December Newsletter 2023
As 2023 draws to a close, we wanted to take this time to connect and update you on what has been happening here at CCO. We have also included two articles, one written by our out-going Board Chair, Rosanne Wall and the other by our new Board Chair, Carmen Hust in collaboration with our Clinical Director, Jennifer LeBlanc. We pray the peace, hope and joy of the season will rest in your heart and mind as we celebrate the love of God through His greatest gift – Jesus!
2023 – The Year of CCO 2.0
by Kerri Guther, Business Director in collaboration with Craig Hillier, Executive Director
As the landscape of Psychotherapy changes, CCO has had to be flexible and nimble in how we function.
Seeking psychotherapy services has become more mainstream, with insurance benefit providers covering a higher amount of costs incurred by individuals. There are many service providers setting up their private practices and offering therapy sessions virtually and in person.
Here at CCO we continue to do the same. In person sessions occur at our new offices at 804 Greenbank Rd or at our four satellite spaces that have been generously given to us to use by the governing boards of each of those spaces. Our registered therapists also use virtual sessions to reach those clients who prefer not to come into the office settings.
The change in our main office location came about to help lower our overhead costs. We also made changes in our technology support, our phone system, our email system and more. This helped us level out our finances and sets us up for the future.
We have also had a change in our team. In April, Joanne Nyland, our Clinical Director retired into private practice after serving CCO as a therapist for over 20 years. We welcomed Jennifer LeBlanc, who was already a therapist on our team, as she took over this leadership role. Craig Hillier joined us that same month as our Executive Director. He came at a pivotal time leading through all the challenges of change. In June, Rosanne, our Board Chair and Sue, our Vice Chair, concluded their service on the Board of Directors. We are very thankful for all they did over the years. The remaining Board members shuffled seats. Our Board is: Carmen Hust, Chair; Ron Kaden, Vice Chair; Alexis Carty, Secretary and Karen Fishwick, Treasurer. Alexander (Sandy) Davidson continues to serve as Board advisor. Over the year, we said goodbye to some of our therapists who also went into private practice and we have welcomed new members who have quickly taken up the caseload of clients seeking assistance. And, just last month, Karen Dunphy, who served as our Client Care Coordinator moved home to Newfoundland, completing four years of service at CCO. God has provided for us each step of the way.
Through all of this, CCO has emerged stronger and ready to serve the community and beyond in new and exciting ways. 2024 will have us establishing a Community Education Program to youth groups around the region through the generous donation of a local church. We pray God will use these events to help young people, groups, and ministries to find hope in the struggles they are facing.
Even with all this adjustment the demand is great, so we still need the help of supporters by praying for our entire ministry and giving donations to help us help clients in difficult times. We also need help in spreading the word of what we do. Find us on social media, visit our website and talk to your family and friends. Every contribution helps! Together we can continue to reach those who need us most.
Our Christmas Campaign runs from December 11-31, 2023. Our Goal is to raise $4500.
You can donate today. Click the button below to make a one-time donation or become a monthly donor.
Help us end the year in a stronger. We appreciate your generosity!
If you would like to volunteer with us, fill out our connection form part way down our main page on our website by clicking the button below.
We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and peaceful New Year!
A Beautiful Insight in Egypt
by Rosanne Wall, outgoing Board Chair
This Christmas season I am being reminded in my Bible reading that we serve an awesome God. Our God always has been and always will be, He is here for us and He loves us. Reading through the Bible this year has shown me at a new level how much God wants us to come to him, He wants to have a relationship with us.
We saw many temples on our recent trip to Egypt. Egypt has 5000 years of history and over 2000 deities to go with it. When touring through the temples, the guides would point out many interesting facts but the one fact that caught my attention was the inner room (where the ‘god’ was supposed to be residing or ‘available’ for the people) which was called the ‘holy of holies’. At first, I was confused because I knew that the Israelites called the room that held the ark of the covenant the ‘holy of holies’. It turns out that other temples found from ancient Egypt also contain these sacred rooms.
So what makes the room that held the ark of the covenant different?
In Exodus, God spoke with Moses face to face and gave him instructions for building the tabernacle (Exodus 36:8-39:43) Once the tabernacle was set up (Exodus 40:1-33) the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle (vs. 34). In 2 Chronicles 7, we see the LORD filling the temple once it was built by King Solomon.. At the same time, we were in Egypt I was reading through the book of Numbers which gives us more information about the tabernacle Moses set up (this reading was part of a pre-planned reading plan that I am doing with a Bible study group so this is totally a God thing) and noticed Numbers 7:89 “And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him.”
So what is different about our God? We do not serve a god that is distant, that just takes our offerings and carries on with no thought of us. Our God is Yahweh, He is El Roi (the God that sees), Elohim El Shaddai (God Almighty), Jehovah Jireh (God who provides) – the list goes on because He is the Alpha & Omega, beginning and end; from everlasting to everlasting. He has always sought a relationship with us – from the Garden, to his relationship with the patriarchs, to the tabernacle, to the temple and ultimately with Jesus. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas remember that we serve a God that desires to speak to us, to help us, to guide us.
