Seattle Counseling Service records, 1963-2001

Seattle Counseling Service (SCS) was the first mental health agency for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender persons in the United States. Started as part of the Dorian Society in Seattle, SCS later expanded in 1969 to become an independent organization. Dr. Robert Deisher founded the Seattle Counseling Service for Homosexuals in 1969 with a $3600 grant from the Erickson Foundation through the University of Washington. SCS shared a space with the Dorian Society on Malden Avenue East, and was staffed by volunteer psychiatrists and professional graduate students.

In 1973 the name was changed to Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities to reflect more diverse identities, and in 1974 it became a licensed mental health center. SCS expanded its services to include group therapy (1979), a support group for gay men of color (1980), the first same-sex domestic violence program (1983), an HIV antibody test counseling program (1985), and a harm reduction program in collaboration with ProjectNEON and the King County Health Department (2003). Marsha Botzer organized a transgender support group (1974) at SCS which eventually became the Ingersoll Gender Center (1977). SCS also was an original sponsor of Lambert House, an on-site organization for LGBTQ youth.

Seattle Counseling Service faced a number of funding challenges over the years, even as it gained support from King County Mental Health Services and United Way of King County. It moved locations several times, relocating to the Central District (1973), Capitol Hill (1977), Queen Anne (1990), Capitol Hill again (1995), and finally to Downtown Seattle (2020). In 2022, following the Covid-19 pandemic and continued financial difficulty, Seattle Counseling Service announced it would close its doors on May 6, 2022.

Source: Historical notes found in collection, "Dorian Columns" newsletters, Seattle Times, https://seattlecounseling.org/about/