CCC 28-4_LR

FROM THE PRESIDENT

The Power of Peer Support and Coaching BRIDGING THE GAP TO HOPE:

t There is a massive gap between those who need help and those who provide help—especially Christ-centered care and counsel. The Church has a remarkable opportunity before her, should she be willing to answer the call. We are all aware of the mental health disaster we find ourselves in. People are searching for help with anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, grief, and loneliness. Professional counselors remain essential, but the need has grown beyond what the current workforce can meet on its own. Long waiting lists, limited access in rural communities,

Tim Clinton, Ed.D., LPC, LMFT, BCPCC

cost, stigma, and uncertainty about where to turn contin ue to leave too many people without support. The Church is already present in many of those com munities. She has pastors, chaplains, recovery leaders, volunteers, and men and women with a heart to help. She also has a support network and relationships that often exist long before a crisis begins. The question is whether those caring people will be equipped to recognize mod ern-day stressors and distress, respond wisely, understand their limits, and connect someone to the right level of care.

8 Christian Counseling Connection