Covenant Counseling & Family Resource Center Covenant Counseling & Family Resource Center (CCFRC) ACPE first setting second setting

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1 Covenant Counseling & Family Resource Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote healing and wholeness in the community by extending the outreach and ministry of the Church through pastoral counseling, psychotherapy, education and consultation. It is our vision that Covenant Counseling & Family Resource Center (CCFRC) will be a vital and creative center whose services will enable individuals, couples, families, pastors, organizations and congregations to experience healing and wholeness in their individual and family living, their relationships and their organizational functioning. ACPE Whether you are a seminary student seeking to fulfill degree requirements, a prospective hospital chaplain or a pastor desiring additional training, Covenant Counseling s Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program offers a unique blend of opportunities to meet your needs. ACPE Clinical Pastoral Education is a program of theological and professional training that offers the challenge of actually working with people in various stages of life and varying emotional, physical and spiritual conditions, while receiving pastoral supervision. Covenant Counseling s CPE program is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Based in Snellville, Georgia, an eastern suburb of Atlanta, Covenant Counseling & Family Resource Center (CC&FRC) is a free-standing, non-profit organization, whose mission is to actively promote healing and wholeness in the community by extending the outreach and ministry of the Church through pastoral counseling, psychotherapy, education and consultation. Covenant Counseling believes in a holistic approach, which includes a belief in the close relationship and delicate balance of body, mind and spirit. From this perspective we foster an appreciation of and reliance upon the medical, psychological and theological disciplines in a team approach to pastoral care and counseling. One of the most important ways that CC&FRC lives up to its mission is through its CPE program, which is designed to enable and empower pastors to minister more effectively and compassionately to persons in the myriad phases and conditions of life. A part of the training process includes an exploration of the personhood of the pastor. In learning more about one s own issues and struggles, as well as those of hurting persons, pastors find that they are better able to facilitate healing and wholeness in others. Our CPE program features supervised, experiential training in two different settings. The first setting is at Abbey Hospice, located in Social Circle, GA. In this context interns serve as chaplains to patients, who are in the terminal stages of life, as well as their families. In addition, the chaplain works with an interdisciplinary staff in providing hospice care, thus facilitating a clarification process regarding one s pastoral identity. (Interns selected for a position in hospice are generally paid a stipend.) The second setting is the parish. In order to participate in this parish-based setting, pastors must be employed in a church position or be able to enter into an agreement with a church through which sufficient pastoral contacts can be made. Covenant Counseling is accredited to offer both Level I and Level II CPE. Extended unit schedules are available for those needing to do CPE on a part-time basis. For additional

2 information about application procedures, tuition, stipends, placement or other details about our CPE program, contact the CC&FRC at (770) or What Sets Us Apart Unlike most, our CPE program is not primarily hospital based. Both of our placement sites provide ample opportunity to experience ministry in its many shapes. Students in the parish setting experience all of the many pastoral concerns that are apt to arise in the church. The hospice setting is similar to the parish in that students actually go into the homes of the terminally ill. However, in both the hospice in-patient unit and in home visits with the terminally ill and their families, students are confronted with issues that emerge in the midst of death and dying. Our CPE supervisors provide clinical supervision of the students work in addition to the administrative supervision offered by on-site staff chaplains and/or pastoral supervisors in the church setting. In addition, the diversity of training sites provides students with a rich variety of pastoral experiences from which to learn. Students may start any quarter during the year beginning September, January, March, or June. Three stipend positions are currently in place at Abbey Hospice. Clinical Supervisors Joseph Whitwell, Th.D. Kerry Duncan, D.Min. John Patton, Th.D Family Matters: Understanding Adolescents - Looks at what is going on with teenagers and discusses ways for parents to deal with the powerful changes they work on the family. Parenting Adult Children - Explores the phenomenon of children returning to the parental home as adults and discusses the roles, rules, and responsibilities for family members in this increasingly common situation. Communication Issues in Families - Outlines major pitfalls in family communication drawing upon the work of Virginia Satir. Course helps to demonstrate how families rely heavily upon assumptions in order to relate to each other. The Fabled Life - Teases out the foibles of family process through the story-telling technique of fables. Everyday issues confronting us, such as How much responsibility do I take for another? And How do we stop the sins of the parents from visiting their children? will be addressed through a collection of fables designed to engage our most basic concerns regarding family life.

