COPPERAS COVE, Texas (FOX 44) – For many, the holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and coming together with family and friends. Yet for some, there is a struggle with depression, stress, and more. A Copperas Cove church wants these people to know they are not alone.
Cadence Church will be hosting its fifth annual Mental Health Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on December 4. Pastor Joe Bernier has invited a trio of local mental health professionals as guests for this service – among them are Jo Anne Harrison, M.Ed., LPC-S, the founder of the Killeen-based Restorative Hope Sanctuary. This is a Christian counseling facility which also uses equine therapy and talk therapy by licensed counselors. This will be Harrison’s fifth time joining Pastor Bernier in a discussion about mental health, and the need to address it – even inside the church.
Along with Harrison, Craig Gardner LMFT, LPC, with Hearts Renewed Counseling of Harker Heights, will be at the service. Gardner is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army and specializes in marriage and family counseling, as well as group counseling.
Completing the lineup of mental health professionals will be Alton McCallum, LPC with Insight Counseling and Training Center, out of Belton. McCallum has been an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor, an Adjunct Professor of Education at Texas A&M-Central Texas.
The three will have a panel type discussion during the church service with Pastor Bernier about mental health to provide encouragement for those struggling with issues – and possibly the stigma – of looking for help. After the service, Bernier says Harrison, Gardner, and McCallum will be available for anyone who has more questions about the kinds of services each of them provide.
The Church is located at 815 E. Business 190, next to Dollar Tree. More information about Cadence Church can be found at www.cadencechurch.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cadencechurchtx.
