How much does it cost to receive one hour of encouragement? The average cash pay mental health provider in Los Angeles County receives upwards of $250. In Orange County the numbers are similar. Many therapists in private practice quit taking insurance as they can make more money helping those who have the cash to pay. Imagine working for $250 an hour; you could work less and see less clients while still being able to afford an amazing life style. What a great gig! Why don't I do it? Well, let me tell you why...
One night in February 2014 I had a vision. I call it my God moment. I saw people who were starving for help, broken and wounded. So many people were homeless living on the streets needing help and hope and they couldn't find it anywhere. Today, those same images burn in my mind but they are real and not imagined. The passion and purpose of my past burns brighter today than ever.
How much does it cost me to give one hour of encouragement? Well it's not about me...it's about me offering opportunities to therapists in training who need supervised experience so they can get licensed. It's about connecting with organizations who want to help the homeless, the abandoned, the abused, and neglected and together providing healing to the entire person; Mind, Body, and Spirit.
Consider Encouragers as your barista of hope for mental health. Because of organizations like 100 Women Who Care (pictured), The Schultz Family Foundation, along with the United Way of the Inland Empire we have received funds that will allow us to help those who don't have cash on hand but need help desperately.
If you know someone who would like to partner with Encouragers to bring hope and healing to those we serve, please call me. I'd love to serve up a menu of love and encouragement to all who enter.
36 "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."
Matthew 9:36-37 (NIV)
Day 95: Aid