3 Understanding Families - Helps family members understand the essential dynamics at work in the family system. A series of lectures based on a systemic approach covers issues like triangles in the family, transgenerational patterns and family projection processes. The Family Life Cycle - Families have beginnings and endings. This course focuses on what happens between the birth and death of the family. Problems in the Family Life Cycle - Focuses on those issues that create difficulty in the life of the family. (Part 2 of Family Life Cycle) Hallmarks of the Healthy Family - Examines the characteristics of healthy family life and focuses on how to facilitate and maintain these healthy aspects of family life. Becoming a Step Family - Provides a support group for people struggling with the complexities of becoming a step family. Combines biblical, theological and developmental insights to help educate participants regarding the uniqueness of living in a step family. Looks at step family s expectations about life, and identifies methods for dealing with areas of conflict. Minimum six week commitment. Strengthening the Family - Looks at meeting the needs of the family as a whole to create the best possible environment for raising children. Quality Time - Looks at the meaning of quality time and discusses how parents can be sure to have this with their children. Parenting Improving Bad Grades: How to Motivate Your Child - Looks at 11 things parents can do to influence their children to do better with school responsibilities. Children and Stress - Looks at some of the signs and symptoms of stress in childhood and discusses what parents can do about it. Creative Parenting - Explores self-esteem issues in children and parents Helping Your Children Live with Your Divorce - Looks at divorce from the viewpoint of a child. Explores how to help children manage with the trauma of divorce. Positive Parenting - Teaches new methods of improving your child s behavior. The focus is to promote positive parenting and to help parents develop new ways to handle behavior problems. Some of the topics to be covered include positive reinforcement, parents as models, time out, giving effective commands, listening, common discipline mistakes, and expressing feelings. The SOS Help for Parents manual is used as a test. Development of Self-Esteem in Children - Helps parents to understand how self-esteem develops in children and the role of parenting in its development. Explores developmental stages and offers practical suggestions on How to promote healthy self-esteem in these stages.

4 Ministry with the Aging - Looks at what churches can do in ministry with and for senior adults. Understanding the Elderly - Focuses on helping adult children of the elderly understand some of the dynamics of the aging process and how to respond in light of these dynamics. Grandparenting - Looks at the role of grandparents in families and the influence grandparenting has on children. Quality of Life in the Senior Years - Looks at the positive aspects of aging and discusses several outstanding role models; reviews the characteristics of quality aging and goes over a number of tips provided by successful senior adults. Communicating Love - Reviews positive communication techniques and coaches participants in actively practicing them to achieve more satisfying relationships. Conflict Resolution - Examines some of the Do s and Don ts for moving from conflict to cooperation. Couple Communication - Helps couples understand and appreciate different styles of communication and how to improve the quality of communications. Talking and Listening Together: Couple Communication - Focuses on communication styles, effective listening, self-awareness and disclosure, and conflict resolution. Money, Sex, & Power: Couples and Creative Conflict - Helps couples to look at major issues in marriage and explore creative ways to deal with conflict. Developing Intimacy in Relationships - Examines what it means to be close to another person and discusses how to improve intimacy between a man and a woman. Getting the Love You Want - Helps couples understand each other from the perspective of what they bring into the relationship from their family of origin and how they might respond to each other more empathically. Uses exercises from Harville Hendrix's book, Getting the Love You Want. Growing Together - A marriage enrichment workshop aimed at facilitating the growth and development of couples. The focus is on looking forward in a positive direction, identifying areas in which to

5 grow and discovering ways in which that growth can take place. The workshop utilizes David Olson's Prepare/Enrich material. Understanding Your Spouse - Based on the book, Please Understand Me, each spouse will have a clearer understanding of the type person to whom they are married and how they might respond in ways that would be more useful in creating a marriage with understanding. Improving Personal and Professional Relationships - Examines a variety of ways to have better relationships at home and at work. Listening for Success - Reviews the characteristics of a good listener and gives practical tips for better listening. Misunderstandings: How Men and Women Confuse Each Other - Examines the differences between men and women and the typical conflicts these create. Discusses ways to better understand and communicate with the opposite sex. Stress Management (A) - Recognizes stress as strain on personal endurance and focuses upon a three step process of "stepping back," "breathing deep," and "diving back in" to cope more effectively with the demands of life. Stress Management (B) - Looks at both healthy or constructive stress and unhealthy or destructive stress. The participants will evaluate their own stress and how they might deal with it. Coping Strategies for Reducing Stress - Teaches strategies for controlling stress on the job, at home, and in relationships. Also looks at ways to be more assertive and how to deal with anger. The Bible and Stress Management - Examines the wisdom of the Old and New Testaments for dealing with Stress. Stress Related Disorders - Looks at physical, mental, emotional and spiritual symptoms of stress to form a foundation for discussing treatment options. The need for balancing the many aspects of our lives is emphasized and creative approaches to this challenge are encouraged. Relaxation techniques will also be demonstrated. The Overworked Woman - Looks at the special demands placed upon women and discusses practical ways of dealing with stress. Children and Stress - Looks at some of the signs and symptoms of stress in childhood and discusses what parents can do about it. Burnout: What to do before your life goes up in flames! - Examines the practices and characteristics of people who burnout and discusses prevention and recovery techniques. Special attention is given to workplace issues.