May you be blessed this Christmas with the knowledge that Jesus is everything that you need. Celebrate Him, worship Him and know that He and He alone is God.
A Reflection on Advent and Psychotherapy
by Carmen Hust, new Board Chair with contribution by Jennifer LeBlanc, Clinical Director
This morning there is a gentle snowfall, and with it, if I choose to notice, a quietness as the sound of traffic is muffled, and a brightness, as the dark bows of a neighboring pine tree are now white, thus reflecting more light into the room in which I am writing. Taking time to notice, to reflect, is an act of being present and aware. I am also moved to reflect on the gift of Advent, a season in the church calendar where personal reflection on what it is to have Christ come into a dark world means. Would we even pause to notice the significance of an infant birth, how our senses, perspective and overall life changes because Christ came into our world then and now?
To aid our personal reflection, tradition has fashioned a custom of lighting a candle each Sunday in Advent to represent the hope, faith, peace, love and ultimately joy that Christ’s coming into our dark world could mean to each of us.
Being on the Board of CCO has also led me to contemplate how the important work of our Psychotherapists contribute to how our clients and their families experience hope, faith, peace , love and joy by means of their practice. I hope by exploring hope, faith, peace, love and joy through the lens of psychotherapy, you may gain some understanding of how faith and therapy complement each other – a central tenant to CCO’s mission.
HOPE:
In psychotherapy hope is seen as a significant element in growth and healing and is foundational in the process of recovering from a struggle with mental illness. Therapists work hard to identify hope with their clients even when to the client all seems hopeless. With therapeutic skill, the psychotherapists, together with the client, take the seed of hope, a tiny grain of a positive outlook, and foster it so that a person can believe that change is possible. With even a seed of hope, a client can set better goals for their future. Hope empowers a person to reach their goals. Therapists help their clients cultivate hope by exploring possibilities, building resilience, identifying a client’s strengths and spiritual gifts, drawing from spiritual resources, and ultimately connecting with a Biblical hope that comes from God (Rom 15:13).
FAITH:
All CCO psychotherapists acknowledge the importance of a person’s faith, as faith directly influences how we think, act, and feel about issues arising in our lives. In psychotherapy, faith is understood as more than a religious conviction, it includes how a person experiences trust and confidence in oneself, those dear to us, and our communities. Faith could be trust in a person, thing, deity or in teachings. Faith can offer ways to understand our experiences and that is why psychotherapists encourage clients to explore their beliefs and values to find meaning and purpose in their lives. Our therapists recognize that faith is an essential component of a person’s life, but expressed differently at different times or as we go through different experiences. For example, if we have experienced trauma this could put our faith into question and will rock our sense of trust. Nurturing faith in a client can reduce tension, stabilize emotions, and improve self-knowledge, all essential elements of living a meaningful life. Therapists also work with clients to explore ruptures in their faith, and to reflect on God’s faithfulness in their lives which can fuel a deeper trust in Him for their future.
PEACE:
Peace in psychotherapy is a state in which the brain is calm, at ease and untroubled by worry. Psychotherapists often work with clients to find inner peace/peace of mind, amidst life’s challenges, and ultimately to access the peace available to us through Christ (John 14:27). In session, this could involve learning breathing and relaxation techniques, Christ-centred imagery, mindfulness practices, meditation on scriptures, conflict resolution skills, or addressing underlying issues that disrupt peace of mind. Therapists at CCO are also comfortable using prayer to assist clients to find balance between emotion, actions and body sensations and gain serenity.
LOVE:
Love in the therapeutic context encompasses compassion, healthy relationships, and, self-love and acceptance. Psychotherapists help clients develop positive relationships with themselves, with others, and with God. At CCO, therapists also work to deepen a client’s awareness of Christ’s love for them, and to cultivate an awareness of His loving presence in all life experiences – present and past. Therapists also assist clients, couples, and families in nurturing healthy connections with others, which might include addressing attachment styles, boundaries, and communication patterns.
JOY:
Psychotherapists recognize the importance of joy and happiness in a person’s mental wellbeing. A sense of joy will foster hope, faith, peace and love and thus a therapist will help a client identify what brings joy to a client’s life. Therapists will also encourage clients to find an anchor in joy that comes from Christ rather than their circumstances, and also to find meaning-filled joy in overcoming trials (James 1:2-3). The therapist may encourage clients to explore activities, practices, hobbies, and relationships that give joy to a client, or build a practice of gratitude and directing thanks to God. Helping clients to find joy amidst life’s challenges is essential in fostering resiliency and mental wellbeing.
As we move through the Advent season, and prepare for Christmas, I hope the practice of reflection can be part of your day. I hope you can bring pause in your busy lives, for reflection on how hope, faith, peace, love and joy manifests in your lives. I hope in sharing this reflection you have gained some understanding of the important work of our therapists in fostering hope, faith, peace, love and joy in our CCO clients’ lives.
Merry Christmas!
LOOKING FOR:
People to serve on the Board of Directors. If you have time, expertise and sense God leading you to serve in this role, please contact Carmen at [email protected]
Prayer Partners. If you would like to partner with us to pray for CCO, our Prayer Team will send you monthly emails with specific prayer requests. Connect with us at [email protected]
WISHING YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!