She came into my office and unfurled the map. Circled in red pen were the communities she knew, home to the people she loves. “I want to bring the kind of counseling CrossRoads offers to my part of Illinois. They don’t have anything like this.” she said. Patty had been an intern at CrossRoads for a year. She had seen firsthand the unique way CrossRoads blends deep narrative therapy, evidence-based clinical practices, and the hope of the Gospel to facilitate Spirit-led healing in the lives of our clients. We met with her church home, Hope Christian Church, and they enthusiastically became a partner. Patty set up shop in the small nursing mother’s room, and out of the shadows came long-hidden stories of sexual abuse, addiction, and trauma. The need was stunning. Patty soon had more high trauma clients on her caseload than any other therapist on our staff.
CrossRoads committed to helping Patty establish a permanent counseling center in Columbia, IL, making it one of our strategic initiatives. The challenge of operating in two states presented significant obstacles, so we prayed that God would open doors. Patty pursued training in trauma, getting certified in EMDR, and immersing herself in attachment research. She jumped through hoops, tripped over hurdles, and belly crawled through dark tunnels navigating the complex bureaucratic process of dual licensure in both Missouri and Illinois. Over the next two years, Patty conducted over 1,000 pro bono sessions out of that tiny room inside Hope Christian Church. She sensed they were outgrowing their small space and needed a permanent home.
On one of several tours with Patty through Columbia, she took me to the space she hoped to call her counseling “home”. I wasn’t convinced – we still had a lot of unanswered questions about how to set up a practice in IL, but she persisted, consulting attorneys, befriending the landlord, and recruiting community members to get involved. On May 21, 2018, I am pleased to announce that Dare to Hope Counseling, LLC launched in the very spot that Patty intuitively knew to call “home”, trusting the vision that God had given her and tenaciously following his beckoning. Patty will continue to see clients at CrossRoads main office one day a week while focusing the rest of her time on reaching her community with attachment focused, trauma-informed counseling integrating a redemptive worldview.
CrossRoads has committed to clinically supporting Dare to Hope as a ‘sister’ counseling center and partnering with Patty as a trusted counselor for those seeking quality counseling in her area. If you know someone who lives in the Belleville, Waterloo, or Columbia, IL area who would like to see a CrossRoads’ therapist but can’t make the drive to Missouri, you can reach Patty at (618) 977-0734.