Who is Debbie?
I.SPIRITUAL COUNSELOR
Individual Client Sessions--Combining spiritual counsel and counseling techniques, we closely examine thoughts/feelings/behaviors/beliefs/stories’/ assumptions that create undue suffering. As we identify, release and heal, we begin to rebuild spiritual accountability, mastery, self-confidence, peacefulness, and trust.
Discussion Topics Available: Stress management; burnout; fears; faith-crisis; guilt/anger; anxiety; premarital and marriage conflicts; grief & loss support for patients and/or loved ones; coping with transitions of empty nest/aging/divorce/ religiosity/other.
Spiritual Mentoring—Inter-faith individuals of all ages regularly meet to develop deeper self-awareness, active listening and speaking skills, leadership abilities, pastoral counseling, and self-care strategies.
Peer Professional—Nonjudgmental support offered to clergy seeking to confidentially debrief from crisis; find fresh vision/success strategies; affect better leadership skills in self or community; address burnout; improve boundaries or self-care; express questioning or doubt; face relationship issues, or practice greater discernment (regardless of denomination or physical location).
II. CONSULTANT
Facilitator to church/non-profit leadership boards seeking better awareness of their own group dynamics, trust-building, boundaries, roles and responsibilities, infrastructure or marketing strategies, as well as personal dynamics found at board leadership levels. By blending my successful church and counselor experience, I analyze each group’s strengths & dysfunctions, through in-depth means, as well as discover fears, conflicts relational patterns, and dreams, then develop specific topics/exercises promoting incredible possibility, goals and quantitative success. This can be done in 1, 2, 3-day workshop or retreat settings.
Facilitator of Women's Retreat—Women thirst for nurturing community! One day or weekend gatherings to experience deeper insights into oneself as it pertains to the authentic self; belonging; faith; forgiveness; communication, and sisterhood are just a few topics offered. Building profound cohesion through sharing, listening, playing and pampering speak to women of any age/any denomination. Powerful!
III. CEREMONIAL OFFICIANT/ CLERGY
Officiate ceremonies/rituals (e.g., weddings, renewal of vows, same sex marriages, memorials)
Guest Speaker and teacher for worship services, women’s retreats, board leadership retreats, and workshops/classes.
PAST WORK EXPERIENCE
Senior Minister
Unity Church of Beaverton, Oregon Jan., 2007 to July, 2011
--Functioned as lead minister of fast-growing spiritual campus; 7 day/week ‘program-level’ church. Grew youth educ. program from1 to 60 children & teens.
--Created and officiated fresh, diverse worship services/rituals (i.e., christenings, memorials, weddings, 6-wk. series, new member ceremonies, family groups, etc.), while instigating effective volunteer service program, pastoral roles, healthy infrastructure and improved community relations.
--Raised spiritual consciousness about stewardship, accountability and spiritual maturity, multi-generational programs, diversity, prosperity, youth activities, worship and music, community outreach, and teaching application of spiritual principles.
--Implemented extensive changes to small group ministries, youth curriculum, leadership development, inter-church communications, financial integrity, spiritual direction, visioning, marketing, chaplaincy/prayer program, as well as physical facilities on campus.
--Supervised daily operations, while revamping employee/volunteer SOPs, handbooks, bylaws, procedures and policies, as well as lead board trainings, meetings and weekend retreats.
--Managed numerous fundraising and community outreach events, capital campaigns, bookstore, budget, duplex rental property, extensive campus improvements.
--Participated in Board of Directors and committees, weekly prayer meetings, finance team, environmental church certification, metro-wide interfaith council, and regional/national Unity teams.
--Wrote monthly columns for church, local newspapers and international Unity magazine.
--Empowered congregants by encouraging them to be in greater stewardship responsibility, speak compassionately, authentically, and to embrace Unity principles.
--Celebrated steady growth and excitement as spiritual beings having a shared human experience. Laughed, Loved, Prayed and Gave Thanks Regularly!
Associate Minister of Adult Education Program, Unity Church of Overland Park, Kansas Aug., 2005-Dec., 2006
--Securing, organizing and supervising all adult classes/workshops, as well a coordinate national level guest speakers (Wayne Dyer, Alan Cohen, Fr. Leo Booth, Christina Baldwin, Gary Zukav and Marianne Williamson).
--Promoted all events within community (creating weekly announcements, bulletins, community newsletter articles, emails, calls); metro-wide churches (e.g., PSA's, radio releases, newspaper and television).
--Designed and taught numerous classes regularly.
--Coordinated all written materials, anticipate teachers’s needs (including transportation, lodging, payment), management of physical classroom assignments/setup for mega-sized church building.
--Conducted meditations and prayer Sunday mornings for 1500 person church.
--Updated SOPs and employee handbook for organization.
--Received environmental awards and metro-wide food pantry recognition.
Professional Hospital Chaplain
Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO. Nov., 1998-Oct., 2003
--Level I Pediatric Trauma Center—Simultaneously covered CMH Main campus (311 beds), South campus (45 beds) and numerous CMH Clinics.
