My Next Steps

By Amy Blevins

My next steps include continuing the work that I started when I became a teacher in 2009, and then later in 2010 an addictions counselor at my place of work. My practical service of education, evaluation and group treatment provide for several roles that are already needed in my community. My family is also a work in progress.  I am striving to work on many things to get my children to where they need to be spiritually and emotionally. 

One of the areas that I want to explore more and look into getting the education requirement for is chaplaincy in a health care setting, as well as hospice and eldercare. The education requirement is 400 hours of clinical training, which is open to seminarians or partially trained local clergy (48). I have some seminary training from Moody Bible Institute more recently, and some training that I started at Southeastern Seminary in 2009, but is it enough training, and finding out what is acceptable is another task to accomplish. We happen to have 3 large hospitals in my area and one of the hospitals is a teaching hospital and university, so there is a possibility that there is a need for someone to fill those roles on a paid or on a part-time basis.

 One thing that is definitely needed more in my community, in particular, is a non-profit treatment housing for women with addictions for 6 months or more. There are many facilities and places for men, but in our area, we only have 2 facilities that I know of that are non-profit that accept women and children. Hope House and Julie’s House are the only 2 non-profit facilities, and while the Augusta Care Pregnancy Center and many other treatment providers provide counseling and coping skills building,  they do not offer shelter. Applying for a government grant and seeking funding and staffing support from our churches in the community would be the next step and as well as putting together a plan of action as to the details.

 Another possible area of ministry that I want to do more research into is the First-responder and police chaplaincy. I do think that there’s a definite need for someone to fill this role in my area, even if it is on a volunteer basis. The continual trauma, exposure to violence, low pay and culturally strained relationships in our area with police and firefighters make these populations susceptible to addictions, depression, family strain, suicide, and PTSD.