Changes
Hello Coastal Virginia Counseling team! There is a lot going on and we want to share some updates with you all, and ask for your feedback as we venture forward. Click through the links to the left starting with "Website". While there are many great things happening, there are primarily four items in the works that we want to make sure everyone is thinking about. First, as most of you know, we have updated the website (www.coastalvacounseling.com). Over the past week we have had test runs, so you may have seen the new site when visiting our URL. It is now live, so please take a look when you can.
Website
This is the third website for CVAC, and it was created with the primary goal of simplicity. Our original site was great for marketing purposes and returned high search rates, and our second site was simplified dramatically. Hopefully this site has a good balance of both. Please take a look when you have a chance and provide any feedback you have, especially as it pertains to your bio! Also, we purchased the domain www.covacounseling.com which will redirect to www.coastalvacounseling.com for the time being.
Mediation
As you look at the site, you will surely notice the second update – mediation. Mediation is simply a process we facilitate whereby two or more people resolve conflict in an effective, safe and mutually beneficial process. I have had the pleasure of mediating hundreds of disputes, and I cannot say enough good things about both resolving disputes, and resolving disputes in this way. It gives everyone involved a chance to be heard, and provides the parties the power to create a solid resolution. As we continue to work toward full implementation of this service into our offerings at Coastal Virginia Counseling, there will be more information provided about the process and trainings for those who would like to join in helping others “bury the hatchet” in a healthy way. Of course, if we are offering more services, we need more room!
New Space
That leads us to our third update. This week we will likely be signing a lease which will more than double the space we currently occupy. There is a lot of build out that the landlord must complete, and it will be about three months before the property is ready. While three months may sound like a long time, it will move fast! As the move approaches, we will have to work together to coordinate the change so client disruption is kept to a minimum.
Virginia Family Hope Center
Lastly, for over a decade we have talked about starting a faith based non-profit to assist families at difficult times. This is actually one of the main reasons we started Coastal Virginia Counseling, and this year we finally started laying the foundation for the program! The Virginia Family Hope Center was officially created under the laws of Virginia, and we are currently in the process of gaining federal non-profit status.
In addition to managing the CVAC intern program, the organization will provide short term assistance to people in need as a result of qualifying events. Those events include the loss of a family member, job loss, medical emergency/injury, etc. Upon application approval, the program will work with the applicant to develop a plan for success. Each plan can differ but will be monitored by our interns and may include short term assistance for rent and groceries, transportation assistance, counseling (including career, and grief counseling) and legal consultation.
Rather than facilitating “assistance dependence”, a successful program plan will be short term, goal oriented, rehabilitative and empowering. Outcome success is obtained when the program ultimately results in an applicant reaching self reliance. An applicant would qualify for the program only if self-reliance is deemed attainable through the program, and the applicant is willing to meet both the program and plan requirements. There will be no change to the current intern program this year, but we wanted everyone to be included as we prayerfully work toward this exciting new addition.
Please feel free to e-mail (todd@covacounseling.com) with general feedback or questions about the non-profit, our new space, the new website or the mediation program. Initially when we started CVAC, we were told that owning a solo/small practice just doesn’t make sense compared to working on a "split" somewhere. While that may be true financially, facilitating the greater mission of loving others makes complete sense, and it makes it worth every minute. Thanks for all that you have done and continue to do to make CVAC strong. We look forward to building our relationships as Coastal Virginia Counseling grows into the future!