What brought you to 天美视频?

Back in 1999, I went to a . I can remember sitting in this living room with nine other terrified women and I can remember talking about the story of the prodigal son. Hearing this story about this God who would defy cultural norms, lift up his gown, who would bear shame in order to pursue me鈥擨 just couldn’t imagine there could be a God so good. I was a new Christian at that time and so during that Recovery Week, there was some talk about this school Dan was building. It seemed like an impossibility for me because I didn鈥檛 finish my bachelor鈥檚 degree and we lived in Washington DC and we had four sons. But in 2003, I went back to school and completed a degree with a focus on resilience and at the same time, I applied to become a non-matriculated student at 天美视频 (which was then Mars Hill Graduate School). In 2007, I had completed my undergrad and by then had gotten accepted at MHGS as a student. We sold the family homestead in Washington DC, bought an RV, traveled across the country, and entered the school.

When you came to 天美视频, why did you decide to go through both the Master of Arts in Christian Studies and Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology programs?

Because I came in as a non-matriculated student, I had already taken some theology classes. So I already had some credit hours when I was coming in and I knew yes, I鈥檓 interested in the mind and in psychology, but I鈥檓 fervent with faith. Faith is a big thing for me. I didn鈥檛 become a believer until I was 37. I鈥檇 had a smattering of church experiences as a kid: Catholic, synagogue, unitarianism, and the Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church. I really had no clue. I knew the name 鈥楪od,鈥� but didn鈥檛 have any other awareness until I became a believer So, coming into the school I still had that hunger. I wanted to know more.

What did you hope you would be able to do following graduation?

Throughout the program, I felt I was growing. I really couldn鈥檛 understand or grasp what was after. It was almost like coming to MHGS was a dream come true. So, I couldn鈥檛 really make the shift to after. Where I started was square one of moving towards licensure. Did I have in mind to have a practice of my own, which I did for a short time, did I have anywhere in my mind working with women who were recovering from sexual trafficking? No. I don鈥檛 want it to sound cliche but it was a lot of prayer and staying connected to mentors and professors who had really impacted my life.

Tell us about the context where you serve now.

My main role is at The Well House where I am Director of Trauma Therapy and most recently a director of a trauma center we just created. The women come in or are recovered from referrals, from homeland security, local law enforcement, the streets, some are referred from other programs in the country, and some have come outside of the country. There鈥檚 no cookie-cutter way or here鈥檚 how you do this. I sit I listen to stories like Criminal Minds and Law & Order SVU鈥攖hey鈥檝e survived torture, not just trauma.

The work is really attuning with the women when they come in. When they come in they are highly traumatized and don鈥檛 trust anyone. Things like attunement, affect regulation, slowing down our words, our movements, explaining what we鈥檙e doing. The trauma center can hold two residents right now and I don鈥檛 believe there is another residential program in the country that has this high level of care for when they first arrive.

The most amazing thing we鈥檙e beginning to see is they鈥檙e staying longer. The women are terrified, so getting them to stay in one place 鈥攊t鈥檚 a hurdle to try and get them to stay. Now we鈥檙e finding that they鈥檙e staying. They can stay in the Trauma Center for two weeks and my vision is to build a foundation for them that helps them get back into their bodies. Help them to feel more stable. It鈥檚 all about choice, all about empowering them so they can see they have a choice. Then they move to an immediate shelter from the trauma center and that鈥檚 where I鈥檓 seeing they鈥檙e wanting to read, they鈥檙e reading Walter Bruggeman, John Elderidge, and . Quite a few of them now have read through the Healing Path and been moved by that. They鈥檙e going back into some of their earlier memories, so it鈥檚 not just what happened with my pimp, but earlier trauma. They鈥檙e able to get there and they鈥檙e not running! For me, for our staff, it鈥檚 like a taste of eternity, getting to sit and watch this transformation happen.

What does flourishing and service to God and neighbor look like in your life?

is not a word I鈥檝e thought a lot about. I鈥檝e used the word thrive, so flourish I think is similar where it鈥檚 not just healing. I think the ladies come in and I tell them you鈥檙e learning how to walk. In my mind, though, walking is not good. My bar is higher鈥擨 want to see them soar. It鈥檚 with these women, and it鈥檚 also with the staff. I鈥檓 working with staff at a nonprofit organization and we鈥檙e doing hard work. There鈥檚 secondary PTSD, burnout, and compassion fatigue. What does that look like to offer some inviting words of kindness and helps them to flourish as well?

Who are the people that support your flourishing, and what practices do you engage that help you flourish?

One of my residents a couple of years ago said to me, 鈥淪o Ms. Corinne, I’ve heard that a lot of therapists have their own therapists. Do you have your own?鈥� And it stopped me. I said, 鈥淯h-huh, I do.鈥� At the time I felt a little awkward, but now I鈥檝e gotten more comfortable to say a good therapist has her own therapist, engages in consultation, and is doing good training and finding places to continue to grow. People that have spoken into my life are and a number of other colleagues I consult with in Seattle.

Before coming to the school, I learned about control, and by God, I was going to be in control and make sure things went ok. That was one part of me. The other part was always living with dread. Getting counseling, good therapy, the Recovery week, and getting to work with Dan helped. Going through 天美视频 stretched me. It was hard work going through this school, but I don鈥檛 regret a moment of it. We鈥檙e doing something different here.

It wasn鈥檛 until I started doing the work with these women that I鈥檝e felt that this is my fit. Often the women will say, 鈥淐orinne why are you doing this work?鈥� My response to them is 鈥淲ell, I have a story too.鈥� I don鈥檛 go any further and they don鈥檛 ask. But these are words that I鈥檝e been thinking a lot about recently: I know what it鈥檚 like to be bought. I experienced that as a kid and as a young 20-something. I do know enough, so I鈥檓 doing this work and it鈥檚 such a fit. This is where I need to be for now. I鈥檓 growing into my sense of who I am. I continue my own therapy. And my faith continues to grow deeper into who this God is. So that prodigal son story, I can share that with the residents. I can pass it on and pay it forward, the gift that I received at that Recovery Week in 1999.

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The post Alumni Spotlight: An Interview with Corinne Vance appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.