COUNSELING UPDATE - JUNE 4, 2010

Saturday night, June 4^th, 2011 

Hi.  I wanted to reach out to you with some counseling news and updates as I prepare to travel to Liberty for class this week.  I will be in class Monday-Friday (June 6-10) from 8-4:30, but will be able to check email and voice mail, and can return calls after class in the evenings.  Please reach out if you need to, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.  My regular counseling schedule resumes on Monday, June 13^th.  

 YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS…

Let me also say what a privilege it is to be able to work with you at Journey to Hope.  There is such progress being made; and I know that sometimes you would really like the progress to be at a faster pace; and yet, from my vantage point; there is reason to rejoice in some of the changes that are being attempted; made or at least being considered.  I am praying that we will continue to work for change and improvement in our journey together.  I believe that the changes that still need to be made are absolutely possible.

 GROUP THERAPIES:  

We have just finished up two group therapy offerings; one for women and one for teens, and they were both amazing. Amazing in that there was so much honesty and transparency and faithfulness to the 4 week groups.  Please stay tuned, as there will be more group offerings coming up, with a slightly different focus, duration, and day/time.  There are not words to describe some of the beautiful images and words used during the group sessions. I believe that the groups worked hard on their own issues, and worked to be an encouragement to others in their group.  So very thankful for both group experiences! Some of the most touching expressions of both groups are displayed on our bulletin board as you walk in to the office, and some of the themes of HOPE, OPTIMISM, INSPIRATION and WHAT I THINK I CAN DO were breathtakingly beautiful.  Here are a few:  What I believe I can do….wings because one day I will be free of all of this pain…heart with wings because one day I will be free to be myself with others instead of hiding….I can help others…..I can let others see the real me….just to name a few.  What a blessing to my heart!

Announcing HOPE Groups

Journey to Hope Counseling is proud to announce two new Therapeutic counseling groups for Teens and Women...

Helping Others by Providing Encouragement.

Please check the following pages for more information.

HOPE for Teens

HOPE for Women

Easter 2011

He Is Risen...He is Risen Indeed.  Easter is full of things that are very hard to understand and accept. Charley Honey writes "It is a powerful mystery how people of faith can rise up from whatever beating life has given them – the devastation of divorce, the hell of addiction, the grief of a lost child – and proclaim their faith in the risen Christ and a good God." New life with its endless possibilities is within our grasp. Let us celebrate the resurrection. And that leads always to....hope.

Hope. The word speaks to  the very heart of the Christian faith.  It is no accident that our counseling practice is named "Journey to Hope."  It is only because of today, Easter, that you and I can 'journey to hope' together.  No matter what is happening in your life, there is hope.  You can get through this storm in your life, no matter how painful  with a faith made possible by this day.  He is Risen, He is Risen indeed. Amen. 

 In Christ, Susie

Cheering for Plan B...

I am currently reading a book by Dr. Tim Kimmel called In Praise of Plan B: Moving from 'What is' to "What Can Be'.  That is a great title.  And it is also very thought provoking.  How many of you are having to live in Plan B because your Plan A fell apart, was shattered; no longer works - it is just not possible right now in this season of your life? 

Counseling many times intersects with the beginnings of Plan B's in your life.  It may seem that you are paralyzed with discouragement, or overwhelmed with the demands of life, or wanting a fresh start but feeling too afraid of failure to take the first step, or so shell shocked by betrayal that you have a hard time believing in you, so full of anxiety and fear about  life that it is hard to find the way... and yet, God.

As we journey together in counseling, please know that finishing strong and well is still possible.  God will be with us, and He believes in the hope and promise of Plan B in your life.  Praying for you today.

In Christ, Susie

3 Weeks and Counting...

We have now reached 3 weeks into Journey of Hope, and hope is  still present and alive with us.  We have so many reasons to be hopeful, and yet it is so very easy to become distracted by the demands, frustrations and painful places we experience in our daily lives.

Many of you received A Little Book of Hope when you came in for your first appointment at Journey to Hope, and one of the many hopeful quotes by Corrie ten Boom says  ”Every experience God gives us, every person He brings into our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.”  Sometimes it is very difficult to see the hope in our situations, and yet there is always hope.  Perhaps only a glimmer, but it is there.  Praying that you will find more reasons than not to be hopeful about your journey.

In Christ,

Susie