About DCC

Discovery Counseling Center was founded in 1971 by a group of community members in San Ramon Valley…

In 1971, Peter Strauss, a former school counselor, was approached by a group of valley residents who were concerned about drug and alcohol use among the troubled youth they were seeing downtown and on the streets at night. The residents didn’t have the money to start a substance-abuse education program, but they did have a desire to help the kids. A $300 grant from Danville Rotarians got them a two-week contract with Peter Strauss, and a mission.

Strauss’s nonthreatening approach allowed the kids he met with to open up to him. Word spread, and in those first two weeks, “a couple hundred” kids streamed into the Fosters Freeze parking lot in downtown Danville. A few weeks later, community organizers including a local orthodontist Dr. Rob Brown who saw many of these kids in his practice struggling with issues including depression, anxiety and drug and alcohol abuse, were able to organize enough financial support to open an office on Linda Mesa Avenue. The Discovery Center opened its doors in June 1971.

While the community was generous, monetary donations alone were ultimately not enough to support the growing counseling needs. In 1973, women like Marge Early and Barbara Gibson stepped in, held garage sales and founded the “Friends of Discovery” as an auxiliary to begin organizing sales of donated goods to provide a stable source of funding for the Discovery Center through the Thrift Station.

Over the years as our staff and services grew, Discovery Counseling Center moved from Linda Mesa Avenue, to Rose Street in 1999, and finally to the Town and Country Shopping Center where we are located today.

Now over 50 years later, the work of Discovery of Counseling Center clinic is still sustained through the support of the 100 plus volunteers that run the Thrift Station. Programs have been expanded to counselor support in schools throughout a partnership with the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, and our clinic continues to work to make counseling affordable so that no one is turned away from mental health support for financial reasons.

While Discovery has expanded and evolved with the changing needs of the community, as we enter the next 50 years of service to our community the mission and purpose of those first community organizers are still at the core of our mission to help individuals and families in times of difficulty and transition, and to keep this care accessible to as many as possible.

50th Anniversary: 2021

Five decades ago, community members came together and hired a counselor to work with teens who were struggling with drug and alcohol issues. From that initial outreach to young people, Discovery has grown to be a thriving center for mental health support for the whole community.

Discovery Counseling Center proudly celebrated 50 years of service to the families, children, teens, and adults of all ages.

Out of the turmoil caused by the pandemic, Discovery has emerged stronger and more vital to our community than ever before.

Thank you to all who helped us celebrate this momentous milestone and to those who continue to show us your support!

Here are some photos from our 50th Anniversary celebrations held on August 21, 2021.

SCOTT LUCIA

Wealth Management at Andrews, Lucia Wealth Management LLC

Affiliation:

  • Tassajara Valley Little League

ROBERT COMBS

Real Estate Advisor, Compass

Affiliations:

  • Town of Danville Planning Commissioner
  • Board Member, Leadership San Ramon Valley
  • President, Danville Rotary, Town of Danville Design Review Board Member
  • Board of Directors
  • League of California Cities, California State University at Chico Alumni Board of Directors
  • Parent Advisory Council
  • CSU
  • Past President

MICHAEL COPELAND

Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield

Affiliations:

  • San Ramon Valley Thunderbirds
  • San Ramon Valley Girls’ Athletic League Softball
  • Contributor to Alive Magazine

MARK DAVIS

Tri- Counties Bank- Senior Vice-President

Affiliations:

  • American Heart Association
  • United Way
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • St. Anthony’s San Francisco
  • San Francisco and Sacramento Food Banks
  • Sacred Heart Community
  • Past Board Member California Symphony
  • Past

JENISE FALK

Retired San Ramon Valley Unified School District Principal

Affiliations:

  • President of the Friends of Discovery(Thrift Station)
  • Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumni Association
  • San Ramon Valley Mental Health Advisory Council.

NEWELL ARNERICH

Town of Danville, Town Council Member, AD Architects, Inc., President & Co-founder

Affiliations:

  • Leadership San Ramon Valley
  • Board Member & Past President
  • Danville-Sycamore Valley Rotary Club- Member & Past President
  • AIA
  • American Institute of Architects
  • NACRB
  • National Council of Architectural Registration Board
  • Danville Area Chamber of Commerce
  • San Ramon Valley Mental Health Advisory Council.

KATHY CHIVERTON

Retired Executive Director Discovery Counseling Center

Affiliations:

  • Leadership San Ramon Valley Board of Directors
  • Rotary Club of Danville
  • Contra Costa County Measure X Community Advisory Board Member

MARIE HALL

  • Licensed Social Worker; Retired Clinical Director
  • St. Anne’s Catholic Church

Affiliation:

  • Friends of Discovery

MITCHELL HOPSON

Vice-President of Finance, Zearn

Affiliations:

  • Diablo Black Men’s Group (past Treasurer)
  • San Ramon Valley Diversity Coalition (founding member)
  • Leadership San Ramon Valley
  • Board of Directors
  • Youth sports coach

DAVID KRAVITZ

Affiliations:

  • Director of Student Services
  • San Ramon Valley Unified School District

N. S. LEE

Retired Project Manager, Kaiser-Permanente

Affiliations:

  • Toastmasters’ International
  • Project Management Institute

Claire Humphrey

Retired Pediatrician: Valley Community Health Center and Blackhawk Medical Group

Affiliations:

  • Marriage Mentor Community Presbyterian Church
  • Spiritual Mentor CityTeam Oakland

ANDY LI

Board Member, Contra Costa Community College District

Affiliations:

  • President
  • Civic Leadership USA
  • President
  • API Coalition, Board of Directors
  • Leadership San Ramon Valley
  • Steering Committee
  • San Ramon Valley Diversity Coalition
  • Rotary Club of Dougherty Valley/San Ramon

NEAL MITCHELL

Community Volunteer

Affiliations:

  • Hall of Fame Board Member Animal Rescue Foundation
  • Board Member Love for Margot Foundation
  • Past Board Member Mercator Medical Systems
  • Past Board Member Injoy Media Corporation

NISHI MOONKA

Chief of Staff/Head of Purpose and Culture at Blue Beyond Consulting

Affiliations:

  • Quail Run Learning Fund Vice President
  • PTA

SARAH NIX

Attorney, Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law By the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization

Affiliations:

  • Past President, Board of Diablo Valley of Estate Planning
  • Iron Horse Mother’s Club
  • AAUW, Volunteer St. Isidore’s Parish
  • East Bay Trust &amp, Estate Lawyers

JILL PURCELL

Owner Purcell International – Food Importing Business

Affiliations:

  • San Ramon Valley YMCA- Past Board Member
  • Diablo Homeowner’s Association- Past Secretary
  • Dorris-Eaton School-Past PTA President
  • Green Valley School and Monte Vista High School- Past PTSA Member

PAT WILSON

Retired San Ramon Valley Unified School District Educator

Affiliations:

  • Sons in Retirement (SIRS)
  • 100 Club of Contra Costa County
  • Community Presbyterian Church (CPC) Sponsor Program
  • San Ramon Valley Mental Health Advisory Council.

MARY VERSTRAETE

Retired from Banking

Affiliations:

  • Member of the Friends of Discovery
  • Thrift Station

GARY RIELE

Affiliations:

  • Principal
  • Riele Commercial Real Estate

ANN WILLOUGHBY

Retired Chief of Staff, University of California Office of the National Laboratories

Affiliations:

  • Treasurer Friends of Discovery Board (Thrift Station)
  • Quest Science Center Advisory Board
  • Livermore Lab Foundation
  • Expanding Your Horizons
  • Agape Village Foster Family Agency
  • American Association of University Women