Discovery Counseling Center was founded in 1971 by a group of community members in San Ramon Valley…
In 1971 Peter Strauss, a high school school counselor, was approached by a group of residents 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 organized by Danville Rotarians like Chuck Bloch 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 few weeks, “a couple hundred” kids streamed into the Fosters Freeze parking lot in downtown Danville where Peter met with them. A few weeks later, community organizers including a local orthodontist Dr. Bob Brown who also 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 a counseling 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 that organized 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, and in 1999 to the Town and Country Shopping Center in Danville and the office in Dougherty Station Arts Center where we are located today.
Over 50 years later, Discovery Counseling Center’s community-based clinic is still in large part sustained through the incredible work and support of the over 100 volunteers that run the Thrift Station store.
Discovery has expanded and evolved in the ways we serve our community but we remain committed to our founders’ mission of offering high quality mental health support that is accessible and affordable, and through our programs and partnerships in the community being an advocate and leader in raising awareness, resources, and tools for early intervention and treatment options.
50th Anniversary: 2021
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.
