Professional Staff - Brief Profiles
The Rev. Chris Brown, Executive Director
Has been the Executive Director of Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Center since May 2006. He and wife Dawna reside in Buffalo's Judges Row community with their two children Chris the third and Camrin.
Rev. Brown is a graduate of Buffalo State College with a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice, as a student Buffalo State College Rev. Brown was a co-captain on the schools Foot Ball, J.V.Basket Ball and Track and Field team, President of Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity, R.O.T.C. Cadet and Student Government Senator .He was also inducted into Who's Who in University's and Colleges. Rev.Brown is also a graduate of Houghton Colleges PCMP program where he was granted a certificate in Christian Ministry.
Rev. Brown has received his Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling at Medaille College.
Prior to joining Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Rev. Brown was Employment Readiness Trainer for Grater Buffalo Works, prior to his employment there he was the Night Supervisor for Erie County Juvenile Detention. He has also been employed as the Executive Director for Bailey Delavan Community Services, Program Coordinator for Geneva B.Scruggs Health Care Centers Family Support and C.M.C.M. Programs, Counselor at Buffalo General Hospital Day Treatment Center, Counselor for AIDS Community Services and a Paralegal at Neighborhood Legal Services Housing and presently serves as an Associate Minister at St. Johns Baptist Church in Buffalo where Rev. Dr. Michael Chapman is the Pastor. To God is the Glory!!!!
The Rev. Dr. Erwin Brese, Counselor
Erv is a retired Lutheran Pastor and he lives in Niagara Falls, New York. He graduated summa cum laude from Concordia Jr. College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and he received his Master of Divinity and two Sacred Theological Masters (one in the New Testament and one in Pastoral Counseling) from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1980 he received a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling from Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He is professor emeritus of pastoral care at Concordia Seminary in St. Catherines, Ontario, and is a certified member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors since 1976, and a past member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
Erv conducts workshops on family life, emotional systems, grieving, childhood concerns and family interactions. He is a married father of two and grandfather of two.
Dolores Hakes, LCSW-R, Counselor
Dolores has a Masters Degree in Social Work from the Columbia University School of Social Work. She came to the Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Center in 1990 following previous counseling experiences in family service and mental health agencies. For many years she counseled with parents of children and adults with handicapping conditions at Children's Hospital of Buffalo and the Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center. She also has certification from the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. Dolores is the wife of a United Church of Christ pastor, the mother of three adult children and has seven grandchildren.
Sr. Michele Jackson, Counselor
Michele is a Roman Catholic Sister who is a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. She served 35 years in parish ministry before training as a Pastoral Counselor. She has a Masters Degree in Pastoral Counseling from Neumann College in Aston, PA, and has attained Fellow status in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. Clinical experience includes individuals, couples, and families, particularly children with issues of grief, divorce, anger, and depression.
The Rev. Ron Majeroni, Counselor
A Diplomate with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and a licensed Mental Health Counselor, Ron Majeroni is an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is called to serve as a Pastoral Counselor at SPCC. He also co-leads contemporary music at Amherst Lutheran Church. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Forestry Technology from Penn State University, a Masters of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, and his Doctorate of Ministry from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Chicago. Ron specializes in counseling individuals suffering from chronic pain, depression and grieving. He also offers a course for area pastors every other year entitled, "Pastoral Care Specialist," a new AAPC category meant to increase skills in the area of pastoral care and theology.
The Rev. Gary Schindler, Counselor
The Rev. Gary C. Schindler is an Episcopal priest with an M. Div. from the Episcopal Divinity School and is a Pastoral Care Specialist with the AAPC. He has been ordained for 24 years and has served as Vicar of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Springville since 1991. He joined the Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Center staff in 2005 and sees clients mainly at theSpringville and Arcade satellites. Pastor Schindler is active in the local Clergy Association and Love INC of Springville and enjoys volunteering at Springville Elementary School. He also plays guitar and has appeared at a number of local venues. He is married to Ginnie and has three grown children.
