The founders chose the name "Shalom" for this counselling service. Shalom is a Hebrew word that means "peace", human well-being experienced in all dimensions of life.

The first Shalom counselling centre was opened in St. Catharines in 1982. This was followed by the opening of Shalom Waterloo in 1983, and Shalom Leamington in 1993.

In the late 1980s the Mennonite Central Committee Ontario board directed the board of Shalom Counselling Service to initiate steps toward obtaining a separate charter. Shalom Counselling Services Inc. began as a not-for profit company registered in Ontario on October 1, 1993. At this point there are two Shalom Counselling Centres - Waterloo and Leamington. Each centre is overseen by a Regional Committee that is responsible for its operation. The board of Shalom Counselling Services Inc. determines the policies for the organization, and monitors the centres' compliance with them.

The mission statement of Shalom Counselling Services Inc. is "Helping People Move Toward Peace and Wholeness" At Shalom, we seek to enact this mission in the counseling services that we provide. We offer individual, couple and family therapy, and occasionally work with groups. Since 1983, Shalom Waterloo has provided counselling services to over 8000 persons. Shalom staff also offer consultations, seminars, and workshops to pastors, congregations, and employers. Our role is to educate in the area of mental health issues and to respond to the emotional and relational issues and concerns that arise in people's lives. Shalom Counsellors are Christian professionals who are affilianted with accredited counselling bodies. Our service is unique in that for those clients who wish, shalom staff are able to integrate a faith dimension in the context of working through emotional or relational concerns.