About Us
Helping People Heal, Grow, and Flourish
Established in 1937, the Blanton-Peale Institute & Counseling Center is a trusted provider of counseling, mental health support, and training. Our organization is dedicated to offering a safe and supportive environment for individuals seeking professional counseling services as well as dynamic comprehensive professional development and training. We take pride in our team of experienced counselors and faculty who are committed to providing personalized care and support to every individual who walks through our doors. Our mission is to promote mental health and wellness as we empower individuals, couples, families, and communities to heal, grow, and flourish.
A licensed mental-health counseling and training center located in New York City, Blanton-Peale promotes holistic wellness by nurturing mind, heart, body, and spirit. We believe in holistic wellness that is relational, contextual, individualized, and empowering. Provided by a diverse team of trained and licensed therapists, our counseling services aim to be culturally affirming, address challenges to mental health, and unlock strength, resilience, and community. We amplify our impact through training, offering opportunities for professional development and licensure, plus advocating for equal rights to quality mental health care.
Our work is as important as ever, as the urgency for quality mental health care persists.
Our clients and learners have options. We provide programs and services in person and virtually to ensure support is available for those who seek our assistance and training.
Training the Next Generation of Mental Health & Wellness Professionals
Our high standards of care and education have made us an in-demand training ground for mental health professionals. Social workers, mental health counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists and psychoanalysts, get the experience they need under wise supportive expert supervisors and faculty.
In addition to our contemporary Psychoanalytic Training Program and our Care and Counseling Program, we are proud of our BIPOC Fellowship Program, supporting the next generation of therapists committed to cultivating equitable access to culturally affirming quality mental health care, intentionally aiming to meet the unique needs and lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, Latin, Asian and other historically marginalized cultural communities.
Smiley Blanton
To be happy, drop the words 'if only' and substitute instead the words 'next time'.
Norman Vincent Peale
“Have great hopes and dare to go all out for them. Have great dreams and dare to live them. Have tremendous expectations and believe in them.”
Key Moments in Our History
01.
In 1935, during the Great Depression, Rev. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale recognized that faith alone could not meet the emotional and relational suffering of those seeking help. He partnered with psychiatrist Dr. Smiley Blanton, trained by Sigmund Freud, and together they pioneered an innovative approach that integrated psychology and faith. Their collaboration led to the founding of a groundbreaking counseling clinic in 1937.
The Center quickly gained national recognition, was licensed by New York State in 1953, and helped shape the emerging pastoral counseling movement through international leadership and training. Since 1996, this work has carried the names of its founders, Blanton and Peale. What began as the vision of two forward-thinking leaders has grown into a shared mission of hope and healing.
02.
Many New Yorkers today face challenges that are just as devastating as those of the Great Depression. We face a mental health crisis and Blanton-Peale has positioned itself to respond to crisis with care.
In 2017, Blanton-Peale’s board and staff seized an opportunity to grow. Over the previous 5 years, requests for services had outstripped the available space. We were “bursting at the seams.” Our 4,000 square foot facility was filled to capacity 6 days a week. We had grown by 91% in just 5 years and had to turn away New Yorkers seeking our support.
When the opportunity arose to lease an additional floor and double our impact on the lives of struggling New Yorkers, board and staff acted quickly and donors responded.
In December, 2017, we opened a beautiful new second floor.
03.
The pandemic intensified an already growing mental health crisis. Those with existing challenges faced heightened anxiety, depression, and trauma, while many others sought support for the first time as they struggled with isolation, loss, and uncertainty.
In response, Blanton-Peale became a fully Virtual Counseling and Training Center in 2020, serving clients and training students from across the country and around the world. We focused on expanding access for those most affected by the emotional and economic fallout of the pandemic, including Black and Brown New Yorkers, frontline and service workers, and low-income communities.
Throughout the pandemic, we remained committed to turning no one away due to inability to pay. Today, operating in a hybrid model, we offer both in-person and virtual care—making our services more accessible than ever and continuing our founders’ bold legacy of hope and healing.
Board of Trustees
Elizabeth Peale Allen, Chair
Shawna Aarons-Cooke, President & CEO
Kim Anderson
Jack Griem
David L. Harris, Esq
Julia Kang-Reeves
Casey R. Kemper, Vice Chair
William H. Kinn, Jr.
Colin Laughlin, Treasurer
Lauren McGill, Secretary
Michelle Munoz-Machen
Cliff Peale
Kelsanah Wade
Rev. Dr. James J. Wisecup
Emeriti: Henry Kang & John Rorer
“In the same way we would not turn away a friend with a broken arm, we cannot turn away a friend with a broken spirit.”
- David L. Harris, Esq.
Partners
