News

On April 2nd, Vital Sources hosted its first live webinar entitled “Pause to be Present: Soul Care in a Time of Crisis”. Over 100 people registered for this event. If you were not able to register or if you were not able to join us live, you can still watch it by going to our YouTube channel or by clicking on this link: https://youtu.be/wtoJH8RZJG0.

If you would like to go deeper into the topics discussed on this webinar, sign up for the four-part series presented by staff therapist Peter Wolff, LGPC. To sign up click on this link: https://pausetobepresent.eventbrite.com/

The cost is only $25 for access to all four webinars. Webinars will be live every Thursday night at 8:00pm EST through April. Even if you’re not able to join us live, you can still register and a link to the recordings will be sent to you. We would love for this resource to be available to all men and women working in healthcare and who are daily on the front lines of this pandemic. So, if you work in healthcare, email us at [email protected] with a picture of your ID badge for free access.

Telehealth Services Now Available!

Though Vital Sources’ physical office is currently closed, our therapists are now able to provide telehealth services to clients! Many insurances are now covering video therapy sessions, so this is a great way to receive support from the comfort of your home. If you, or someone you know, are interested in exploring the options for video sessions, please call in to our office at (301) 620-8700 and follow the prompts to leave a message as a first time caller. Our intake coordinator will follow up with you to help connect you with an available therapist. 

Pause to be Present: Soul Care in a Time of Crisis

Staff therapist Peter Wolff, LGPC, will be offering a free, live webinar on April 2nd at 8:00pm EST. This webinar is meant to equip our community with practical and experiential tools to enable participants to remain connected to God, themselves, and others during this time of heightened anxiety, fear, and trauma. Soul care – tending to our relationship with God and our souls – is vitally important during a time when our minds are filled with fears, our hearts are heavy with grief, and our attention is demanded by the latest headlines. We invite you to join us, to pause, and be present. Click the link to sign up. You’ll receive a confirmation email within 48 hours. 

Even if you can’t join us live, click the link to register and you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to access a recording of the webinar. 

https://us04web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hwXPsv45SHmYI9ob7f4JSw

Laura Williams, LGPC, is our newest counselor who is accepting clients this month. You can read more about Laura’s training and experience in her bio under our Staff page.

Please call our Intake Coordinator at (301) 620-8700 for more information about scheduling an appointment with Laura.

Please take a moment to read the announcement for our upcoming Clinical Psychology Externship and Counseling Internship (August 2020 -June 2021), by clicking the link below.

2020 – 2021 Extern intern announcement.docx

Introducing Our 2019-2020 Interns

In follow up to our recent post describing the intern program at Vital Sources, which allows us to offer quality therapy services at a lower rate to those who qualify, we’d like to introduce you to our three newest interns:

Fr. Bryan Duggan

It is so easy today to become lost… to feel overwhelmed… to feel alone. If you are going through a season of suffering, indecision, or confusion, it is helpful to have someone to talk to who is non-judgmental, accepting and encouraging. Having an objective listener to come alongside you in your struggle can reduce the painful feeling of being alone and stuck in your difficulties. My focus is to help you find your way forward to become more authentically and confidently yourself in the midst of your life’s circumstances.

Fr. Bryan comes to Vital Sources with 3 years of clinical experience and is qualified by an undergraduate and graduate degrees in Philosophy and Theology from the Seminary of Christ the King in Canada, and is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology at Divine Mercy University in Virginia. He is passionate about meeting people where they are and accompanying them through suffering towards freedom and wholeness. You will find him to be compassionate, warm and insightful. He has worked in a variety of settings with men and women in individual, couples and group modalities. Fr. Bryan has a background working with seminarians and young adults discerning religious life and marriage and has a particular interest in working with this age group at times of transition and discernment. Additionally, he is conducting ongoing research and training in integrating the knowledge and skills of psychology with the spiritual aspect of our lives.

During the course of his graduate studies Fr. Bryan has lived and worked in the Northern Virginia region but is originally from the Pacific Northwest. He loves the outdoors and enjoys retreating to nature to be restored in soul and body. He enjoys classical literature and appreciates those authors with insight into humanity who present psychologically rich dimensions in their literary characters.

Sabrina Hernandez

Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and new progress. -Charles Kettering

Life can feel challenging, lonely, confusing and overwhelming at times. Yet, seeking help for a personal problem can be difficult. If you are struggling you can create the opportunity to feel better. My goal is to create a safe space where healing can begin. Through the gift of therapy, I aim to encourage and empower you to enjoy life and your full potential in the hopes of leading you to greater personal discovery of inner resources and perspectives that will lead to contentedness and healthier relationships. I invite you to allow me to help you build awareness, compassion, understanding, respect, empathy, and acceptance toward yourself and others.

Sabrina is in her final year and second clinical placement experience of the Hood College clinical mental health counseling graduate program. Previous clinical experience providing psychotherapy to a diverse clientele of individuals has included working with those experiencing anxiety, depression, intense family conflict, and life transitions, as well as facilitating a women’s support group. Practicing from a person-centered theoretical framework, Sabrina aims to help her clients discover their ability to function at their best– in life and in relationships through warmth, compassion, encouragement, and collaboration. Sabrina is passionate about helping individuals identify the source of their struggles and make life-changing choices. She also has a special interest in helping clients have more loving and connected families by cultivating fulfilling relationships and intimacy. Her work with couples addresses concerns of general relationship issues, communication problems, and moving past affairs and infidelity. Major life transitions including marriage, adjusting to parenthood and co-parenting after divorce or separation are areas of focus in her family work.

