Articles By: Richmont Graduate University

Chattanooga, Tennessee – (February 19, 2013)

The CBI Counseling Center, a part of Richmont Graduate University, is pleased to announce the additions of three new counselors to its clinical staff.

• Ed Doreau, MA, joins the staff after moving to Chattanooga only a couple of years ago from Massachusetts. His professional work focuses on the needs of teenage males as well as helping individuals struggling with addictions. He also has training in Motivational Interviewing, a mode of therapy seen as particularly helpful with addictions.
•  Willie “Bo” Walker, LCSW, has worked in mental health in Chattanooga for about 30 years, and brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to his counseling practice at CBI.  He is competent to work with a variety of counseling issues and with a variety of populations, working primarily from a cognitive-behavioral model of counseling.
• Yohunnah Woods-Moton, M.A., is a native Chattanoogan and graduate of Richmont Graduate University. She is trained in several forms of therapy, including Motivational Enhancement Therapy. She works with children and parents, but also sees adults and focuses on issues of domestic violence, addiction, and emotional disorders.

“We are thrilled to add more outstanding people to our staff to meet the growing need for quality clinicians at CBI Counseling Center,” said CBI Director, Dr. Tim Sisemore. “These three broaden and deepen our staff to meet this need.  Bo is a seasoned clinician and well-respected member of mental health service community, Ed brings expertise and sensitivity to underserved populations in adolescents and addictions, and Yohunnah offers clients a warm, caring approach to a variety of problems, particularly regarding children where she has specialized training. I am most grateful for the superior quality of clinicians we have gathered here.”

For more than 30 years, CBI has offered a broad range of counseling and psychological services to the Chattanooga community. Pursuing the highest professional standards, CBI remains true to the Christian tradition of faith and caring. On average, licensed psychologists, marriage and family therapists, counselors, and insured student interns provide approximately 1,400 client sessions per month.

“Based on the number of monthly client sessions, it is apparent that each CBI counselor seeks to serve all persons with compassion and sensitivity to their uniqueness while assisting them in meeting life’s challenges,” said Richmont President, Bob Rodgers. “We are glad to have these three highly-qualified individuals serving on the CBI team.”

All three counselors are currently taking new clients. Scheduling information can be obtained by calling 423-756-2894 or by visiting: www.cbicounseling.com. Open five days a week, the counseling center’s physical address is: 1815 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404.

Atlanta, Georgia – (February 22, 2013)

Associate Professor of Counseling and Licensed Psychologist, Dr. Dan Sartor, and master’s student, Beth Leonard, will represent Richmont Graduate University at this year’s Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) annual conference in Portland, Oregon.

Under Sartor’s direction, Leonard has pursued thesis work regarding the attachments people have with God and how this influences their attachments with other people. Where some world religions believe wellbeing is acquired through mindfulness and meditation, Leonard’s work is uncovering how the group practice of a meditative reading of the Scriptures, historically known as the “Lectio Divina,”  might form significantly healthier relational attachments among individuals and within the participants’ sense of attachment to God.

“There’s a growing body of research that has linked certain meditative practices to personal and relational well-being,” said Sartor. “We are examining whether or not the Christian-specific practices of the Lectio Divina and centering prayer contribute in the same manner to personal well-being and relational well-being as perceived through the lense of attachment theory.”

While research is still underway, Leonard’s work is broadly applicable to the process of psychology as she is using both church populations and clinical populations to determine the ways in which people experience God and how their personal wellbeing and interpersonal relationships are affected.

“The manualized group process we are employing is designed to help people more fully connect how they perceive God implicitly, or in their heart and emotions, with their head or Biblical knowledge of God,” said Leonard. “When that happens they can experience Him in more positive, intimate and securely-attached ways as opposed to negative, shame-based ways. A fascinating aspect of this study is examining the correlation between healing in attachments to people and to God, and investigating what role Christian meditative practices play in that process.”

Therefore, the CAPS conference is an exciting opportunity for both Sartor and Leonard to present the study’s preliminary findings.

“We are excited to contribute to the dialogue in academic and clinical circles regarding healthy spiritual practices that contribute to the well-being of individuals and society at large,” said Sartor.

Assistant Professor of Counseling and Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Dr. Mary Plisco, and master’s student, Katie Rider, will each represent Richmont Graduate University at the Southeastern Psychological Association’s (SEPA) annual conference in March 2013. Both Plisco and Rider submitted presentation proposals last fall and were selected to present their research at the 2013 conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

This year, Plisco will present research in the clinical counseling portion of the conference regarding anxiety disorders in children and the development of the therapeutic relationship.

Similarly, Rider will present her senior thesis, “The Anorexia-Religion Connection: Views of God’s Grace and Religious Coping Style and Predictors of the Severity of Anorectic Symptomology,” which offers empirical data regarding anorexic patients and their views of God’s grace and their religious coping styles.

In preparation for the SEPA conference Rider said, “I’m excited to present this research because it empirically demonstrates the importance and value of incorporating religion, and Christian religious themes in particular, into the anorexia treatment process. It’s a privilege to represent Richmont as well as to have the opportunity to highlight spiritually informed research.”  

According to SEPA’s web site, they represent the “…largest psychological organization in the southeast and one of largest in the United States.” Seeking to “…advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare…” SEPA’s mission is “…to stimulate the exchange of scientific and professional ideas across the diverse areas of psychological inquiry and application.”

The Board of Trustees at Richmont Graduate University gladly invite alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff to join in celebrating Dr. Jeff Terrell’s 14 years of faithful service to the university on February 28, 2013 from 6:30-8 p.m.