The Rev. Robert C. Spilman, Director of Clinical Pastoral Education
An ordained Lutheran pastor, Bob is the director of Congregation-Based Clinical Pastoral Education at the Samaritan Counseling Center. He also serves in part-time interim church ministry in Western New York. Prior to coming to the Samaritan Center in 2003, he was the director of Pastoral Care and Education of the Lutheran Service Society of New York in the Buffalo area for fifteen years. He graduated from the University of Rochester, received his M. Div. degree from Yale University Divinity School, and completed his theological education for ministry at Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He served as a pastor for twelve years in North Carolina and completed three years of chaplaincy and ACPE supervisory training at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC. In 1990 he was certified as a Full Supervisor in the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Bob participated in the Edwin Friedman Family Systems Seminars in Bethesda, MD, for ten years and continues to study Bowen Family Systems Theory in post-graduate seminars. His special interest is applying the family systems perspective to the teaching of pastoral care and pastoral leadership in the congregation. He is married and has four grown children.
The Rev. Len Tomlinson, Counselor
An ordained Assembly of God minister, Len earned his Bachelor's Degree from Houghton College and received his Master's Degree in parish counseling from Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. He is also a chaplain with the New York State Department of Corrections where he serves both Gowanda and Attica correctional facilities. Len's wife, Diane, is a surgical nurse and they have been married for thirty-four years. He is the father of three adult children and has one grandson.
Theresa R. Walker, Counselor
Theresa earned a Masters Degree in Pastoral Ministry, with an emphasis on pastoral counseling, at Christ the King Seminary, East Aurora, NY, and has also earned Masters Degrees in both Mental Health Counseling and School and Agency Counseling from Canisius College, where she was inducted into the international counseling honor society Chi Sigma Iota. After earning her Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences and serving with the Department of Labor, Theresa worked for many years as the human resource director of a large not-for-profit agency which served economically disadvantaged and culturally diverse communities. She promoted a strength-based model of human resource development, which she has carried into her counseling relationships with individuals, couples, and families, and especially with adolescents, victims of physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse, and persons of diverse sexual orientations. She is a member of ACA (American Counseling Association), ASERVIC (Association for Spiritual, Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling), WNY Mental Health Association, WNY Counseling Association, and has applied for membership in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. Theresa enjoys singing with several choral groups and is active in various ministries, through the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, at both the diocesan and local levels, primarily in the area of faith formation and development. She is the married mother of four children and three step-children, and currently has seven grandchildren.
Lucia Wronski, LCSW-R, Counselor
Lucia received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Fredonia College and her Masters of Social Work from Buffalo State College. She received her Certification as a Social Worker in 1994 and received her R# in 2006. Lucia is certified in the use of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), through EMDRIA. EMDR is a proven therapeutic intervention that helps individuals to process and deal with traumatic events. Lucia has expertise in working with youth and adolescents, individuals with developmental disabilities and children and families in foster or residential care, and individuals who have experienced trauma. Lucia is a member of the Barge Canal Optimist Club and the National Association of Social Workers. She also provides community based training and family supports both on a volunteer and paid basis.
The Rev. Dr. David Wurster, Counselor
A Diplomate with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and a New York State licensed Mental Health Counselor, David is an ordained Lutheran pastor with Salem Lutheran Church in South Buffalo. He earned his Bachelor's Degree from Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne where he was graduated magna cum laude. He went on to receive his Sacred Theological Masters and his Masters of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and his PhD from St. Louis University. David is a former Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Niagara County Hospice, was a member of the AAPC Regional Certification Committee and was an ad hoc member of the National Diplomate Committee. His practice is concentrated in marital and family therapy and congregation consultation. He has served as a guest professor of homiletics at Concordia Seminary in St. Catherines, Ontario, and also as a guest professor at Concordia Seminary in Nagercoil, India. His wife, Ruth, is a musician and piano teacher. His daughters, Katherine and Abigail, are grown and both in professional worlds, one in writing and one in theater.
Rev. Gary Springer, Counselor
Samaritan
Pastoral Counseling Center of the Niagara Frontier; 322 Old Falls Blvd.;
North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Phone (716) 743-9117 or 1-800-660-5053 (Outside Erie &
Niagara Counties) Fax: (716) 743-8997-E-mail
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2004 The Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Center, Inc.