(Your private retreat page password was emailed to you when you registered and is also available on the private retreat Facebook page.)

Our God is the greatest healer!

He makes all things new! Isaiah 43:19

Retreat Presenters

Main Session Topics:

Moving from Victim Mindset to Owner Mindset: Leslie Vernick

Build Your Core Strength: Leslie Vernick

Finding Healthy Relationships: Panel with Leslie Vernick, Joy Forrest, Sarah McDugal, Georgia Schaffer, and Porscha Green

Be Brave, Grow Strong: Leslie Vernick

He Makes All Things New: Leslie Vernick

Retreat Breakout Sessions

Breakout Sessions

(In alphabetical order by speaker’s first name)

Allyson Dennen– “Building the Confidence You Need to Master Our Own Money”.  Allyson is a domestic violence survivor and an accredited financial counselor. She will teach you the most important financial moves to make before, during, and after divorce. She will also highlight some of the common pitfalls’ women tend to make with their money. You will leave feeling more confident in your next right steps no matter where you are in your money journey. (Survivor) 

Amanda Smith & Karianne Drury (Children’s’ Ministry Team). “Creating a Refreshing Rhythm in Your Home”.  How do I help my child grow their relationship with Jesus?
Join us as we discuss different attainable ways to create a rhythm with you and your children. We will provide examples and practical tools to help cultivate a faith-filled rhythm. Also, we will make a beautiful leather bracelet and incorporate natural plant oils that are known to be calming and refreshing. An essential oils consultant will share how essential oils can help with calming and healing trauma. (Everyone) 

Dr. Amy Bruton – “The Physical Effects of Abuse: Recognizing the signs and moving towards healing”.  The physical effects of emotional abuse are all too real, yet underrecognized. There is real measurable damage being done to the body as well as to the mind and the soul. Recognizing the physical signs of emotionally destructive relationships is the first step to managing the problems reeking havoc on your body. There are many holistic as well as traditional approaches that are helpful in the healing process. It is key however to focus on the whole person: mind, body and spirit in order to achieve healing. (Survivor) 

Angie Allen – “Soul Care 101”.  Many of us have learned to care for the needs of everyone else while neglecting our own. Some of us feel guilty due to the abuse in our homes and many feel we don’t deserve to take care of ourselves. I want to give you permission to do the things your souls need and longs for. Appropriate for all survivors.  ASL interpretation available. (Survivor/Deaf Community) 

Anthony Clayborne & Team,  Hands On Self-Defense, Description Coming Soon- Sessions A, B, C, D

Dale & Faith Ingraham,  “What Helps: What Hurts”. This workshop looks at what abuse survivors have found to be helpful or hurtful in their healing journey.  Often people respond to abuse victims or survivors in ways that are not helpful.  This workshop will give practical guidance in how to walk along side those that are hurting without adding more pain. (People Helpers) Sessions: B, D

Debbie Hall – “Your New Start – Homebuying 101”. Do you have questions about purchasing a home? How much can I afford? Are there loan programs that offer financial assistance? Am I ready? Let me breakdown and simplify the process for you. I will share the proper steps that are necessary to get you ready to navigate the muddy waters of financing. (Survivor) Sessions A, C

Dr. Debra Wingfield – “Abuser Alert-Red Flags: How to avoid another abusive relationship” Abusers use the four C’s (charming, cunning, conniving, and convincing) to entrap their victim to their web and take them hostage. Learn the red flags to watch out for when abusers spot their next victim to avoid being vulnerable to another abusive relationship. Gain the secrets to spotting a safe partner and building a solid, healthy relationship.  (Survivor) Sessions: A, D

Georgia Shaffer, Life Coach, Author, “Cultivating Emotional Wellness. ” What do you do when emotions, like guilt, shame, anger, sadness or resentment overwhelm you? Do you ignore them, stuff them inside or find ways to numb the pain and emotionally flatline?  Learn healthy ways to express your feelings and prevent those pent-up emotions from damaging your health or your relationships.  Find freedom from destructive guilt, anger and shame.  Learn the differences between the challenges of healthy relationships and the pain of toxic ones.  Replace distorted beliefs about yourself and God.  Boost your strength and energy by experiencing more peace and joy. (Survivors) Session A