“We are thankful for all Dr. Terrell has done during his years at Richmont Graduate University,” said Board Chair Jan Linder. “Some of the outstanding accomplishments made during his presidency include: his compelling vision, his unwavering commitment to Richmont’s mission, his aggressive plan to achieve accreditation, and his ensuring that the school would maintain the highest possible academic standards. We look forward to a time of celebration with Dr. Terrell and honoring his legacy.”

Reflecting on his tenure at Richmont, Dr. Terrell said, “The past fourteen years of work together has been the most meaningful professional achievement of my life. I am grateful for the leadership lessons the Lord has taught me and for the opportunities the trustees have provided me as President … I hope to see Richmont Graduate University flourishing and growing to ever-brighter heights in the years ahead.”

In order to honor Dr. Terrell, an open evening of fellowship and commemoration will be hosted at the university during which heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served and dress will be business casual.

Date: February 28, 2013 Location: Richmont Graduate University

Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m. 2055 Mt. Paran Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30327

In order to anticipate an appropriate number of guests, please consider sending a courtesy RSVP email to Jennifer Cooper at: jcooper@richmont.edu or call: 404-835-6117.

Trent Gilbert was recently named the new Vice President of Enrollment at Richmont. He is a fantastic individual, a hard worker, and he loves to talk about all things Richmont. Recently Trent took time out of his day to answer a few questions about Richmont, Atlanta, and what he likes to do in his free time.

What are you most excited about for Richmont’s future?

Growing enrollment and name recognition at Richmont. This is a place that is making an impact not only on our students lives, but also on the lives of those they touch through their work.  As a part of this enrollment growth, we will be able to gain more name recognition for Richmont within both the Chattanooga and Atlanta communities, which will lead to increased interest from students, donors and community involvement.  I view it as a cycle that keeps feeding itself.

Why do you love living in Atlanta?

Atlanta is a city of little neighborhoods.  I love exploring each neighborhood, finding the local restaurants and hanging out with each different people. I also love all the trees (except during the spring pollen season).  Most major cities don’t have nearly as much green space as Atlanta and it makes me feel like I’m not living in a big city.

How do you spend your time when you’re not at Richmont?

I love to spend time with my wife Adrienne and our two rescue dogs, Sara and Hunter.  We enjoy hitting the trails for a hike, and we love exploring new restaurants (especially if they have a outdoor seating).  My wife and I also love to travel and explore different parts of the country. Our former lives had us on the road quite a bit, so it is in our blood.

Chattanooga, Tennessee - The Richmont Community Counseling Center (RCCC), a subsidiary of Richmont Graduate University, received a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Chattanooga on Friday, December 14, 2012. This generous grant will provide Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (C.A.R.E.) training for caretakers of at-risk children throughout Chattanooga.

Building on the evidence-based principles found in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, the skills taught in C.A.R.E. are found to be highly effective in improving interactions between children and adults. Presently, C.A.R.E. has been approved by the Department of Human Services Child Licensing and can be easily conducted in three hour group sessions. During the trainings, RCCC’s therapists will teach and individually coach participants using probable real-life situations. Utilizing the grant from the Community Foundation and sponsoring free C.A.R.E. training throughout the city will allow service providers to be better equipped to connect with children and give more effective directions that children are more likely to obey. The C.A.R.E. training will also help caretakers increase positive appropriate behaviors, and manage problematic behaviors more efficiently.

“This grant is an incredible opportunity to offer highly effective and practical training to individuals who are directly influencing and shaping the next generation of Chattanooga residents,” said Christianna Luy, Richmont Graduate University’s Director of Grants. “We look forward to collaborating with service providers and increasing positive behaviors in children.”

Established in 2005, the RCCC, led Michelle Shelley, provides access to counseling and mental health services for uninsured or underinsured individuals, families and groups. Today, the RCCC has a permanent facility, two masters’ level counseling staff members, and five counseling interns. The staff members are highly educated, bilingual and ethnically diverse allowing for a greater breadth of populations served. Thus far, the Center’s services have been in such demand that all seven team members hold full client caseloads and yet there remains a lengthy waiting list of clients who desire to begin the counseling process.

As a subsidiary of Richmont Graduate University, the RCCC offers services to all of Chattanooga’s residents regardless of religion, age, race, gender or lifestyle. Presently, the most requested services include: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), child and adolescent therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), depression/anxiety counseling, grief/loss counseling, marital counseling, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder counseling, and self-esteem/body image counseling. With a full-time Latina therapist, the RCCC also remains closely connected with Chattanooga’s Latino community.

To receive more information about the Richmont Community Counseling Center or to schedule an appointment, please contact Michelle Shelley at: mshelley@richmont.edu or 423-648-2436.

Atlanta, Georgia – On November 16, 2012, Richmont Graduate University’s Director of Grants, Christianna Luy, was named as the 2013 Chamberlain Scholar for the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Greater Atlanta. As this year’s scholar, Luy will receive free admission to the Association of Fundraising Professionals International conference in San Diego, California in April 2013 as well as $1,000 in chapter support to be used toward conference travel and lodging expenses.

As a current Executive Master’s student in the School of Philanthropy at Indiana University-Purdue University, Luy is looking forward to expanding her knowledge base, skill sets and professional affiliations and relationships at the 2013 AFP Conference.

“As a young professional who is committed to the nonprofit sector, I am confident that, by attending the AFP conference in April and conversing with numerous fundraising professionals from around the globe, academic concepts will be solidified in my mind and I will grow in my understanding of how financial development trends and styles are actually put into practice,” said Luy.

Luy joined Richmont’s advancement team last spring after spending several years serving in development roles at Operation Mobilization and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits.  A graduate of Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, Ms. Luy is currently pursuing an Executive Master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies while also serving as a Giving USA 2013 author.