Internationals in Taiwan include missionaries, teachers, executives, workers, and students. Here are some of the significant challenges they face:

• cultural differences, multiple languages, and both
  intense urban and ancient Asian value systems
• personal, family, and career issues
• losses, crises, and catastrophes

To help meet these needs, Center for Counseling & Growth offers professional counseling from a Christian and international perspective.

The Center for Counseling & Growth began as a cooperative effort initiated by evangelical mission leaders associated with the Taiwan Missionary Fellowship. Dr. Lee Leeder opened the center in 1992. Following Lee's retirement in 1994, the Center for Counseling & Growth board invited Dr. Steve Spinella to serve as director in 1996. There are now 10 administrative and professional staff members.

Our original purpose, and still a top priority, is to help missionaries in Taiwan stay, flourish, and contribute by providing professional counseling from a Christian perspective. Beginning there, we have been able to extend care to others as well, both locals and internationals.

The center provides the following services in both English and Chinese:

• individual counseling
• couples therapy
• family therapy
• coaching for language learners
• small groups
• counseling seminars and workshops
• training for peer counseling
• retreats and focus groups
• career counseling
• clinical supervision for counselors and interns
• psychological and interpersonal testing

Every missionary needs language to flourish in daily life, and in inter-cultural ministry. In Taiwan this is a big task that absorbs a lot of missionary energy.

Many language learners and missionary leaders are asking for help in evaluating language learning and finding ways to have even more success.

This project provides a cooperative platform to serve missionary language learners by providing evaluation and support.

Ruh-Shan [Ruth] Jin is spearheading this new type of care for CCG. As a native speaker with 8 years experience studying language abroad, she is available to coach language learners. This includes...

• providing Chinese language evaluations
• networking and encouraging language learners individually and in groups
• resourcing and cooperating with other language coaches, teachers, helpers, and coordinators to enhance progress and effectiveness in language learning

Interested? Check out this article "The Challenge Of Language - An Interview with Ruh-Shan Jin" to know more about this service and Ruh-Shan Jin herself.

The Center for Counseling and Growth is a ministry supported by dedicated staff, volunteers, and contributions from concerned partners. We warmly invite your contributions.

We can provide the needed information for you to make tax-deductible contributions in Taiwan, the United States, or Canada. We also encourage each client to contribute as he or she is able. For companies, we are happy to identify our costs when reimbursement is available.

Please use our services! That's why we are here. We welcome you, whether you come as a client, a fellow caregiver, a funding partner, a friend, or all of these.