July 2020 Newsletter
Deep Cries Out to Deep
We are seeing a significant “crying out” in our country, and other countries, right now. Different people describe it in different ways and there is a mixture of confusion and uncertainty making it hard to know what is really going on. The “offense” or “wound” for many remains cloudy. The circumstances around the outcry create an unsafe environment for many who are closest to the offended. Whether this is happening in a country or a family, most of the attention is given to the outcry. When the outcry stops, everyone’s attention can often shift to the next loud noise.
Read more from Deep Cries Out to Deep
Instead… let’s slow things down. Just the mention of the unrest may have your blood pressure up. Take a breath. Be curious. Hmmm… They only get like this when something really significant is going on inside of them. Psalm 42:7 refers to Deep crying out to deep.
Deeper wounds cry out for deeper healing and there is a direct correlation between the depth we are willing to go toward our wounds and the depth of healing we will experience. So take courage, slow down, make the environment safe for everyone, and be curious. By the time you are feeling safe and curious it is easy to think the journey is complete because the crisis has been averted. Dare to go deeper.
What is the story behind all of this? How is today’s outcry connected with the story? What fears are being stirred? How can we care about the wound? What truth does God have for you in all of this?
A deeper understanding and healing awaits those who are willing to brave the deep waters. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May you find rest, healing, and understanding in the midst of troubled times.
Celebrate What God is Doing
We rejoice that Battlefield Ministries currently has thirteen counselors and one life coach. Our team serves the community by providing counseling with an integrated approach that is Clinically Sound, Spiritually Minded, and Gifting Oriented. We want to tell you more about our team. In this newsletter we are excited to share about three of our team members: Heather Medley, Caroline Ferrari, and Jenny Ackerman.
HEATHER MEDLEY, LPC
HEATHER MEDLEY, LPCHeather Medley has been contributing to the good work done at Battlefield since 2012. Her expertise in trauma therapy, grief counseling, and attachment issues among other things is vital to her role as a supervisor and a counselor. Over the years Heather has served many clients, supervised several counselors, and facilitated group therapy and parenting classes.
Read more about Heather Medley
Heather is skilled in helping people go back through their story to identify places where they are “stuck.” Trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Heather helps people with post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma related conditions by helping a person reprocess a disturbing memory by looking to the left and right or by using other bilateral sensory/motor activity. Heather assists people with grief by cultivating a safe, trusting environment in which the individual can share. She walks alongside individuals as they begin to create new patterns of relating within their families.
One of the main roles Heather fills at Battlefield is to supervise counselors who are seeking licensure in the state of Georgia. Heather’s areas of focus in counseling are especially helpful in her role as a supervisor. She is an excellent mentor to counselors seeking the next level of licensure. Heather provides support and acts as a resource for them.
Heather Medley is offering a Kiddo Connection Class for parents and children, beginning September 14th.
Read more about this virtual class
Recently, Heather has written two books:
Letters Unsent, A Journal for Healing, is a book intended to help create space and opportunity for therapeutic journaling. It is a beautiful companion that prompts an individual to write the “unsaid,” while providing an opportunity for reflection and healing. Letter writing can be a powerful therapeutic tool in a person’s journey of healing. The book provides journal prompts and reflection questions that are meant to assist the reader in writing letters and reflecting on the process.
The Gift of Feelings is a children’s book that celebrates the gift of emotions and helps children learn what their feelings say about their needs. It is a playful book that reminds us that our feelings are an important part of us.
To pick up a copy of Heather’s books by paying with cash or check at the office. Call the office or purchase them on Amazon.
Pray for the Challenges at Battlefield
Battlefield Ministries serves over a thousand people in our community every year. Many of those people are unable to afford to pay for a clinical counselor. Our ministry is unique in that we provide clinically sound counseling from a Christian perspective. It is a challenge to meet the overwhelming need for counseling while gathering the funding to sustain the program.
Office Space to Accommodate Our Growing Ministry
We are presently looking at an option for increased office space which allows us to stay where we are in Rome. It will add several counseling offices as well as more administration space. We have looked at several places, but feel good enough about this option that we are getting estimates for needful renovations.
Donor Support to Provide Care for Those in Need
As our counseling load continues to grow, even through all that is happening with COVID-19, our sliding-fee scale is needed more than ever. It is the financial support of donors that make up the difference between where someone falls on the sliding-fee scale and what is needful to maintain our ministry. Thank you, to those of you who are already contributing to this effort. And thanks to all of you who would join us in praying for this provision.
Did You Know?
One of Battlefield’s guiding principles is that we never want money to be the reason someone does not receive help. We are able to hold to this principle because of our counselors who willingly offer their services at rates well below industry standard. We are deeply thankful for both the hearts of our counselors and the generosity of our supporters that have sustained us to this point.
Read About the Changes in the Office
It is amazing and fun to watch God at work. In particular, it is exciting to see what transpires as He calls each of us to new assignments. With some accepting new assignments in new places and others accepting their assignment to come on board BFM, we are getting a glimpse into what the Father has in store for Battlefield in the next season of ministry. You will be hearing more about these changes over the next few months starting with our newest addition this month.
CAROLINE FERRARI, COUNSELOR
CAROLINE FERRARI, COUNSELORBattlefield Ministries is excited to welcome Caroline Ferrari to the team/family. Caroline is a UGA grad with quite a bit of experience working with young children who have dealt with trauma. She is a meticulous note taker with an easygoing manner which conveys an earnest heart for listening, learning, and helping. BFM is blessed to have Caroline’s combination of experience, training, and curiosity on board to care for the people in our community.
Read more about Caroline Ferrari
Caroline’s main goal in session is to create a warm and safe environment where clients feel welcome and secure. She accomplishes this through spiritually-minded counseling, authenticity, and unconditional positive regard as she and her client explore the client’s relationship with God and self. Her experience includes children and families suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, nightmares, anger outbursts, and other stress symptoms related to the experience of Trauma. She has also spent time aiding parents in developing more effective communication with their children by way of parent-coaching.
FARWELL TO JENNY ACKERMAN
FARWELL TO JENNY ACKERMANIn the category of amazing and fun, but not easy, Battlefield will be saying farewell to Jenny Ackerman and her family this Fall. Those of you who have gotten to know the Ackerman family over the past five years know how big a part of the community they became in a short amount of time. Jenny distinguished herself in Rome in 2017 by being the first BFM counselor to be voted Best of Rome, LPC with the Rome News Tribune and she became the go-to therapist at Battlefield for young children.
Read more about Jenny Ackerman
Aside from the accolades, Jenny is an amazing presence in the room.Sometimes when describing one of our teammates, the statement is made, “You just get better being in the room with them!” This phrase definitely applies to Jenny. She is a sharp professional with a calm, loving presence. She pays attention and stays balanced with adults and children alike. She will always be one of the family here at Battlefield.
Jenny and her family will be “taking their talents” to Sewickley, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where her husband, Mark has accepted the Athletic Director position at a Christian school. Please join us in praying for Jenny to find her stride in that community as she has here in Rome. They are truly blessed to be getting her and her remarkable gifting.
Allow Us to Inform Your Prayers
Please continue to pray with us for the LORD to continue to sustain Battlefield Ministries. We are continuing to trust the LORD to provide:
- Office space to accommodate our growing ministry
- Donor support to provide care for those in need
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The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Proverbs 20:5