6 Developing a Mission and Vision Statement - Presents how to write a Mission and Vision Statement and discusses the purpose and value of such a document. Examples shared. Coaching available. Making the Most of Life - Discusses how to live and enjoy life more fully. Money Management - Provides worksheets to get a handle on debt, cash flow, and planning for the future. Discusses practical ways of developing a budget, saving money, and evaluating financial products and financial needs. Living Better and Spending Less - Looks at the relationship of money and quality of life. Discusses how to live and enjoy life more fully without making or spending more money. Time Management - Examines principles and practices of effective time management. Bereavement and Grief - Normalizes bereavement and grief as a universal part of human experience, examines typical patterns of grieving, and discusses, when added to the support of family and friends, medical and professional support would be helpful. Dealing with Loss and Grief - Explores the stages of loss and grief and assists participants to learn how to respond in these difficult situations. Death and Dying - Leads the participant through an experiential encounter with the feelings associated with loss and grief. Grief Processing - Discusses the stages of grief along with the process of conscious and unconscious integration of loss. The wide variety of losses that each individual must encounter in life are explored. Also, practical techniques for expression of grief to facilitate the process are offered. Grief Recovery Workshop - Provides a four week support group in which participants can express the pains of their loss and voice the many questions they find themselves struggling to answer. The pain of separation and abandonment will be addressed. Divorce Recovery - Discusses how, wanted or unwanted, divorce does violence to the spirit and healing is necessary to become free to love again. Reviews typical experiences of divorced people and discusses how to grow through the pain of divorce to wholeness. Rebuilding: Divorce Recovery - Assists divorced persons to begin to accept the ending of a relationship; to deal with anger, loneliness, feelings of rejection; and to tap inner, spiritual resources. Helping Your Children Live with Your Divorce - Looks at divorce from the viewpoint of a child. Explores how to help children manage with the trauma of divorce.

7 Chemical Dependency and Divorce - Examines the relationship of chemical dependency and divorce and discusses issues of divorce recovery and relapse prevention in this special population. Spiritual Enrichment - Focuses on spiritual listening. Ideas for opening up the spiritual eyes and ears within us are examined, and some techniques such as visual imagery are demonstrated. Individuals are encouraged to identify specific areas for growth and design a plan for further exploration. Spirituality - Defines spirituality as being really and deeply human; looks at the costs of being unreal and issues to be faced. Self-Motivation - Defines and examines motivation; looks at how to improve self-motivation; reviews five action steps to get yourself going; and goes over some basic rules for selfimprovement. Team Building - Demonstrates both academically and experientially what elements are essential in building a team. Men and Intimacy - Focuses on a male audience and is oriented toward helping men understand the cultural values that have shaped and distorted our perceptions about and efforts at intimacy. Includes some directions and suggestions of ways men can change some of the old patterns in their effort to achieve more satisfaction in intimate relations. Addictive Diseases - Includes a description of the dynamics involved when individuals seek to escape pain and despair through various forms of self medication. Addictions can range from seemingly innocuous behaviors such as watching T.V. or working, to drug and alcohol abuse. Emphasis is on the psychological and spiritual adjustments necessary for the recovery of the individual, and for the healing of those who relate intimately with an addicted person. Intervention methods are also discussed. Alcoholism and Drug Abuse - Examines the signs and symptoms of alcohol and drug abuse and discusses issues of intervention and treatment for the abuser and affected family members. Relapse Prevention - Reviews the warning signs of relapse in addictive diseases and discusses techniques for prevention. Chemical Dependency and the Healthcare Professional - A special focus on the problems of identification, intervention, treatment, and monitoring of chemical dependency among healthcare professionals. Chemical Dependency and Divorce - Examines the relationship of chemical dependency and divorce and discusses issues of divorce recovery and relapse e prevention in this special population. Co-Dependency - Looks at origins of the current dynamics of co-dependent relationships and how to break out of dysfunctional patterns.

