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The Grace Christian Counseling Story |
Families On The Front Lines
In 2006 Scott and his wife (Dawn) had to go to family court because Dawn was asked to testify in a court case . As they waited for their case, they heard about terrible things that were going on in families in their rural community. Scott left court that day with a picture in his mind: there was a battlefield with bullets flying, bombs exploding and soldiers lying about mangled and bloody. Off to the side, out of the fight, was a group of soldiers who were conducting dress inspection. That picture posed a question to him: "Are you in the fight or just on dress inspection?" Scott told the Lord that he wanted to be in the fight - to help with the suffering he saw that day. What he saw that day was the result of sin, but also a result of the destruction of the families in our community. So with counsel and prayer in 2008, Scott began to take courses toward a 30-hour human services degree at Liberty University that would position him to help families.
From Humble Beginnings
Scott was able to go to grad school at that point in his life because of circumstances God had clearly arranged. Scott, Dawn and their family had moved to the Quincy area but were barely getting by financially. But not long after his experience in the court room, a supervisor from a previous job contacted him and asked him to work for them. The new position provided enough of a pay increase for them to be able to live on Scott's part-time salary and also take a couple of graduate courses a year toward the 30-hour human services degree.
But then, in 2010, God opened another source of support that allowed Scott to switch majors to a 48-hour Clinical Counseling Licensure Track program which would make him better qualified to help people in counseling. As a result of this, he was able to decrease the time he spent working and do schooling almost full-time.
Finally Established and Growing
In January 2013, he began a counseling internship working under a licensed Marriage and Family therapist who works out of a church in Quincy. For this internship, he had to get his own clients and counseling office which was graciously provided when Heimer Construction offered him a room in their basement. Scott and Dawn formed Grace Christian Counseling in the fall of 2013 and, shortly after Scott graduated, they received IRS approval of their application to have GCC recognized as a not-for-profit (501c3) organization.
In 2006 Scott and his wife (Dawn) had to go to family court because Dawn was asked to testify in a court case . As they waited for their case, they heard about terrible things that were going on in families in their rural community. Scott left court that day with a picture in his mind: there was a battlefield with bullets flying, bombs exploding and soldiers lying about mangled and bloody. Off to the side, out of the fight, was a group of soldiers who were conducting dress inspection. That picture posed a question to him: "Are you in the fight or just on dress inspection?" Scott told the Lord that he wanted to be in the fight - to help with the suffering he saw that day. What he saw that day was the result of sin, but also a result of the destruction of the families in our community. So with counsel and prayer in 2008, Scott began to take courses toward a 30-hour human services degree at Liberty University that would position him to help families.
From Humble Beginnings
Scott was able to go to grad school at that point in his life because of circumstances God had clearly arranged. Scott, Dawn and their family had moved to the Quincy area but were barely getting by financially. But not long after his experience in the court room, a supervisor from a previous job contacted him and asked him to work for them. The new position provided enough of a pay increase for them to be able to live on Scott's part-time salary and also take a couple of graduate courses a year toward the 30-hour human services degree.
But then, in 2010, God opened another source of support that allowed Scott to switch majors to a 48-hour Clinical Counseling Licensure Track program which would make him better qualified to help people in counseling. As a result of this, he was able to decrease the time he spent working and do schooling almost full-time.
Finally Established and Growing
In January 2013, he began a counseling internship working under a licensed Marriage and Family therapist who works out of a church in Quincy. For this internship, he had to get his own clients and counseling office which was graciously provided when Heimer Construction offered him a room in their basement. Scott and Dawn formed Grace Christian Counseling in the fall of 2013 and, shortly after Scott graduated, they received IRS approval of their application to have GCC recognized as a not-for-profit (501c3) organization.