The Mar Thoma Hospital Guidance & Counselling Centre is a charitable institution under Thiruvananthapuram- Kollam Diocese of Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church.   The Guidance Centre is a refuge for many poor patients and bystanders from various districts of Kerala and also from other parts of India, who seek specialised treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Sree Chitra Institute of Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST), Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and other government hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram. 42 years ago, the then Bishop of the Thiruvananthapuram- Kollam Diocese, Rt. Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom, while passing by the Medical College premises was moved by the sight of desperate by-standers sharing in the food provided to the patients by the hospital and resorting to the hospital premises when they could not find a place to spend the night. He urged the members of the Marthoma Parishes in Thiruvananthapuram to found a Guidance Centre. Thus, in 1982, the institution began functioning in a small rented building. Over the years, the institution has attained phenomenal growth. Now it has two multi-storied buildings, with a capacity to accommodate 110 inmates. Every year more than 6,000 patients & bystanders avail the facilities at this Centre. So far the Guidance Centre has become a shelter for more than 2 lakh helpless patients and bystanders.