PROPOSAL FOR RETAINER FOR

THE GATHERING UMC

ContentA Letter from Ryan 5

The State of Things 6

Why Change, Inc.? 8

How We Help 10

About Our Founder 12

Retainer Program 14

Recap 15

Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever

you can.John Wesley

4 Change, Inc. / The Gathering UMC

We’re thrilled to dialogue with you about meeting the men-tal health needs of your parishioners! It’s no secret that a mental health crisis looms rather large over the country, and St. Louis is no exception. This is true even, and perhaps especially, in Christian circles as our churches are full of struggling people. After all, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matt 9:12).

But meeting the needs of folks with deeply held Christian values and spiritual/religious practices takes unique insight and a keen eye for the way things like scripture, liturgy, and prayer can be used (and not “misused”) in a counseling set-ting. Knowing whether, when, why, and how is just what our experience gives us.

We’re excited to partner with you.

Ryan Thomas Neace, LPC, NCC, CCMHC Founder, Lead TherapistChange, Inc.

GATHERING STAFF:

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America, Churches, Mental Health, & Liability

An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suf-fer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.1

54 percent of Americans say churches should do more to address mental health issues like suicide. That number jumps to 64 percent among evan-gelical or born-again Christians. 2

Whether the advice is religious or secular, churches and church staff may be sued for damages in connection with counseling. In fact, pastors of churches and other clergypersons who have been involved in counseling have been especially susceptible to lawsuits alleging clergy malpractice and other significant torts, and the number of such actions has steadily increased since 1980.3

1 - Kessler, R.C., Chiu, W.T., Demler, O., Walters, E.E., (2005). Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6):617-27.

2 - LifeWay Research, 2013

3 - Fain, C.F. (2012). Minimizing liability for church-related counseling services: Clergy malpractice and first amendment religion clauses. Defense Law Journal, 61(3), pp. 69-112.

6 Change, Inc. / The Gathering UMC

So, what can we do as people of faith to address issues of mental illness? Churches need to stop hiding...The congregation should be a safe place for those who struggle. We should not be afraid of medicine. We need to end the shame.

Ed Stetzer, Christianity Today

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While churches tend to think of counseling at church offices as convenient, parishioners often express relief at having a discreet off-site place where they can talk without being seen coming or going. Conviently loctaed in South City, our offices are close to each of The Gathering sites.We do all the scheduling, the

invoicing, the tracking, and the counseling. You just promote our services in church and feel safe in knowing your parishioners are hav-ing their needs met in a way that affirms them as creations of God while helping them get unstuck.

You’ll never have to worry that parishioners will get pat answers or shoulder shrugs. We make it our personal mission to embrace long-suffering, substantial change consistent with the vision and mission of your church. We’re in it for the long haul.

Why Change, Inc.?

Off-site Central Location

Simple

Real support

8 Change, Inc. / The Gathering UMC

Through our contract with you and the waiver parish-ioners sign, we take on the risks associated with profes-sional counseling, leaving clergy free to do soul care other work as needed or desired. We cover liability in-surance and keep top-notch industry-standards to make sure everyone is cared for professionally and ethically.

Having a seasoned, licensed professional counselor on staff is expen-sive. By operating on a retainer, we can afford to drastically reduce the cost per hour, and offer you the ability to provide cutting edge mental health services without having to pay salary, insurance, vacation time, and liability insurance!

Limited Liability

Significant Savings

“There is no reason for anything in business to exist if it does not serve the needs of people.”Bruce Cryer

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Helping parishioners lead successful, Christian lives involves pa-tience, commitment and follow-through. Our approach is tailored to the strategic process that has helped countless others across our practice experience.

Access. Support. Place.

• By providing an open space where parishioners can be listened to carefully and non-judgmentally, we affirm their core worth and dignity as human beings and fellow creations fo God.

• True cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and spiritual support involves walking-along-side parishioners, even for long periods of time while they consider their station and willingness and desire to move forward. By intervening at their exact point of readiness, we move toward interpersonal conflict rather than away. We don’t try to fix it, but to explore it and understand its meaning.

• Once ready, parishioners are encouraged to apply new insights in real and con-crete ways, and the implications of change are processed and understood in an effort to secure longevity and resilience.

How We Help

AffirmListen

ChallengeSupport

ProcessAct

www.changeincorporated.org

10 Change, Inc. / The Gathering UMC

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

John C. Maxwell

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I can’t recommend Ryan highly enough! From the minute I met him, I felt comfortable with him. I never felt judged or embarrassed of the stories I told him. He welcomed me and my issues, and always invited us back to continue to talk. Ryan met me where I was, and never forced me to change or leave that place unless I was ready.

--Brandon, MD

Ryan’s introspective nature paves the way for one to go deeper into true motivations, fears, and struggles, while providing technique and process that makes it easier to find true healing and change. Above all, he truly cares about his clients and gives them his undi-vided attention and care.

