 4 pm.

“For donors or community members, the first step to find out more would be one of our Connections lunches, which are held the first and third Thursday of each month at noon,” advises Foster, before noting that attendees receive a tour of the building and watch a client story video, while also sharing information about themselves and their work.

Finally, the Refuge Center also sponsors special events that are held off-site, like Live Intentionally 2025, which will take place on February 14, 2025, between 8 am and noon at Church of the City in Franklin.

“It’s an event we host every year. This year the topic is on addiction, and will feature speakers on topics like sex addiction, technology & social media, eating disorders, and opiate addiction,” concludes Foster, who encourages interested parties to visit the Refuge Center’s new home.

“It a unique building, especially for counseling on a sliding-fee scale. There is nothing else like it in the country.”

CONTACT:

The Refuge Center for Counseling

4317 Long Lane, 

Franklin, TN 37064

615.591.5262

https://refugecenter.org/