Mimosa Christian Counseling Is Happy to Introduce Callie Perez as our new Director!
A Morganton faith-based non-profit Counseling Center has named a new Clinical Coordinator.
On Jan. 1st , 2023 Callie Perez assumed her new role as Clinical Coordinator for Mimosa Christian
Counseling Center in Morganton. Long time coordinator Jane Rawson announced that she was stepping
down last year. Perez has worked at Mimosa part time since 2018 in addition to her Monday – Thursday job as
an intake clinician and outpatient therapist with Support Incorporated. In December 2021, she left
support Inc and joined Mimosa full time. Perez holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling from Lenoir-Rhyne University.
“I had originally wanted to be a teacher and work with kids,” she said. “I also really liked
psychology, and I decided I wanted to work with people one on one, so counseling seemed to be a really
good fit for that.”
After graduating with her master’s degree in 2017, Perez began working at The Center for
Emotional Health in Gastonia, but she quickly knew her passion was to get into Christian Counseling. An
opportunity came only months later when she was hired on at Mimosa. When Rawson announced that
she was planning to step down, Perez knew Mimosa was an agency she wanted to dedicate herself to
fulltime.
“We have a good atmosphere here,” she said. “The faith piece, the Christianity piece, you can
feel the difference here… we enjoy what we do, and we’re passionate about helping people. You don’t
get that everywhere.”
She said the option to combine her faith with her counseling patient, if a patient is willing,
makes a big difference for her. “If they don’t want me to involve faith I don’t, she said. “But for those
who do, that would look like actively talking about ‘Where is God in this process or journey that you’re
in? How does he fit into the anxiety or depression that you’re having?” Things like that.
She said it is also very important to ground her work in the latest scientific research and
methods. “All of us have been trained in psychology and counseling, we all have master’s degrees and
licenses, Perez said.
Mimosa opened it’s doors in April 2004, filling the void left when The Life Enrichment Center, a
now defunct Christian Counseling Ministry in Morganton, shut it’s doors in the late 1990’s. The Rev.
Tom Bland, senior minister of First Baptist Church in Morganton, was instrumental in starting the
ministry and serves on the board of directors. According to Bland, the purpose is to offer fully licensed
counselors and professional services regardless of anyone’s ability to pay.
Rawson was appointed Mimosa’s first clinical coordinator and has led the agency to provide
services to more than 2,800 people in Burke County over that past 18 years.
Mimosa is able to file most insurances and is able to offer services with no referrals needed.
The agency also provides scholarships for those who are uninsured or underinsured.
While Rawson plans to continue seeing patients at Mimosa, she expressed that she felt it was
time to step down from the role of coordinator. Although she has stayed up to date on counseling and
mental health, Rawson believes the ministry could benefit from a coordinator who is more tech savvy.
Updating technology and finding more efficient ways to meet the needs of clients will be one of the first
orders of business for Perez now that she has assumed her new role. “What I hope to do is help us
move into the future”, Perez said, “We have a lot of outdated technology and it needs to be updated.”
Perez also said community collaboration is going to be an even more important aspect of the
ministry going forward. She intends to ramp up the agency’s focus on building and maintaining
community and church partnerships. “I’d also like to see us have a bigger role in the community,” she
said, “Maybe speaking more at churches or other places where we have the opportunity.”
Perez also plans to advocate for mental health among Christians and partner with local churches
and pastors to encourage them to refer parishioners that may need more help.
Rawson said she has no plans to leave the agency anytime soon but characterized it as changing
roles. “Callie will become the director, and I will become a contract-therapist and stick around as long as
I can be useful”, Rawson said. “I’m counting on God to let me know when it is time to quit.”
Mimosa is located at Burkemont Ave. in Morganton. As a 501c3 (Non Profit Organization),
Mimosa is supported by a combination of grants, fundraising events, and donations from churches,
businesses, and individuals.
For information about visiting Mimosa, donating, or partnering with the ministry, call 828-433-
5600 or visit mimosachristiancounseling.org.