By Shannon Baker, BCM/D National Correspondent
ROCKVILLE, Md.—Kim Cook, a licensed clinical social worker for the state of Maryland, has been named executive director of CentrePointe Counseling, Inc.
Since 2003, Cook has served as therapist and clinical director at CentrePointe Counseling, Inc., where she helped provide mental health counseling to individuals and families; supervised, assisted in hiring and orientating clinical staff; maintained insurance credentialing for agency therapists; oversaw the billing process; and worked to insure agency accreditation and compliance.
“I am humbled at the calling to lead this talented staff as we continue to help hurting people with competent and compassionate services,” Cook shared, explaining that CentrePointe is on the cusp of doing exciting new things.
“The board is focused on taking the agency to the next level of professionalism, development, and service delivery. The staff has already begun implementing the strategic plan. I will focus on helping the counselors and board to reach these goals, as we use our gifts and talents together.”
The ongoing vision of Centrepointe is to have a counselor within 45 minutes of each individual in Maryland. CentrePointe is continuing to grow geographically—currently, the agency has 23 locations with 14 counselors, but is looking to add more staff and more sites. Cook said that CentrePointe will also continue to develop their breadth of services. The established plan calls for adding more educational opportunities for churches and their communities.
“On the scholastic side, we’d like to offer training events that will help promote wellness and work more in the area of preventative care,” she said.
Previously, she served as program manager at Baptist Family and Children’s Services, where she handled similar management responsibilities as well as provided counseling and case management to clients, including agency foster care children. Cook has also worked for Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities. She has developed programs, provided counseling, and participated in community partnerships.
While in seminary at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Fort Worth, Texas, Cook served as a Prevention Specialist for the Fort Worth Independent School District, where she provided counseling, classroom education, and peer mediations. In particular, she worked with students and their parents to prevent disciplinary expulsions.
Prior to that, she supervised social workers and after-school staff at five Title I schools through a non-profit social service agency. In that capacity, she handled the case management and counseling of students in specific clinical need and worked with organizations such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, YMCA, and United Way to help promote greater community involvement.
Cook is a native of Maryland. She was baptized at Middle River Church as a child. However, she spent most of her school years as a member with her family at Oak Grove Church in Bel Air, Md. One formative ministry experience was serving as a state Acteen’s panelist. Her involvement in WMU was central in her calling to study social work and to develop a specialty in church and community ministry.
Cook, received a master of arts degree in church and community ministry from Southwestern Seminary in 2002. She also earned a master of social work degree, with a clinical concentration and specialization in family and children’s services, from the University of Maryland in Baltimore in 1999; and a bachelor of science degree in Social Work from Messiah College, in Grantham, Pa., in 1998.
While at Centrepointe, Cook had been an instructor at Villa Julie College’s Human Services Program, where she taught undergraduate classes, supervised practicums and internships, and coordinated the placement of students into internships. This opportunity developed key administrative relationships for Cook at numerous social service, faith-based, government, and hospital agencies in the Baltimore-DC area.
Cook has written for Parent Life, a magazine published by LifeWay Christian Resources, and for HelpMeet, a BaptistLIFE feature targeting ministers’ wives. She also has an established speaking ministry, having spoken to many area churches on the topics of family ministry involvement and leadership.
Cook has a heart for families and children in need. She shares this ministry passion with her husband, Bobby, who is the Associate Pastor for Family Ministry at Redland Church in Rockville, Md. His responsibilities include children, youth, recreation, and families. The Cooks have three sons and live in Rockville.
To find out more about CentrePointe Counseling, Inc. or to schedule an appointment, please call (410) 882-1988 or toll free (800) 491-5369; or visit www.centrepointecounseling.org.
