A Lay Counselor's Journey

With curiosity, eighteen years ago I joined the first training group for Lay Counselors in this wonderful organization. My skills had leaned towards listening rather than speaking and I felt guided to learn to listen well. Then the question was, where could God use this ability? My focus and improvement over the years coincided with the timing of Anew Day opening. After training I began to serve here. Through that experience I saw how much I didn’t know.

I took a break for more education in psychology courses. The subject fascinated me, yet obtaining a license was not the road for me. A bit later another Lay Counselor who had been facilitating support groups at Anew Day asked me to assist her. We had a great time! It nudged me back into the organization. Since then, Anew Day has given me an avenue to reach out with Christ’s UNCONDITIONAL love. It has been super rewarding!

I don’t take many clients because each one gets my full attention when they come to me. Having that kind of care makes a difference to them and they express it with phrases like, "I feel a weight lifted from my shoulders" or "Now I have tools". What a privilege to be part of someone’s relief! With our help they are introduced to new approaches to their challenges, and they often see other choices they can make. Especially meaningful to me has been giving them the sense that they are not alone.

The work as an Anew Day Lay Counselor is amazing. We are a team that shares a wealth of resources to pass onto our clients. Among the remarkable contributions our organization makes to care for our clients, these two stand out to me: we decrease the loneliness in our county, and we participate in the incredible joy of sharing God’s bountiful love. Clients are blessed and helped not only with wisdom and new concepts to explore, but more importantly because they are loved!

Bonnie Prudhomme

Lay Counselor

How To Support Anew Day

Spreading Light & Warmth

Grace and peace to you. The theme of this summer newsletter, Spreading Light and Warmth, seems so appropriate as the team here at Anew Day endeavors to do just that. Articles in this newsletter come to us from one of our first Lay Counselors, two Group Facilitators, and one of our Professional Therapists. These are some of the many voices of Anew Day, and their stories show how we’re responding to today’s mental health care crisis - not with fear, but with hope and action.

Yes, the crisis is real. There’s a nationwide increase in mental health care needs and a growing shortage of mental health care workers. Wait-lists are long, burnout is high, and millions of people can’t access the care they need. But at Anew Day, we believe we’re part of the solution.

Our model is grassroots, non-profit, and community-based care that is offered without condition to those who knock at our door. Here’s how we’re answering the call:

• Free Lay Counseling

• Free Support Groups

• Free Community Education and Training Program

• Free therapy for First Responders

• Affordable professional therapy

All that Anew Day does is only possible because of people like you. Your generosity, prayers, and encouragement sustain our work and expand our reach. Want to support Anew Day and have a great time? Join us at our Annual Fundraiser BBQ on Saturday, June 21st! It’s a fun, relaxed day to gather, connect, and help ensure this work continues. Thank you for believing in this mission and in the people behind it.

Bless you and your loved ones,

Gregory Ingram

Executive Director

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Mental Health in 2025: A Growing Need, A Shrinking Workforce

Across the country, millions are seeking mental health care, but an alarming shortage of providers is making it harder than ever to meet this growing need. Currently the United States is short more than 30,000 mental health workers, leaving millions Americans with insufficient access to care. For those who can get an appointment, waits can exceed 12 weeks, and in rural communities, the situation is worse. At the same time, mental health professionals are facing burnout at unprecedented levels, with many leaving the field.

These challenges have created a perfect storm for mental health care in America, as the demand for services continues to rise, the number of qualified providers continues to shrink.

At Anew Day, we’re directly addressing this storm. We operate our own training center, where we train the next generation of counselors and therapists to help address the shortage. Our training center educates and mentors Trainees (graduate students working toward their master’s degrees and earning supervised hours), Associates (clinicians who have completed their degrees and are accruing 3,000 hours required for licensure), and the bedrock of our organization, our Lay Counselors (community volunteers who receive extensive training). By training future professionals and dedicated volunteers, we’re not only addressing the shortage, but we’re also building a sustainable, community-driven workforce to provide care.

But it doesn’t stop there. At Anew Day, our model thrives through community support. Volunteers, donors, and countless other contributors all come together with our staff and fully licensed practitioners to care for our community. Our doors are open to all, regardless of background, beliefs, or ability to pay. As we at Anew Day have been unconditionally loved by God, we are called to love others “…just as Christ loved us…” (Ephesians 5:2).

We believe in the power of grassroots models to make a real difference, especially when traditional systems are stretched thin. WE INVITE YOU to join us in this important work. Whether through donations, offering your time, or simply spreading the word, your support helps ensure that those in need of mental health care can find the services they deserve.

Together, we can create lasting change in this time of increasing mental health needs and decreasing practitioners so that everyone can access the support they need.

How To Support Anew Day