Drawn to Samaritan Center

What’s the draw? In the last year or so, Samaritan has hired several new clinicians, people in mid-career who were looking for a professional experience and environment that they saw in the agency. Among them were these three: Nathalia Worms came to us in June 2022, Kristen Moss this last April, and Dan Kujawinski just this summer. All were living and working in the region already.

Kristen Moss

Among these three, there was a consistent observation that Samaritan offers a strong collegial environment. This impression came by reputation and word of mouth, but also, for Kristen, it was verified through her firsthand experience (some years ago) as an extern. In that role, she worked with an associate license at the agency, seeing clients and being supervised by agency staff. Nowadays, externs are included in collegial groups for peer consultation, training, and reflection. Engagement in these weekly groups has been a major factor in creating our strongly supportive and inclusive environment.

Dan Kujawinski

For Dan and Nathalia, who came from multidisciplinary environments, an attractive feature at Samaritan is the focus on counseling. In previous, more hierarchical settings, their roles were considered “ancillary” to the dominant medical model. By contrast, here at Samaritan, the clear emphasis and core business is therapy. And the value of that emphasis is evident in the opportunities to move beyond “brief” treatment or case management. Samaritan has given each of them a significant opportunity to grow and develop in their professional skills and a supportive environment for evolving in
directions that align with their passions and natural aptitudes.

Nathalia Worms

All three therapists bring strong sensitivities to acute issues in our community: homelessness, domestic violence, refugee and immigrant struggles. All demonstrate this deeply held compassion in their commitment to clients and community.  And at the same time, all have been drawn to the opportunity to explore the aspects of therapy that are central to our practice at Samaritan: insight-oriented treatment, spiritually integrative models, and a systemic, relational way of conceptualizing care.