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With the dramatic growth the Samaritan Counseling Center of Tyler has seen since opening in 2012, the nonprofit will be on the move this year.

Since its start, it has occupied donated office space in the Regions Bank Building in downtown Tyler.

But the center has outgrown that space and will be moving to a building at 218 N. College Ave. in January.

It will share this new space behind the federal courthouse with the Cancer Foundation for Life, and both organizations will be co-owners.

Center Executive Director Fonda Latham said the move was made possible by financial gifts from three donors.

“So it’s the generosity of people who knew the need and knew that we were … too young to go and support a capital campaign,” she said.

The move will pave the way for the center to offer more continuing education programs.

The Peace of Mind Conference, which happened in September, is now under the umbrella of the Samaritan Counseling Center of Tyler.

Ms. Latham said the center is planning to have another conference in the fall, along with a few other smaller events, such as a Suicide Prevention Awareness Day.

Peace of Mind will function as the education arm of the center for large events, which will be planned by an advisory council.

The counseling center also will host smaller workshops as well.

In addition to the Tyler office, the counseling center has satellite offices in Lindale and Longview and is exploring opening another office in south Tyler next year, Ms. Latham said.

The center has requests to consider opening a facility in Athens, as well.

Though the board has not yet discussed how it will use Shine Your Light Funds, Ms. Latham said any undedicated donations can be applied to the general operating fund and used to continue seeing clients at a lower fee.

The growth in the organization’s budget from year to year is indicative of the increasing number of clients they are seeing. This year’s budget was $399,000, and next year’s budget is expected to be about $718,000, Ms. Latham said.

That money goes predominately to payroll, because the counselors are the ones who do the work, she said.

Ms. Latham said, as she looks to the center’s future, she wants to be at the center of mental health care in Tyler but not in competition with any of the other available resources.

“I want us to be a go-to, like if somebody’s thinking about it, they’ll call us at least and let us help them find their way, whether it’s for family members, individuals who want care, community professionals or anybody,” she said. “I want us to be a big part of helping Tyler get healthier relationally … as well as in mental health, through workshops, through working with congregations and the medical community to facilitate them being better at addressing those needs in the community, as well as doing the counseling.”