VIPCARE: NEW BOARD LEADERSHIP

At the January 2021 meeting of VIPCare's Board of Directors, President Jessica Young Brown, Vice President Marlene V. Fuller, and Secretary Sister Cora Marie Billings were voted into office.

PRESIDENT: VIPCARE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Jessica Young Brown is a counseling psychologist who serves as Assistant Professor of Counseling and Practical Theology at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, where she teaches and provides consultation and program development on issues of vocation, spiritual formation, burnout. prevention and recovery, and human development. She is the co-principal investigator for Virginia Union’s Thriving in Ministry project, which focuses on equipping pastors for sustainable, healthy ministry, with support from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Dr. Brown is also a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice, and provides education and consultation to churches and community organizations on mental health, trauma, race and racism, and organizational dynamics.

Dr. Brown completed her undergraduate education at Elon University in Elon, NC. She then matriculated at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA where she received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, both in Counseling Psychology. Her community work includes Varina District representative for the Henrico County Board of Mental Health and Developmental Services. and representative for central Virginia on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards.

VICE PRESIDENT: VIPCARE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Rev. Dr. Marlene V. Fuller is the pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Mechanicsville, Va., and owner and director of LEAP, LLC where she provides counseling, spiritual direction, and life coaching to individuals and small groups.

Dr. Fuller graduated from The College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Theatre/Speech, an MBA from Averett University, a Master of Divinity from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University and earned a Doctor of Ministry in Formational Counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary.

Additionally, she is a Vice-President in Project Management at Citizens Bank.

Her greatest passion is positioning others for healing; helping them to identify areas of broken-ness and break-free of the bondage of old wounds.

SECRETARY: VIPCARE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sister Cora Marie Billings, RSM, has been a member of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas since 1956. From 1956 until 1981, she was a teacher on the elementary and high school level and a part-time professor at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Since her move to Virginia in 1981, she has served as a Campus Minister at Virginia State University, the Directress of the Office for Black Catholics for the Diocese of Richmond, the Pastoral Coordinator for St. Elizabeth and Holy Rosary Parishes in Richmond, and the Deputy Director for the Human Rights Council for the State of Virginia. At present, she considers herself a Community Volunteer.

Some of Sister Cora Marie's passionate involvements include the National Black Sisters Conference (as a founding member), anti-racism work, and work as a board member of several organizations and schools in Virginia.

Dr. Donald D. Denton and The Rev. Dr. Charles F. Ledlum-Bates Travel to Liberia, Summer 2021

In August 2019, Dr. Donald D. Denton and The Rev. Dr. Charles F. Ledlum-Bates traveled to Liberia to meet with groups of community and religious leaders to explore ways to support mental health treatment and access across the country.

Since that time, dialogue and information has continued to flow between Liberia and VIPCare's offices. To continue the educational outreach and training, psychological textbooks and supporting materials have been collected, assembled and shipped to Liberia including information on trauma and recovery, as well as substance abuse treatment (shown in photo).

Dr. Denton and Dr. Bates will return to meet with groups of community and religious leaders in Liberia this August 2021.

For more information, or if you would like to support their travel to Liberia and mental health educational programs, please contact VIPCare at 804-282-8332 or development@vipcare.org

Jonathan Kruschwitz Leads Continuing Education Program for VIPCare Counseling Staff

On Wednesday, March 31, The REV. Dr. Jonathan Kruschwitz (nephew of Sandy Kruschwitz Hamilton, a VIPCare counselor who passed away unexpectedly in 2014) will lead a program on his upcoming commentary on Leviticus and Numbers.

A native of Richmond, The Rev. Dr. Jonathan Kruschwitz is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Baptist denominations. He has served the church in roles pastoral and academic. After completing a PhD in Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield, he served four years as pastor at Gayton Road Christian Church. More recently, he has taught "The Bible as Literature" at VCU and published his dissertation. Currently he is writing a commentary on Leviticus and Numbers for Smyth & Helwys' Reading the Old Testament series.

Dr. Kruschwitz also works at VIPCare administering the pastoral evaluations program (working with judicatories to prepare candidates for ordination).

The Rev. Dr. Jonathan Kruschwitz

VIPCare Staff and Board of Directors Participate in Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Workshop Today (Zoom)

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND EQUITY

Led by Board members Sister Cora Marie Billings, Dr. Jessica Young Brown and Dr. Marlene Fuller, VIPCare staff and Board of Directors participated in an examination of bias and a discussion of VIPCare's outreach and inclusion on Wednesday, March 17.

The program included videos, breakout groups and insightful discussion on personal bias and a reflection on VIPCare’s work and future outreach.

VIPCare's statement of inclusion: VIPCare welcomes everyone and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation.