--Lisa, OH

Ryan has been that professional voice to walk me through a lot of ups and downs in life. I have gone to Ryan to help with anything life throws my way and he has been a large part of my success in my career, my marriage, my family, and all other relationships in my life. He never judges where you are in life either. He is an amazing counselor.

--Cory, VA

Ryan is a counselor that cares deeply about the wel-fare of his clients. He is one of the most competent therapists I have ever met, and is passionate about what he does! I am convinced that he can help any-one that wants to change.

--Amy, NC

About Our FounderRyan Thomas Neace holds a Bachelor of Science in Religion, and a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Mis-souri and Virginia, and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Nationally Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) by the National Board for Certified Counse-lors (NBCC). He has worked extensively in mental health for over 10 years in inpatient, outpatient, educational, community, church, and home settings, and founded two out-patient counseling practices. Ryan teaches counseling, psychology, and human services at the undergraduate and graduate level, and founded CounselingInternships.com.

Ryan is an official blogger for the American Counseling Association, and has been se-lected to present at their National Conference in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He has

Praise From Clients & Colleagues

spoken aross America at churches and church-related conferences about working with parishioners from a counseling perspective. Ryan is also an official blogger for The Huffington Post, where he writes about the intersection of mental health and religion.

He is a member of the American Counseling Association, The Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling, The International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors, and Counselors for Social Justice. He is deeply moved by the writings of Henri Nouwen, Brother Roger of Taize, and Thomas Merton.

12 Change, Inc. / The Gathering UMC

We can help a person to be himself by our own willingness to steep ourselves tem-porarily in his world, in his private feelings and experiences.

Clark Moustakas

Christ does not want us drunk with guiltiness, but only filled to overflowing with forgiveness and confidence.

Brother Roger of Taize

Mental health services for parishioners at a fraction of the price. 13

We’re very pleased to introduce you to our retainer program, especially tailored for The Gathering UMC. Offering sub-stantially reduced pricing (60% or more) to fit the needs of your church, there’s something here for you whatever level of service you may desire. Whether your looking to supplement existing counseling efforts or for something more robust, we can help.

0-9 Clients - Still testing! (60% discount)

Change, Inc. & YouThe Gathering UMC Retainer Program

Which option fits your needs?

Pricing Breakdown - The More You Need, The More You Save!

PRICES DISCOUNTED

FROM $95/hour

Product Discount Price Your PriceRetainer Min/Max

Market PriceFor Comparison

0-9 Clients per week 60% $38/hour $152* (@0-1) / $1368 9 @ $95/hr = $3420

10-19 Clients per week 65% $33.25/hour $1330 / $2527 19 @ $95/hr = $7220

20+ Clients per week 70% $28.50/hour $2260 (@20) + 20 @ $95/hr = $7600

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10-19 Clients - Under the umbrella! (65% discount)

20+ Clients - Growing together!(70% discount)

ALL PERKS INCLUDED AT ALL LEVELS!

Product Price Notes

Group Counseling $10/parishioner/hour Mininum 5/Maximum 9 (per group)

Additional speaking/train-ing (2 hours per month are

included!!!)$50/hour n/a

Emergency/On-Call (8pm-8am) $125/activated hour, additional $200/month retainer (plus expenses) 48 weeks/year

Planned Intervention $125/hour, plus expenses Planning time required, additional personnel may be required

Looking for Extras? We’ve got those too!*Retainer price is for either 0-1 clients.

14 Change, Inc. / The Gathering UMC

Decision Time

If one in four adults suffers from a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year, this means 250 out of every 1000 in worship attendance each week at The Gathering are struggling at any given time. To boot, according to the National Institute for Mental Health, many people suffer from more than one mental disorder once - nearly half of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more. These are sobering realities, but all the more so when we consider that most of our churches do possess the financial resources to address them. Let us help!

The Problem: You need a way to address the mental health needs of your congrega-tion without taking on the greatly increased liability, salary, and benefits requirements an in-house counselor requires.

The Support: We integrate evidence-based therapeutic approaches from positive psychol-ogy, cognitive-behavioral theory, motivational interviewing, choice and systems theory and more with Christian spirituality/disciplines as well as meditation and mindfulness. We’re in it for the long-haul - parishioners needing someone to meet weekly will have just that.

The Answer: Drawing upon our vast experience at the

intersection of Christian spirituality and mental health,

we’ll provide an off-site, central location for mental

health counseling for your parishioners at a fraction of the cost while accepting all of the liability. Just to add

extra value, we’ll even provide 2 free training hours to church staff per month on topics of your choice!

The Extra Mile: If you’re looking for even more, we can provide additional training, group counseling, and emergency/on-call services. Add or remove these at any time. You’ll have the support of a Christian Li-censed Professional Counselor however you need it.

Recap: The High Points

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A Clear Solution

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GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

Change, Inc.Ph. 877-5-CHANGE (877-524-2643)Local: 314-669-6242Fax. 866-596-5017email: contact@changeincorporated.orgwww.changeincorporated.org

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