Gratitude for All Seasons
Gratitude is an emotion, and certainly you’ve experienced it spontaneously before- perhaps when you received a thoughtful gift, an answer to a heartfelt prayer, a call from a friend when you’re feeling lonely. But gratitude is also a practice, the conscious act of turning your attention to what
God is a Good Father
by Nick Steffen, LMHC The book of Jeremiah presents to us the voice of a grieving prophet having lived through a transition from the relatively stable nation of Israel under King Josiah through its utter destruction. We can hear the echoes of the despairing and bereft within his text, but he also pr
LIVING IN THE PROCESS OF SABBATH REST
By Corinne Gnepf, LPCA As the masses of tourists in our city are slowly decreasing it signals that the summer is over. For many cross-cultural workers summers offer a break from regular schedules, duties, programs, school, etc. They are looking for rest, renewal, relaxation, and vacation. For others
I CAN SEE GOODNESS AGAIN…
by Linda Parker, LMFT “I can see goodness again.” I loved hearing this from a woman who had gone through several losses at once and come out on the other side with this perspective in her heart and life. Perspective….hmmm, a healing force when it comes to dealing with difficult circumstan
CULTIVATING A RESILIENT CHILD
by Lisa Green, LPC Resilience is a bit of a buzz word in the mental health community these days, and perhaps also in the worker community, but for good reason. Resilience is seen as the ability to recover from challenges, to bounce back in the face of stress and adversity- so it’s no wonder we’v
THE EXPOSE OF SUFFERING
by Linda Parker, LMFT The experience of suffering, either our own or that of someone we love, exposes us. We suddenly see and are sometimes shocked by the attitudes and beliefs that we didn’t know we had until that experience. As we look at some of those, we should first define suffering for
DEALING WITH SECURITY ISSUES
by Rebecca Leverington, LMFT, LPC, LMSW Many organizations provide training in contingency planning, evaluating security risks, and evacuation procedures. There are also many excellent counseling and member care hand-outs that provide spiritual resources for coping with crisis. This
A CASE FOR MOURNING
by Andrew Brown, LLP Pain and loss are two of the most difficult realities we face in life. They are normal insofar as they are a common part of the human experience, but they seldom feel natural. Loss and pain are also intertwined—so that significant loss is always accompanied by
A CASE FOR MOURNING
by Andrew Brown, MA, LLP Pain and loss are two of the most difficult realities we face in life. They are normal insofar as they are a common part of the human experience, but they seldom feel natural. Loss and pain are also intertwined—so that significant loss is always accompanied
WOMEN –THRIVING, NOT JUST SURVIVING THE REALITIES OF LIFE ON THE FIELD
Rebecca Leverington, LMFT, LPC, LMSW Associate Director, Olive Tree Counseling Center Living on the field has unique spiritual, emotional, physical, and safety challenges that most of us as women have not experienced previously in our home cultures. Understanding and actively building in