UPDATE: COVID-19 Precautions

Memorandum on VIPCare’s COVID-19 In Person Procedures

to: All VIPCare Clients

from: Doug Thorpe, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

subject: COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS

date: February 3, 2021

 As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, and as vaccines begin to be distributed, VIPCare continues to fine-tune its efforts to serve you faithfully and safely. 

 For the health and safety of all VIPCare clients and staff:

 ·        If you are feeling sick, have a cough, fever, loss of taste, or shortness of breath, please do not come to VIPCare for your appointment.  We will gladly reschedule your appointment for a later date and will waive any late-cancellation fees. 

·        If you have an in-person appointment at a VIPCare office, please wear a face mask or cloth covering over your mouth and nose while you are in the waiting room.  Alternatively, you may wait in your car or on the sidewalk outside the building until your counselor is ready for you, but you must cover your mouth and nose while walking through our office suite.  Wearing a mask or cloth covering is an act of kindness that protects you, your fellow clients, and VIPCare’s staff from the spread of the virus.  It is also a legal requirement. 

·        In your counseling session, wearing masks and sitting at least 6 feet apart is strongly recommended. The science is clear: masks work.

·        If you can meet with your counselor by videoconference or telephone rather than face-to-face in a VIPCare office, please consider switching to telehealth. 

·        If you begin to feel sick in the middle of an appointment, please end the session and return home.  We will not charge you for a session interrupted by the onset of illness.

·        If you need to cough or sneeze, please cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue or into your elbow or shoulder if a tissue is not readily available.   

·        Please wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer. Please wash or sanitize your hands after coughing or sneezing. 

·        We are working to clean surfaces that get touched often, such as doorknobs and pens, but we cannot clean them after every touch. 

 Thank you for working with us to keep everyone as healthy as possible.

Meet Our Counselors: Chan Young Park

WHY I SERVE AS A COUNSELOR AT VIPCARE?
A conversation with Chan Young Park

QUESTION: Why do you work/how did you come to work at VIPCare?
ANSWER: I have been interested in counseling ever since the failure to prevent the divorce of the newlywed couples that I was pastoring in Korea. I realized that as a pastor, not only did I need to have a deeper understanding of the Bible, but I must also be able to sympathize and empathize with the human heart. Thus, I started my journey as a counselor by attending a counseling school in Korea.

Afterward, I came to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 2003 and completed my study in counseling by writing a dissertation on fathering and receiving a Ph.D. in Pastoral Care and Counseling in 2010. Although I completed my studies to become a counselor, God had other plans and called me to become a senior pastor at a local church in California. After 10 years of faithfully serving as a senior pastor, I resigned from the pastoral role. Then, God led me to find a place to serve as a counselor at VIPCare--which I got to know over the Internet.

Currently, I have joined VIPCare as an associate staff under the kind guidance of Dr. Thorpe and wish to better serve the people that God will allow me to counsel.

QUESTION: How do you approach therapy (or the counseling relationship)?
ANSWER: My overarching goal of therapy is to help clients restore the image of God and become the imitative image-bearer. In order to help my clients become the image-bearers of Christ, I must comprehensively, as well as holistically, understand my clients. Furthermore, by incorporating the Pastoral care from the local church along with the church's small group, I will encourage the client to join and commit to a healthy community. However, all of this is not possible without spiritual growth from the counselor and I will first be the one to commit to change in order to become the image-bearer of Christ.

QUESTION: What inspires you amidst COVID-19 challenges (what advice do you offer clients)?
ANSWER: As a counselor, I would like to help people manage their anxieties and fears. To manage anxiety, we should discern factors that we can and cannot control. Some factors that we can control include getting regular exercise, making plans to meet with friends and loved ones over virtual platforms, determining our exposure to news sources, practicing good personal hygiene, and limiting the time spent in places such as grocery stores where there may be larger crowds. We can’t avoid stress, but we can choose to gear it toward the productive kind and use healthy coping skills when we find ourselves stuck in more destructive cycles. For example, having a healthy support group within the family or close group of friends where we can encourage each other in these difficult times can be productive.

QUESTION: What motivates you in your outreach to Korean-speaking communities in Greater Richmond?
ANSWER: Approximately, there are more than 5,000 Korean immigrants residing in the Greater Richmond area. However, there are no places that provide or even offer pastoral counseling services for these Korean immigrants. Since many of the older Korean immigrants do struggle with the language barrier and would prefer speaking their native tongue, I would like to provide them with Korean-speaking counseling services based on Biblical and pastoral perspectives.

