By Larry Carlson, Board President Celebrating Service  I am deeply honored to serve as Board President during the 65th anniversary year of Samaritan Center of Puget Sound, which was formerly known as Presbyterian Counseling Service. As I reflect on my journey, I realize how interconnected my life has been with this agency. My first exposure to its...

Within our darkest night You kindle a fire That never dies away Dans nos Obscurités, J. Berthier The third Sunday of the season of Advent is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday, for the Latin for “rejoice.” In the darkest weeks of the year (in the northern hemisphere, at least), it can sometimes feel odd to be asked to “rejoice,” particularly...

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 Over and over in Scripture, from the words of prophets and poets to the teachings of Jesus, we hear of God’s proximity to the brokenhearted. The Psalmist assures the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit, “God is with you right where you are.” The prophet Isaiah promises people,...

Four Things K-Pop Demon Hunters Gets Right about Shame and Facing our Inner Demons By Isaiah Lin, MA, PsyD   The newest streaming craze of 2025 is Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters. Premiering in late June, the show has now amassed 314 million views making it the most watched film in Netflix history and is being referred to by some as the Frozen of this generation....

We Are Not Alone In May we hosted our first gathering in six years! We gathered at Newport Presbyterian Church to enjoy a luncheon and a talk by author and mindfulness mentor, Kurt Hoelting. 94% of registrants attended, making for great discussion. We raised $19,040 total, netting $14, 299.50. 2024 Therapy...

Kurt Hoelting, author of Apprentice to the Wild and featured speaker and Samaritan’s 2025 Spring Luncheon, discusses the very timely themes of his book with Samaritan therapist Eric Stroo.

Tips and tricks from Mary Stanton-Nurse, MA, LMFT.

Samaritan board member and retired therapist, Peggy Hansen, has written the following questions to help you reflect: As you think about these four simple descriptions of wise behavior, do they remind you of other things you’ve learned or believed over the years? If you were to create your own...

Therapist Eric Stroo interviews Dr. Jeffrey Sung, our consulting psychiatrist, who is an experienced educator in the field of suicidality and suicide prevention. Jeff, how did you become interested in the phenomenon of suicide as a focus for your professional work? Sung: In our psychiatry residency training program at the University of Washington, we often worked with people with long...

Ready for an understatement? Accessing mental health services can be really challenging.