Happy New Year from the Walden Lane of the Unexpected

Happy New Year! I am reaching out with yet more unexpected news. Life in my lane continues to be filled with things and events that are completely unexpected.

I drove my parents to Alabama earlier this week and we arrived safe and sound on Wednesday in through some of the most challenging weather I have ever driven through. In the middle of all of it, my right eye was very blurry, like twinkle lights. And with the constant rain, I didn't think too much about it. The first night in the hotel, I covered my left eye and through my right eye saw a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors.

Anyway, the blurriness, colors, twinkling lights continued through the next morning and my Mom called an optometrist who could see me New Years Eve Morning. It turns out I have a detached retina on my right eye!!!!!!and will have to have surgery Monday morning, January 4th in Richmond.

I flew home yesterday without any trouble at all. Surgery will be outpatient, but I will be out of work for a couple of days. I should be back at work on Wednesday, January 6th. This is causing a disturbance of my calendar,and I am doing my best to make adjustments for missed appointments.

There is good and bad news: the retinal detachment is the kind that can wait until Monday for surgery but the bad news is I might not get my eyesight back in my right eye 100%. However, the surgery to reattach my retina is usually very successful, so I am hoping for as close to 100% as possible. It is more common with people who are extremely nearsighted like me. As you know, my vision has always been strongly corrected!! I have to claim that God is greater and He is having a time with me in the land of the unexpected. Trusting Him now. Because this was not unexpected for Him.

I am asking for you to specifically pray for me in this unexpected chapter. I am also praying this retinal specialist surgeon at VCU is really good on Monday.

You are in my thoughts and prayers and as I pray about 2016 for you and for me, I am confident that there will be more of the unexpected in both of our journeys. And God will be faithful to meet us at our place and point of need and His presence will see us through. See you very soon at Journey to Hope. I am looking forward to continuing our work together.

Breaking News

We have some amazing and wonderful news!  For over a year, we have had an advertisement for a therapist embedded on my bio portion of our web page. Our prayer was that someone would find us and our vision for helping people similar to their own and reach out to us. Many did reach out since that time, and we have prayed about who God would have join us. We have found her; a new therapist to join us here at Journey to Hope!  Her name is Carlie Galla and she will begin on November 16th, 2015. We welcome Carlie to our Journey to Hope team!

Here is a little more about Carlie:

Carlie Galla is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). Carlie completed her Masters of Arts in Community Counseling, with a concentration of working with children and adolescents, in 2012 at Slippery Rock University. Prior to receiving her masters degree, she attended the University of Valley Forge in Phoenixville, PA graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a Minor in Bible. 

Since completing her studies, Carlie has had experience working with children and their families as a Family Based Therapist to assist in addressing communication and relationship needs. Carlie has also worked in community mental health for the past three years as an outpatient therapist, providing services to children, teens, adults, and families with a wide variety of diagnoses and needs including but not limited to: anxiety, depression, PTSD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, anger management, self esteem, social skills, behavioral, parent training, and adjustment disorders. 

Carlie and her husband Shawn Galla reside in Stafford, Virginia with their two cats and enjoy serving their community and worshiping at Lifepoint Church. In 2006, God called Carlie "to see broken people restored" and since then she has been striving to incorporate her passion for Christ's healing and excellence in counseling skills to complete this vision. 

HAPPY 4TH ANNIVERSARY JOURNEY TO HOPE COUNSELING!

It's our 4th Anniversary here at Journey to Hope and we find ourselves very grateful for every day we have been in business, and for each and every person who has crossed through our front doors from January 31, 2011 until now!  We will be celebrating all week this week with everyone that comes in, and will give you an opportunity to share what Journey to Hope means to you.

For those of you not familiar with the story of how we came to be, it bears repeating especially this anniversary week.  Before Journey to Hope,  I was on staff as the therapist/counselor at Stafford Crossing Community Church for 4 years, and during the fall of 2010, I traveled to India to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bombay Teen Challenge.  During a home church service there, it became very clear to me through the message that God was calling me to step out in faith and start a private practice counseling ministry.  The person delivered a message out of Exodus about when God has put something in your heart to do, don't delay and trust Him with the details.  When I got back to Virginia, I spoke with my husband and my best friend, and we began to pray about how to go about getting this vision of the heart into reality.  The three of us formed a partnership, and my parents and my youngest son were also a very big help in getting us off the ground.  Stafford Crossing partnered with us and continues to partner with us now 4 years later to help provide care and counseling for others.

We found a beautiful office space at Lafayette Station. We had looked at so many and nothing felt right, and then the first floor of Lafayette Station spoke to us. We loved the old building, we loved the wide paneled floors and high ceilings,and we loved the vault, so that people would know they were "safe" with us!  It also had a separate exit door, so I could protect privacy for clients!  A win-win.  We signed papers with Joe Hicks and Joe Wilson, the building owners, and the Journey to Hope began.  My last day with Stafford Crossing was January 30, 2011 and our first day for Journey to Hope was January 31, 2011. Fear was constant in those days, and I just had to keep trusting God, just like I had heard in October, that He would send clients, even though we were not on any insurance panels yet.  For 5 months, we worked to get on insurance panels, and yet God kept our calendar completely full every single day.

He still does.  He sends people from insurance, from other churches, from everywhere.  We have been delighted to partner with other churches in our area, and want to say thank you for trusting us with your precious folks, and we have partnered with other local organizations like Fredericksburg Teen Challenge and Beauty for Ashes Womens and Childrens Home,  Hope House and some local schools who have also referred clients.  God has overwhelmed us with His goodness. And so, we look ahead, and trust Him to continue the work that only He can do through us here at Journey to Hope. 

Also, very, very, thankful for our beautiful staff - Sharla Haasenritter, Andy Walden, Rosemarie Jones, Gloria Elder, Laura Diamantopoulos,  Doug Thrash and Drew Walden.  You are all the best.   Much love and Blessings, Susie 

Journey to Hope New Year's Eve Week Hours

Announcement: Journey to Hope Counseling will be closed December 31, January 1st, and 2nd.  We will reopen on Monday, January 5, 2015 and will operate regular counseling hours next week.  Happy New Year to everyone! Praying for new beginnings and second chances in 2015. Blessings, Susie

Life is a Beautiful Struggle

What a great first day we had at Life is a Beautiful Struggle!  The room was filled with beautiful women inside and out.  Your stories about your struggles touched my heart and soul at a very deep place.  It is my prayer that this group will be a place of healing and hope for all of you who come. Thanks to our amazing staff who helped me to decorate and prepare a wonderful lunch for all of you.  It is not too late to join us! You can still be a part of this, our next Ladies process therapy Group, which began on Thursday August 21st @ noon. 

 The truth is that we all want sunny days, relationships that sustain us and a faith that is stronger than any circumstance that we face. And yet, sometimes we wake up, and life is a struggle. A beautiful struggle, but nevertheless a struggle. Sometimes for a short season, sometimes for a long season, and some of us might ask. "Will my life ever get easier?!?" If any of this sounds like the longing of your heart or the reality of your life, then please join us on on Thursdays.  We have had such a nice response to this group that we are offering it on Thursdays @ noon and Thursdays @ 6 p.m., beginning August 28th.

The group will run for 6 weeks with the possibility of extending. Group therapy is paid for by some insurances, and you will only have to pay the cost of your copay. If your insurance will not cover group therapy, the cost for this group is $50/session, plus $10 for materials.  The materials are available in the office, so just stop by and pick up a notebook if you want to look at the materials before we meet on Thursday.