CONTACT:
EMAIL: CYPARK@VIPCARE.ORG
VIPCARE TELEPHONE: 804.282.8332 ext. 247

EDUCATION:
Ph.D., Pastoral Care & Counseling, Liberty University
Th.M. Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
M.Div. Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology, Seoul, Korea
Ordained Southern Baptist Minister

Chan Young Park

Parenting with Resilence: 10 Tips for Parenting During the Pandemic

A program held by St. Stephen's Episcopal Church with VIPCare Counselor Meredith Southwell, December 8, 2020 (on Zoom).

Hosted by St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Vicar, The Rev. Will Stanley.

LINKS:

VIMEO Video of Meredith Southwell Presentation (see video below)

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church website:

https://www.ststephensrva.org/.../parenting-with-resilience/

Meredith Southwell, M.S.W.

Giving Tuesday 2020: Your Gift to VIPCare Supports Clients in Need of Pro Bono or Sliding Scale Counseling

Despite the pandemic, VIPCare counselors continue to offer telehealth and limited in person counseling.

For many, VIPCare is an important support in these anxious and isolated times. More than 1/3 of VIPCare clients receive counseling financial aid to cover the cost of their sessions.

Please consider a gift today to support this important ministry. Gifts can be made through the VIPCare website (Givelify) or here on Facebook.

Thank you for your support of VIPCare's mission of hope and healing for all.

Meet Our Counselors: Meredith Southwell LCSW

WHY I SERVE AS A COUNSELOR AT VIPCARE?

A conversation with Meredith Southwell

QUESTION: Why do you work/how did you come to work at VIPCare? 
ANSWER: I became interested in spiritually integrated psychotherapy during my counseling internship in graduate school and I've followed that interest throughout my career, working in the field of pastoral counseling. When I moved to Richmond to be closer to family, I became aware of VIPCare and began a conversation about joining the team. 

QUESTION: How do you approach therapy (or the counseling relationship)? 
ANSWER: I operate from the grounding principles of partnership, respect for each person's right for self-determination, and careful attention to the therapeutic relationship. I believe this client-centered perspective is essential for an effective experience in counseling.

QUESTION: What inspires you amidst COVID-19 challenges?
ANSWER: During this time of COVID-19, I have been inspired by the stories shared by family, friends, clients, and co-workers that describe the new possibilities, opportunities, and perspectives that have resulted because of the pandemic. I think it's the gratitude in their voices as they share their experiences with me that I find most inspiring. 

QUESTION: What strategies could parents consider during this year's back to school transition?
ANSWER: One thing to consider as we approach back to school, as a parent, or frankly as anyone during COVID-19, is to look for a small way to add something novel (new to you) each week as a family. This may be picking a place to get take out ice-cream or a new board game. Make it part of the conversation during the week as something to look forward to and something that will be able to happen. It will act as an anchor when so many things we've come to look forward to are currently not options.

CONTACT:
EMAIL: MSOUTHWELL@VIPCARE.ORG
VIPCARE TELEPHONE: 804.282.8332 ext. 245

EDUCATION:

Completed pyschotherapy and spirituality residency program from Wake Forest Baptist Health, 2016.

M.S.W. North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University & The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2013, JMSW program.

B.S., University of Mary Washington, 2009.

Trained in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and Prepare/Enrich (marriage and couples program)

PARENTING WITH RESILIENCE

A PROGRAM AT ST. STEPHEN’S EPisCOPAL CHURCH with vicar will stanley and VIPCare Counselor Meredith Southwell

September 2020 on ZOOM

Twenty-first century families faced unique challenges even before a worldwide pandemic began. Now parents are experiencing an added and wholly new level of stress.

One particular need is a space shaped and facilitated by professional, clinical support within small groups of parents. These groups are designed to provide a safe place for sharing concerns common to many parents at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, and developing a series of conversations and presentations to address those concerns.

In these groups, Meredith Southwell, LCSW, with the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care—VIPCare—will bring both psychological and spiritual insights to bear on such topics as tending well to marriages, adults dealing with their own stress and trauma in healthy ways, and so on—facilitating constructive conversation in a safe environment, and offering professional reminders about healthy parental care and reflection. St. Stephen’s vicar, the Rev. Will Stanley, will be Meredith’s co-leader. Groups will meet via Zoom. 

While these are not therapy groups, participants will benefit from the insights and experiences of a trained clinician as they voice concerns in an intimate, safe, and confidential setting.

Parenting with Resilience: Babies and Toddlers | 7-8 p.m Wednesdays (9/9, 9/16, 9/23)
Parenting with Resilience: Elementary and Middle Schoolers | 7-8 p.m. Thursdays (9/10, 9/17, 9/24)

Parenting with Resilience: High School students | 11 a.m. – noon Sundays ( 9/13, 9/20, 9/27)

Meredith Southwell