8 Co-Dependency Challenged - Focuses on co-dependent behavior to bring about healthy ways of caring for self and other. Co-Dependency and Religious Teachings - Explores the dynamics of co-dependency and its relationship to some of the traditional teachings of the church. For instance, when is trying to "love" another person really "caretaking?" Compulsive Eating - Occurs when the individual eats for reasons other than physical hunger. He or she may or may not be overweight. Possible causes will be explored and approaches to treatment will be considered. The Body, Memory, and Growth - Looks at the relationship of the body to memory and personal growth. Discusses how massage therapy complements psychotherapy to achieve deeper healing of old hurts. Depression - Focuses on symptoms of depression, types of depression, underlying causes, and treatment of depression. The power of choice is explored as it is related to depression and its effects. Also, the importance of one's unconscious foundation on which expectations of life are abased is explored. Depression and Suicide - Examines various levels of depression and discusses the difference between normal highs and lows and clinical depression which is best handled with professional support. A range of self-help and treatment options are described. Because depressed people are more likely than others to commit suicide the warning signs of suicide are discussed along with appropriate responses for family and friends. Understanding Yourself with the Myers-Briggs Personality Profile - Includes group administration of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and discussion of results to identify strengths and weaknesses and to facilitate accepting and working with others more successfully. Identifying and Dealing with Sexual Abuse - Helps participants identify the symptoms or after-effects of childhood abuse and provides some beginning understanding of the steps toward recovery. Surviving Sexual Abuse - Examines what it means for adults to have survived childhood sexual abuse and explores possibilities for the healing journey. Violence and Trauma - Examines how common violence and trauma have become in our society and looks at the impact it has on individuals and families. Discusses what to do to overcome the scars of these events. FAQs Q: Where are you located? Are there more than one location? A: Snellville, GA. Directly east of Atlanta between Stone Mountain and Grayson in Gwinnett County off of Hwy 78. Contact Information 2219 Scenic Drive Snellville, GA 30078

9 See Contact Us page for map and driving directions. Other locations based on therapist availability: Lawrenceville First United Methodist Church; Clairmont Road; Epworth United Methodist Church- Candler Park; Alan Memorial UMC- Oxford; Greensboro, GA. Phone: (770) Fax: (770) Join Our Mailing List Q: What times are available? A: The therapists each provide their own scheduling. There is a range of options from day, evening, to Saturday appointments. Go Q: What types of issues would I see a counselor for? A: Though you may want to check the SERVICES page for the general answer, here are a few scenarios that would fit: changing careers; transitioning kids into a new life after divorce; parents finding out their adult child was physically or sexually abused years ago; managing work stress, including social and political aspects; first occurrence of mental illness during 1st or 2nd year of college (manic episode, psychotic behavior, etc.); clergy struggling with an addiction; post partum depression or empty nest grief for mother and/or father. For Newsletters you can trust Q: Can you prescribe medication? A: No, there are no psychiatrists on staff. [To prescribe medication the person must be a Medical Doctor (M.D.)]. HOWEVER, our consulting psychiatrist (M.D.) is located in Lawrenceville next to Summit Ridge Behavioral Hospital, works with adults, and is listed on numerous insurance panels. Talk to a counselor about how medication and therapy can work together. Q: Do you provide marriage counseling? A: Yes, most of the counselors provide couples and/or marriage counseling. Q: What if I prefer a male/female counselor, specifically? A: We will make every effort to meet this request. The staff consists of several men and women. Q: What do these letters, credentials, mean? What is the difference? A: Counselor s and therapist s have a range of degrees and credentials. At Covenant, at least three of the male therapists are trained in pastoral counseling and have ordination within their religious denominational affiliation. An LPC is a (state) Licensed Professional Counselor, with an LAPC being the associate license. During your initial appointment or phone call with the counselor, feel