--Generally, worked every weekend 48-hour On Call shifts, plus provided 1-2 nights extra.
--Provided spiritual/emotional support to families, patients involving Neonatal ICU, Pediatric ICU, Oncology, Hematology, Emergency Room, and Med-Surg. Floors, as well supported entire hospital staff (including doctors, nurses, respiratory, lab, Life Flight, paramedic, fire, police, security) through difficult situations. This support included daily concerns, conflict resolution, crisis de-briefs, chronic or sudden deaths of children, traumas of injury, GSWs, suicide, attempted suicide, physical/sexual abuse, gang violence, motor vehicle accidents, shaken baby syndrome, etc. --Fully responsible for processing every child's death at 2 CMH hospitals, including arrangements of autopsy, organ donation/bank, morgue, funeral home, coroner, security and police, as well as counseling families/all medical staff. Completion of extensive legal death certificate paperwork. Often, faced with several deaths at once.
--Guided families/staff through end-of-life issues, grief stages, anger, shock/ethics.
--Offered prayer/spiritual counsel to people of various denominations or assisted visiting clergy.
--Worked very closely with inter-disciplinary teams.
--Received specialized training as Organ Donation Requestor, Critical Incident Report Team Advocate, Notary.
--Conducted emergency baptisms/christenings.
--Officiated funerals for deceased patients or staff members.
--Maintained emotional/physical boundaries between staff, upset parents, visiting clergy, security around visiting hours/inappropriate evangelizing/delayed reports.
--Assisted and officiated with CMH Spiritual Care team during annual hospital-wide memorial service covered by media with thousands of people in attendance.
--Attended staff meetings, in-services, and assisted with interview/orientation of new chaplains.
--Received recognition & numerous awards by KCMO Fire Dept. Chief, KCMO Police Dept. and CMH Star awards for handling extremely difficult situations.
--Additional Note: Designed and implemented brand new position as NICU Caregiver Advocate (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)--Increased spiritual care support for NICU staff and families due to high rate of infant mortality.
CEO, Founder & Consultant
Custom Taylored,’ Overland Park, Kansas March, 1984 – Nov., 1990
--Private consultant to Fortune 500 company with national independent distributorships. Brought in to analyze sales and marketing approaches, sales teams, communications problems/strengths by examining current written/verbal approaches.
--Created and conducted intensive 2-day training seminars designed to address their needs. Very direct, yet compassionate dialogues.
--Emphasis on closing techniques, conflict resolution, active listening, role playing; verbal vs. non-verbal language; bypassing ‘screens,’ etc.
--Gave management follow-up reports and debrief meetings.
--Designed in-depth instruction manual of techniques and problem-solving strategies.
Have worked at 2 other hospital systems as professional chaplain; Owned 2 other successful businesses, as well as Exec. Director of nonprofit org.
Education
Unity Worldwide Ministries and Seminary
Licensed & Ordained Unity Minister, Masters of Divinity Degree eqv. 2005
Above academic study: Created ‘Chaplain to the [Student] Chaplains’ program; Guest Speaker; Meditation Leader; Met w/ sem. faculty, hospice and hospital CPO supervisors to promote peers as they completed CPO requirements (1 yr.); Created and launched several fundraising events benefitting UI Ministerial Student Assoc.; Conducted individualized counseling appts 19 students for debriefs; Reconstructed existing CPO hospice program in order to meet improved academic guidelines/goals. Created & conducted weekend retreat entitled, "The 3 D's: Dare to Deepen & Dream."
Clinical Pastoral Education (completed 5 units), Carondelet Health System
1996–1998
Above expected duties: Designed and taught numerous stress reduction classes for adults and children; reflexology; resistance to journaling in Wellness Dept. at St. Joseph Health Center, Kansas City, MO. Worked with multiple departments introducing Complementary Healing Modalities; S.T.A.R. award recipient in Carondelet Health System; Recipient of full scholarship for Therapeutic Touch Certification in Canada with TT founders Delores Kreiger and Dora Kuntz; Therapeutic Touch Certification/Healing Touch Practitioner--Level 4; Random Acts of Kindness State Award Recipient for KS & MO.- 2 yrs.
Conducted weddings, funerals, baptisms as result of developed relationships @ work; televised sermons throughout hospital system; conducted prayer via hospital system intercom during weekly On Call shifts.
Introduced Randon Acts of Kindness throughout entire Carondelet Health System citywide. Brought together 65 massage therapists to work on all medical staff.
Assigned to educate spiritual awareness for Kidney Dialysis and Med-Surg. Units.
Bachelors of Liberal Arts
Double concentration in Women's Healthcare & Crisis Intervention Counseling and Minor in Art
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 1975– 1979
Additional Activities: Rape Crisis HotLine Advocate (2 years) and Domestic Abuse Hotline; Teaching Assist. for Masters Level Course; Delta Gamma Sorority (2 yrs).