Georgia Shaffer, Life Coach, Author, “Rebuilding after Setbacks and Loss: Moving from Reeling to Resilient.” Surviving abuse is a real achievement. But how do you pick up the shattered pieces of your life and begin anew? How do you create a new normal when you are clueless where to begin? Fortunately, you can do more than “go” through this challenging season. You can “grow” and discover that what you thought would destroy you, God will use to transform you.  Reduce your vulnerability to hopelessness.  Reduce your vulnerability to hopeless and helpless feelings.  Heal from past hurts and enhance your ability to begin anew.  Lean how to navigate the obstacles you encounter in rebuilding.  Feel hopeful, instead of fearful and anxious about the future. Session C

Georgia Shaffer, Life Coach, Author,  “Coaching the Coach,” Description Coming Soon (People Helpers) Session D

Katharine Ray & Susie Hornor (Church Domestic Violence Team). – “Building and Implementing a Domestic Abuse Care Team Within the Local Church”. A session that shows step-by-step how Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville, NC took one individual’s dream and made it into a 7-person Domestic Abuse Care Team that is actively dealing with the issue of DA within their local church body. From the initial planning meetings to the finalization of a DA Policy, training of advocates and provision of a Fall/Spring Bible Study Group. This Breakout session will give you a basic understanding and materials to assist you in developing a similar ministry within your church body. (People Helper/Ministry Leader) Sessions A, B

Laurie Magulac, Advocate, Author. “ (Re)discovering Your God-Given Strengths After Abuse”. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. The old English for “fearfully” is wyrd, the precursor to our current word “weird.” Your strengths are what you are best at much of the time, with little effort. Work through small group and individual activities to rediscover who you are gloriously, divinely created to be. Abuse may have delayed or stymied those strengths, but it can never erase them. Let’s get you on track to finding and using your God-given giftings again. (Survivors) Session B

LeAnne Parsons, Vernick Life Coach Team. “Is Your G.A.S. Tank Running On Empty?”. Think of a time in your life when you were going through a period of transition and you weren’t able to stick to the plan you made. Regardless of the outcome, there is an opportunity to understand what created the outcome and detracted from it. When you feel stress, tension, anxiety and a lack of engagement, your confidence is drained and your ability to move from Point A to Point B is impacted. Oftentimes we are not aware of what is really enhancing or detracting from our COR.E Wellbeing. We will take a drive together during this workshop into the World of The COR.E Influencers. Your clarity and self-awareness will increase as we answer these questions together: Is your tank full enough to get you where you want to go? What are you most afraid of? What can we do about that fear? (Survivors) Sessions: B, C

Leslie Vernick – “How people misuse the Bible to keep you afraid, confused, and controlled”.  (Everybody) Session B

Linda Sheimo & Olive Branch International Team. “Military Life, Love, and Mission”. Our ideas of family change when we are in the military and separated by time and distance from our physical families. Learn how to find joy in developing new relationships and be part of organizations that can nurture and encourage you. My “singing sisters” and I will share our journeys based on over 100 years of combined military experience.  (Military/Everyone) Session D

Liz Evans – “The ABC’s of Restorative Movement”.  So many of us live in our heads, playing the same records of self-doubt, filled with jarring notes of stress and anxiety. We are cut off from our bodies and stuck in fight or flight, frozen in chronic tension. Often we are not even aware of the insidious soundtrack of our lives, but our bodies are taking these messages in very deeply. Join Liz Evans of HandsOnBodyworks, to learn strategies to become aware of these stress patterns. Explore how to listen to your body and discover what it can tell you about your emotional health. Move with Liz as you take in these trauma-informed strategies for communicating with and calming the central nervous system with breath work, restorative movement, holistic self-care strategies and deep body awareness. Your body does not have to happen to you, let Liz teach you how to “happen” to your body.   (Survivor) Sessions A, B, C, D

