There is always Hope

Counselor's Corner

Hope from despair. There is hope and healing if you have been the Victim of Sexual Assault. This is the subject that will be the focus of my next week at Liberty, so it is entirely on my mind as I am preparing to teach on this subject. The statistics tell us that 1 in 4 women will be victim to a sexual assault, and 1 in 6 men.

There are many of you who have experienced this painful trauma in your life story. May I take the moment to say that the thought of anyone being harmed in this way is painful to me? And yet, I believe there is hope and healing that can be found even after such a devastating experience in life.

1 in 4 and 1 in 6. This prevalence rate is staggering, but more devastating than that are the effects that a sexual assault can have on a person over the course of a lifetime. There are physical, social, emotional, psychological and spiritual effects. May I also ask you to repeat after me, if you have suffered sexual assault at the hands of someone?
You are not alone.
It was not your fault.
You are not to blame.
You did not deserve it.
You did not ask for it.
You are not worthless.
You do not have to pretend that it never happened.
You are worthy of respect and dignity and honor.
This event does not have to define the rest of your life.
And yes, even with all of the pain, healing can occur.
There is always hope.
Blessings, Susie

SEPTEMBER ISSUE IS OUT!

Sample from Newsletter above......Our September 21st edition of the Journey to Hope newsletter is out! If you haven't yet received it in your email inbox, please sign up here on our website and it will be mailed to you as soon as it is published each month. You can also click on the resources tab here on our website and open up this issue there. This month's newsletter focuses on Our Out of the Darkness walk and Healing from Sexual Assault. Blessings, Susie

American Association of Christian Counselor's (AACC) 2013 World Conference

We have just returned home from the 2013 AACC World Conference, and the conference was world class! The line-up of speakers and presenters could not have been more perfectly designed for me. Making choices about workshops was difficult because there were so many excellent choices.

A few Themes that stood out for me during the week were:

1.Hope, and the imperative that counselors must always point toward and offer hope.
2. The importance of the sacred and spiritual connection that needs to occur between therapist, client, and God.
3. That a therapist can never view a session as 'just the next session' when, for the client, it may well be a turning point for the rest of their lives. Every session is to be viewed as important as if it were the only session.
4. What you believe about yourself determines what you do. Who you are determines how you live. When we forget who we are we forget what to do.
5. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.
6. Our souls and bodies catch each other's diseases because they live so close together.
7. We all spend time in the pit, but God will see us through and He will use it for Good in our lives.

That is just the tip of the iceberg!! So, buckle your seatbelts, because I have new tools in my toolbox! Also got to reconnect with masters and phD classmates, professors, and some time with my clinical supervisor for my Masters degree, Jeff Sumpolec (we went to the same workshop on Friday!)

A wonderful experience for sure. A place where God met me where I was. Blessings, Susie

Happy Labor Day!

It is here. The last holiday of summer! Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new school year, the march toward fall and winter and those amazing Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. It is hard for me to believe that summer is over for another year.

As I reflect on Labor Day, and take today off, I find myself very, very grateful to be able to work in a private practice that I love as much as Journey to Hope. I find it an honor to be able to get up in the morning and join many of you as I labor in the field of counseling. It is my prayer that you feel you are the recipient of that honor of journeying to hope in this season of your life.

I also am reminded that many of you are carrying heavy burdens as well in your workplace, or in your work at home, and it is also my prayer that you will take a day today to rest and be thankful for the work or the calling that God has you placed in right now in your life. He gives us so very much to do, and He always gives us the ability and energy to do what He has called us to do.

A verse that always comes to mind when I think of rest, is Matthew 11:28-30, which says “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Praying for you to find a margin of rest today on this Labor Day holiday!

Blessings, Susie

Celebrating Life!

Taking a day off today, August 26th, to celebrate my wedding anniversary! Taking the time to mark the moments that matter in your life is important. Many of you know that Andy and I met in high school in Enterprise, Alabama. On our very first date, Andy told his brother I was the girl he was going to marry. And he did. Life together has not always been easy or smooth sailing, however our faith has carried us through dark days, separations, deployments, as well as the beautiful moments we have been blessed with along the way. I love roller coasters, so we are spending today chasing a few together!

Journey to Hope will reopen tomorrow, August 27th for regular business hours. Praying you have a wonderful day. Blessings, Susie