10 free to ask them how their credentials relate to counseling. Also, it may be helpful to know that an LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a psychologist has a Ph.D. designation. The work of all of these people can be very similar. Psychologists tend to do more assessments, evaluations, and court related documentation. Q: What is the difference between counseling and therapy? A: Though within the profession, these terms are used interchangeably, there are a few helpful points of clarification. Namely, counseling tends to be a supportive environment where a specific problem is presented. The counselor would be more likely to provide resources, guidance, and concrete suggestions to address the symptoms of the problem. On the other hand, therapy is a process that focuses on the healing of underlying pain, grief, anger, trauma, etc. It is a transformational process where you engage with another person/therapist in a relationship where healing and transformation can occur. Though this is typically a longer process in terms of time, it can result in the elimination of symptoms since the core problem is addressed. An analogy would be going to your family doctor and asking for medication to treat each symptom (headache, indigestion, leg cramps) or asking them to treat the problem that caused the symptoms. The choice of focus is up to you. Q: Does Covenant Counseling take into account my religious beliefs as part of the counseling provided? A: It is our policy to respect the belief system of every person. No attempt is made to impose religious or theological beliefs onto clients who come to the Center. A few of our therapists are ordained pastors, while all of our therapists are Christians who seek to honor the range of faith-based belief structures. You are welcome to request Judeo-Christian principles be included into the therapeutic process, but this will not be assumed and is never required. Q: Can I meet with a counselor once to see how this works? A: Of course. You are welcome to make an initial appointment where you can find out the specifics of location, details of policies/confidentiality and other business aspects of the process, as well as determine if you make a good fit with the counselor. At the conclusion, you may either decide to continue with that person, request another therapist, or determine any

11 other next steps. Q: Do therapists at Covenant have a particular theoretical orientation to counseling? A: Each staff member operates out of his/her own theoretical modality, which they will be glad to explain in the first interview. Generally speaking, the primary theoretical basis for our treatment is psychodynamic with strong emphasis on family systems theory, though Adlerian is utilized also. **For all insurance and financial questions, please refer to the FEES page** Fees are determined during the first therapy session or when other services (such as supervision, consultation, or community education) are scheduled. The range of fees for counseling, depending on education, credentials, experience, and availability, are between $ for a minute session. Scholarships are made available by The Samaritan Fund based on an adjusted fee structure. In crisis situations or for immediate response (less than 24 hours) a higher, one time, fee may be charged. Insurance may cover some of the costs. See below for answers to common questions: Q: "Will my insurance cover the services offered by Covenant?" A: Two of the therapists can take insurance; one male and one female. However, it is important that any potential client call his/her insurance carrier to find out if Joseph Whitwell or Andee Gay is on the provider list for their particular insurance. Also, ask for an authorization number, and provide this at your first appointment along with your insurance card and co-pay. Please be advised that insurance does not cover missed appointments. Contact Information 2219 Scenic Drive Snellville, GA Phone: (770) Fax: (770) Join Our Mailing List Go For Newsletters you can trust Q: What options for payment do I have if insurance will not cover the service? A: You should always ask your insurance company if they will pay for counseling services on an out of plan/network basis. If they do, the payment is generally 50% of the fee. Otherwise, Covenant has a Samaritan Fund from which some scholarship assistance is available. The fee is typically similar to the co-pay for out of plan/network providers. Q: Does insurance cover marriage/family counseling? A: Not typically, however it is always best to ask your insurance carrier.

12 Q: How does insurance coverage for mental health services differ from medical benefits? A: There are more similarities than differences. The insurance carrier will require a form be submitted with your information, dates of therapy, what type of session (individual, group, with or without family members present), and a diagnostic code. They will then determine if they will cover/pay for that diagnosis and either deny or provide additional authorization for sessions. This could be 1, 3, 6, or even 20 sessions. It depends on the process of that company. They may then require a treatment plan to address the symptoms of the diagnosis. Q: CC&FRC is listed as a provider with my EAP (Employee Assistance Program) benefits, how does this work? A: EAP companies have specific providers (counselors) under contract. Be sure to ask your EAP the name of the staff person with whom you should make an appointment. If they do not specify a person, ask the credential requirements of the counselor. That will best help us match you with the correct person. Contact Covenant Counseling & Family Resource Center Our offices are located in the Snellville, GA. Please contact us by the method that is most convenient for you. Covenant Counseling & Family Resource Center 2219 Scenic Drive Snellville, Georgia Phone: (770) Fax: (770) info@covenantcounseling.org Click here for directions:

13 A place of healing and wholeness