Good morning! It’s that time of year when we are closed for Christmas Break. And each one of us is looking forward to our Christmas vacation. With that said, please know that your concerns are very important to us. Although we are out of the office starting at noon today (12/22) , Susie and Lyndsay will be checking voicemails, emails and texts morning and evening during Christmas break, and will try our best to respond within 24 hours. If you have admin or scheduling questions we ask that you hold them until we are back in the office on Tuesday, January 2nd , 2023. It is our prayer you have a very Merry Christmas. God bless you all, Susie❤️

You should receive your appointment reminders for the week of January 2-5 on Saturday, December 30th. And don’t forget, Anger Management begins on Saturday, January 6th, 2024 at 9 am.

Hello there.

I have waited a bit before reaching out in this way but I need to communicate my heart with you. As you know, life has been pretty big in my corner of the world over the last four months and it is time for me to communicate and express some of the challenges we faced and the feelings that have been a part of that.

First, know that I really care about you, your family, your situation. Some of you have been waiting or waited longer than usual this year for your first appointment with me. For some of you, we are just getting started together. For others, we have been on a very positive therapeutic journey together, and this year, 2023, life has hit me with some very big moments. The sudden, unexpected death of my Dad on February 27 followed by my oldest son having brain surgery on March 27 has caused quite a bit of disruption to my schedule, and rightly so. I feel like things that would’ve normally been easier such as scheduling have become very difficult to navigate since Covid. I have always had a very busy counseling schedule and have had a wait list to get started with me, but once people get started, I can usually get them in a rhythm that works for both of us.

I tried to come back right after my dad‘s memorial service, and it was too soon and I ended up taking an additional week down and then we found out about my son’s surgery, which required a trip to Florida to be there for him through his surgery until he was home. Then we returned back to Virginia. My relationship with my dad was excellent and so there’s not unresolved issues that I’m trying to deal with in light of his passing. The issue is that I love him very much and he loved me well, and so the sorrow of saying goodbye to him has been almost too big for words. My son is recovering well and returns to work this week.

Since my return, I have tried really hard to get myself back into the regular routine of my schedule, and for the most part, it is working, but at a slower pace, and less hours each day just until I feel that I can take on the weight of my normal weekly schedule. For right now I just wanted to let you know that my hours moving forward are

Mondays 11-5 or 6 in person

Tuesdays 1130 to 430 in person

Wednesdays 10 to 2 in person, then I travel home and do two sessions virtually

Thursday I’m completely virtual from 11 to 4 or 5

Fridays I am in the office every other Friday in person from 10 to 2 or 3. The other Friday is my day off and I’m trying not to schedule anyone there.

Knowing that, please be aware that I am doing my best to reach out so that we can keep our continuity. I have appreciated your flexibility when I have needed to be out or virtual in the middle of all of this. I still need to ask for your grace during this season of grieving as I try my best to maintain self-care while I’m caring for others.

On top of all that vacation season is coming up, which always wreaks havoc with our schedule. I will do my best to keep you informed as to dates that I will be on vacation or that my support staff will be on vacation and will require me to go virtual. As you know, I do not counsel in the office by myself. For me to be in person, I require a support staff present.

Another wrinkle is that if you wake up on your in person appointment day, and you are having some sort of symptoms or you have a schedule conflict and you want to go virtual, it will most likely not be on the same day and time of your original appointment. As I mentioned, I have a support person who comes in and I pay her to be in the office while I’m there. Virtual counseling does not require me to have a support person on site and so I try to move anybody that needs to be virtual to the day where I’m already working from home. In our current paradigm, that means that I can’t always guarantee I can move you to virtual in the same week that you’re currently scheduled in. Sometimes it works and I have a cancellation and I can pop you right in a virtual spot on Thursdays, but not always. Again, I just ask for your grace as we navigate this hard and complicated season at Journey To Hope.

You matter to me, as do the things you are facing. You are in my prayers and I would appreciate yours as well. God is greater than anything we face in this world, and I am living that truth right now.

Blessings, Susie💙

Snow Day January 16, 2024

Anger Management New Start Date of January 20th

Journey to Hope Christmas Break

Thanksgiving

From the Heart