About Us

The Roots of The Family Tree

Mission

To improve the quality of life for individuals and families over the life course through education, counseling and information services that are delivered in a professional, accessible, and compassionate manner.

History

The seed of The Family Tree was planted in 1979 for a nonprofit agency designed to help parents create stronger families. The Junior League of Lafayette initiated research and funding to begin the agency located on Ambassador Caffery Parkway. Strengthening families in order to build a stronger community was one of The Family Tree’s initial goals. Believing that negative behaviors (and ultimately cycles) can be broken, agency staff began working with the family unit by offering them tools for parenting.

In the late 1980s, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center invited The Family Tree to be a part of its campus. The Family Tree’s Main Office was housed on the campus in the historical St. Mary’s Orphanage Building. The most significant addition in the 1990s was the Counseling Center. Since 1991, we have provided professional counseling that is affordable and accessible to individuals and families of Acadiana. In 2013, The Family Tree partnered with Goodwill Industries of Acadiana in order to provide a more comprehensive service array. The Family Tree experienced so much growth over the next five years under the auspices of Goodwill, that it once again needed a separate space. In October of 2017, the agency moved to a larger facility to allow for continued growth and expansion of services.

Community Education has continued to be a core service offered to parents and individuals. We now offer various additional programs that offer specialized services to specific groups of people, and we continue being a source of hope and guidance to families. As a community-based agency, we provide professional, yet affordable or no-cost services to the Acadiana region. Our programs support parents and individuals through various stages of their lives to result in better mental health, coping skills, stronger family systems and supports.

Our staff is comprised of compassionate individuals devoted to finding innovative ways to serve the community.