Muriel Gregory – “Come to the Well: Journey of a Military Wife”. Self-care is not selfish. In the presence of a loving God self-care is soul care. Come and learn the unforced rhythms of grace and the healing they bring. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG) (Military/Everyone) Session C

Nancy Knopp – “Spiritual Abuse in the Body of Christ”. Spiritual abuse in the ministry is happening more than we realize. How do we recognize the red flags, know what to do when its happening, and address it in the church. You will hear testimonies of women who overcame spiritual abuse, as well as helping someone overcome this kind of abuse in the church. (Everybody) Sessions: C, D

Rebecca Davis – “Immanuel Approach Prayer Ministry to Help with the Healing of Trauma Wounds”.  Christian psychiatrist Dr. Karl Lehman developed the Immanuel Approach through years of counseling, study of the human brain and mind, practicing EMDR, applying other prayer ministries, and developing an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus Christ. He found, and describes in his book, that even those who haven’t been through many years of formal traditional counseling training can use this prayer ministry model with great success if they love Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit.  Rebecca Davis, author of the Untwisting Scriptures series, tells the story of her own discovery of prayer ministry and explains how Immanuel Approach prayer ministry helps to increase a person’s capacity for joy and capacity to process pain. This ministry can be used even in the most extreme cases of abuse, when a person’s soul has been fragmented into numerous “parts.” The wounds are many, the devices of the enemy are many, and the need for prayer ministers is great. But the prayer ministry process can also be very rewarding, as we see our great Healer, Jesus Christ, bring His beloved children to greater and greater healing, joy, and strength in Him.  (People Helper/Ministry Leader) Session C

Renee Best – “Supporting your child through Trauma”.  What does support look like for a child that has experienced trauma. We will explore the role of the caregiver by providing education on the symptoms of trauma. Understanding trauma symptoms as well as any triggers that may surface as a result of your child’s trauma. In addition, we will provide tools and techniques to increase the efficacy of the caregiver’s role in supporting their child’s trauma. (Everybody) Sessions: A, C

Sarah McDugal – “DISCERN: How to Recognize Abusive Systems”. This overview breakout session will teach you how to understand the one core mindset every abuser shares. How to be aware of the tools used by every abuser, regardless of context. And how to recognize both tangible and intangible forms of abuse. (Everybody) Sessions: A, D

Sharmen Kimbrough, Life Coach, Author. “ Emotional Self-defense Bootcamp”. Self-defense training is all about awareness, preparedness, and action. There are dangerous situations and destructive people we may not be able to avoid, but we can equip ourselves to maintain our grounding, stability, and resilience to take what we’ve got to work with to protect ourselves emotionally in order to live well in whatever space we’re in. This boot camp is designed to give you basic skills to help increase your odds of emotional survival in destructive, abusive, and narcissistic environments. (Survivors) Session C

Sue Parisher, Retired Lt. Col. “How Deception & Lies Hold us Hostage”. Description Coming Soon (Survivors/Military) Session B

Tabitha Westbrook – “Understanding and Managing Difficult Emotions”.  We are created in the image and likeness of God, and that includes our emotions. Sometimes, when we’ve experienced traumatic events, we either learn to discount our emotions completely or we learn to let them run every aspect of our lives. Sometimes we just don’t know what to do when stress hits and we feel overwhelmed. Our brains can feel like a scrambled egg! This session will help you understand your emotions, how to manage them when needed (or as I like to say, “how to deal with your feels”), and how-to de-stress when the going gets rough. Practical skills will be provided as part of this session and you will walk away with additional tools to help settle and renew your mind. (Survivor) Sessions: B, D

Tiffany Lesnik (Lawyer & CTPM Board Member). “Writing an Ironclad Custody Order to Protect Yourself from the Narcissist”.  Are you in the middle of a custody case or about to start one and need tips on what to include in a custody order or what not to include in the custody order so that you and your children are safe? This class is taught by a family law attorney who has practiced in the areas of domestic violence and high conflict custody for over ten years. Learn ways to create language that provides loopholes for you and the children but tightens the grip for your narcissistic co-parent. (Everyone) Sessions: A, C