Family Resource and Counseling Centers

Cathy Herr

Brad — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:56:57 +0000

Finance & HR Administrator

Cathy joined FRCC in March 2000, and served as the receptionist during her first five years at FRCC. She has been serving in a leadership role since 2005 and is currently the director of both the finance and human resources departments of FRCC. Cathy says that being a part of the administration team at FRCC has been a life changing experience for her and she loves to continue to serve and care for our clients.

Jennifer Markward, MA

Brad — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:49:01 +0000

Jennifer earned her Master’s degree in professional counseling from Liberty University. She earned her Bachelor’s in psychology from Temple University. Currently Jennifer is finishing her requirements to be licensed as a professional counselor in the state of Pennsylvania, and is working towards her Doctorate in Educational Leadership. She has worked in a variety of settings including: children and teens in behavioral health, adult intellectual disabilities and adults with clinical issues. She uses a warm, inviting eclectic approach to help others find hope and restoration with their burdens. Jennifer enjoys time with her husband, tea and the arts.

Michele Fry, MA

Brad — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:37:59 +0000

Michele received her Masters of Counseling degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2000. Prior to that she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas in early childhood/elementary eduction in 1995. She has worked in various ministry positions in the last 20 years including working as a youth director, in college ministry on a college campus, in a teen pregnancy center as well as residential ministry treatment center. Most recently she has worked intensely with children, teens and their families in coping with grief and loss. Michele’s approach to therapy is from the cognitive behavioral approach and is available for individual and marriage counseling. Michele enjoys working with individuals who are struggling with self-esteem issues and helping them discover their gifts and understand their personality as it pertains to finding meaning in their life. Michele is married with two young daughters and enjoys the outdoors, photography, being crafty and traveling.

Tracy Eckerd, MA

Brad — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:22:33 +0000

Tracy received her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Bachelor’s of Arts in Biblical Studies from Geneva College in 1992. She received specialized training in group and individual therapy for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse through her graduate internship at Minirith-Meier New Life Treatment Clinic. Since completing a Master’s in Professional Psychology from Geneva College in 1994, Tracy has provided clinical assessment and therapy in both the private practice outpatient setting and residential and partial adolescent treatment programs. She has extensive experience with children, adolescents, and adults struggling with Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, unresolved trauma and abuse issues, anger management, low self-worth, and relationship difficulties. Tracy utilizes eclectic therapeutic approaches to meet the specific needs of each client including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and insight guided techniques to help guide people to a place of clarity and healing.

Handling Conflict

Elaine — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:56:54 +0000

We all have conflict in our lives. Any time there is a relationship there is going to also be some conflict. It doesn’t matter if the relationship is with a coworker, friend, spouse or child conflict will happen. When it does think about using these 6 basic principles to help you move past the conflict.

Be Aware

Understand what parts of the conflict impacts your own beliefs and perceptions. Be aware of how they shape your responses.

Stay in Control

Reframe or re-describe the stressful situation to keep your composure and help decrease the tension.

Eliminate Emotions

Emotions can cloud the rational thinking that is essential to arriving at a solution.

Focus on a positive, solution-based outcome. Don’t allow other issues or other conflicts to add to the difficulties. Take one conflict at a time.

Be Open to Brainstorming

Challenge yourself and others to be creative about the possibilities available to you. Often conflict result when we don’t see other options. Be proactive in thinking about other ways to approach the situation.

Think Win-Win

Sometimes a good decision is reached when everyone has to give a little. Finding a solution that benefits all sides helps you learn more about yourself and others.

Parents of Preschoolers

Elaine — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:06:54 +0000

Elaine Potts recently presented the workshop, “Parenting Hot Topics: Parenting Preschoolers”

Here are the books and resources that Elaine mentioned in her talk:

Books:

(These are affiliate links, when you use them Amazon will give FRCC a small percentage of your purchase. Thank you!)

Websites:

empoweringparents.com

mopsinternational.org

www.focusonthefamily.com

Parenting Hot Topics Workshop

Brad — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:17:59 +0000

Beat Back

Brad — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:58:58 +0000

Feeling Stressed?

Don’t just stay stuck in stress fight back! Try these stress busting ideas:

Use humor! Learn to laugh at things and use it as an outlet for our pent up emotions!
Find out what calms you and exercise this often during stressful times.
Recognize your negative self talk patterns and be intentional about speaking the positive – even if you don’t believe it at the time!
Life is about balance…step away once in a while from the thing that has become too heavy.
Surround yourself with supportive people and allow them to care for you.
Set realistic goals and expectations.
Learn the difference between what you can and cannot control.
Take time to enjoy doing things you are naturally good at…using your God given gifts as a natural stress reliever.

What do you do to fight the stress in your life? let us know in the comments!

Stress Busters

Elaine — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:58:14 +0000

Stress is the natural reaction one feels when faced with a situation that is new, unpleasant or threatening. Individual stress varies based on one’s interpretation and reaction to a situation or thought. Feelings often associated with stress include pressure, tension, frustration, anger and anxiousness.

Stress affects everyone in different ways. There can be a combination of physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms. Some common indicators are:

*Physical:*	Emotional:	Behavioral:
GI complaints	Irritability	Crying
Restlessness	Forgetfulness	Avoidance
Muscle tension	Helpless feeling	Argumentative
Sleep problems	Chronic worrying	Eating changes
Fatigue	Depressed state of mind	Loss of focus
Headaches	Feeling agitated	No motivation

Are you familiar with the things that cause stress in your daily living? How well do you handle the stress that comes your way? Sometimes you cannot avoid stressful situations. In those instances, it is often helpful to have some idea of what may ease your reactions and what may make things worse. Knowing yourself well, and having the tools to help combat the negative effects of stress, can go a long way in facilitating better control during difficult situations.

Some people find a lot of relief from stress when they switch from being reactive to thinking: “What are my options?” This assists an individual to feeling more in control and therefore automatically decreasing the stress response in the body. Taking the focus off of worry and transferring it to action puts you back in the driver’s seat.

It is unrealistic to think that stress could be completely removed from life. Knowing this, and having a game plan for coping, can give you the home court advantage when stress comes to visit.

Michelle Wegman, MS

Brad — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:26:44 +0000

Lancaster Campus Intake Coordinator
Counselor

Michelle received her Master of Science degree in Christian Counseling from Philadelphia Biblical University in 2008. In addition to being our Intake Coordinator at our Lancaster Campus, Michelle is one of our child therapists at our Gap location. She enjoys both positions as she is able to combine her love of meeting new people, with her love of working with young people including children, teens, and young adults. In her free time she enjoys coffee, time with friends, and time with her husband.