Olga Harris joins Texas Baptists as new director of Counseling Services

The Texas Baptists Center for Ministerial Health welcomed Olga Harris as the new director of Counseling Services. Harris transitioned to the role from her prior position as a private practice LPC. She assumed the new position on Aug. 19.

Harris said she is excited to lean into her passion for promoting mental health and raising awareness of the counseling services Texas Baptists offers for pastors and their families.

“[I’ve been] one of the counselors in our network for eight years, so when I do a conference for pastors, I will refer them here,” said Harris. “I’m hoping that [the counseling services are] going to explode and multiply and grow. I have a lot of desire to see it grow because the need is there and it’s great.”

Prior to her time with Texas Baptists, Harris served as a licensed professional counselor in private practice since 2007. She has 26 years of experience in the counseling field, working previously with the Women's Center of Tarrant County, Safe Haven of Tarrant County, Catholic Charities of Fort Worth and The Family Crisis in Harlingen, Texas. In addition to being an in-network counselor with Texas Baptists, Harris has also spoken at Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas (WMU) conferences and served with the Annual Meeting committee, the Texas Baptists Hispanic Education Initiative and Sexual Abuse Task Force. 

“We are excited to announce that Olga Harris is joining the Center For Ministerial Health Team as our new director of Counseling Services. Olga brings more than 25 years of experience as an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) to her role with Texas Baptists,” said Dowell Loftis, director of the Center for Ministerial Health. “Olga is not new to Texas Baptists.”

Harris earned a Master of Arts in Marriage And Family Counseling and a Master in Religious Education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She earned her License of Professional Counseling by the Texas Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors in 2007. 

Harris said landing the position “was so God” because of her years volunteering with the convention and working alongside people she already loves and admires feels like coming home. 

“Because I’m actually from Fort Worth and [my husband and I] moved to The Valley six and a half years ago, it was like a return to home,” said Harris. “Texas Baptists is my family.”

The Center for Ministerial Health of Texas Baptists exists to invest in Texas Baptists ministers to encourage them towards excellence so they can be their best to serve the Lord and his people. 

Learn more about how the Center for Ministerial Health can be a resource to you at txb.org/minister.