Originally from New York, Sabrina moved to Washington, DC to attend Howard University where she obtained her bachelor of arts degree in interior design. After working in the design field, Sabrina changed her focus and began working with children. Soon after getting married, Sabrina and her husband moved to Frederick where they started their family. Sabrina, her husband and their two sons have called Frederick home for the last 7 years. Sabrina enjoyed her role as a stay-at-home mother before enrolling in graduate school to pursue her Master’s degree in counseling, feeling called to the work of helping others improve their lives and relationships. Sabrina enjoys reading, crafting, cooking, baking, traveling and spending time with family and friends. Sabrina intends to pursue licensure as a marriage and family therapist.

Jennifer Lanuzga

Having worked with persons of all ages in my clinical work, I have come to appreciate the uniqueness of each individual within the context of a specific lived history. Despite individual differences, however, to be human is to long for relationship, wholeness, and integration, to be free, and to be loved. As a psychotherapist, I feel it a privilege to walk with one who suffers towards this wholeness, hope, and healing. I have also witnessed the power of the therapeutic relationship in this journey, which in and of itself can be healing. It is my hope that those I encounter professionally experience this in our work together.

As a fourth-year doctoral student in the Psy.D. Program at The Institute for the Psychological Sciences (Divine Mercy University) in Sterling, Virginia, Jennifer enjoys continuing work as an intern while completing her academic studies in clinical psychology this year. She graduated with her Masters in Clinical Psychology in May of 2019 and is working to complete her dissertation this year. Jennifer is open to working with people of all ages and with a variety of mental health issues. Her specific training and professional development interests include focusing on relationships and interpersonal styles, working with clients to heal from trauma, Child-Centered Play Therapy, Relationship Enhancement Therapy (couples & dyads), family therapy, integrating spirituality and faith in treatment, and examining the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Jennifer has also been trained in cognitive and personality assessment, which she continues at Vital Sources Psychological Services.

Jennifer currently lives in Frederick, Maryland, where she finds enjoyment in the natural beauty of her surroundings and the faith community she has joined. She is originally from Tampa, Florida but grew up both stateside and overseas in a military family. Jennifer attributes her love for cultures and languages in part to her international upbringing. For several years in the past, she was privileged to serve in communities across the United States and in Cuba as a teacher, catechist, and missionary. Jennifer also finds joy in music, artistic creation, nature, and gardening.

We welcome Fr. Bryan, Sabrina, and Jennifer into the Vital Sources community. To inquire about current openings, please call us at 301-620-8700 and ask to speak with the Intake Coordinator.

Vital Sources is a teaching practice that started accepting interns in 2007, supporting 20 students over the past 12 years. Our mission statement highlights our values of equipping others to excel in the fields of psychology and counseling, as well as, to serve those in need. It is our desire to share our knowledge and skills with the next generation, helping Christian students integrate the science of psychology with their faith experiences, while simultaneously offering the community affordable mental health services. This August, three more interns will begin their journey with us.

The intern program is essential to our practice as it serves those who struggle to afford therapy in our community. At significantly reduced financial cost, many have found great help and support through our skilled interns. Licensed clinicians within our practice give of their time and expertise to supervise interested interns in this practice model.

Vital Sources is now accepting clients who can be seen by our newest interns:

Fr. Bryan Duggan from IPS/Divine Mercy University

Sabrina Hernandez from Hood College

Jennifer Lanuzga from IPS/Divine Mercy University

To inquire about current openings, please call us at 301-620-8700 and ask to speak with the Intake Coordinator.

Peter Wolff, MS, LGPC, is a nationally certified counselor who is accepting new clients this month. He is a former history teacher and college administrator with experience working with a variety of clients from diverse walks of life. He has experience working with individuals suffering from anxiety, depression, identify formation, sexual addiction, and relational trauma. Along with an advanced degree in spiritual formation and leadership, Peter also has a certificate in spiritual direction and has experience with and is available to speak or lead group retreats on various topics, including Sabbath, emotionally healthy life rhythms, and sustainable leadership.

Please call our Intake Coordinator at (301) 620-8700 for more information about scheduling an appointment with Peter.

We’re excited to announce that Vital Sources has a new therapist on staff!

Thomas Jarrett, LCSW-C, Diplomat, is currently accepting new clients. He is a former NYC psychiatric social worker and retired military officer, with broad experience working with individuals, couples, and families dealing with a variety of high-stress issues and diagnoses. Thomas is a doctoral fellow in cognitive behavioral and rational emotive therapy, specializing in personal resiliency, thriving, and post traumatic growth. He is available to teen clients, ages 13 and up, and adults, including marriage therapy, across the lifespan.

Please call our Intake Coordinator at (301) 620-8700 for more information about scheduling an appointment with Thomas.

VITAL SOURCES: A TEACHING PRACTICE SERVING THE FREDERICK COMMUNITY

Vital Sources is a teaching practice that started accepting interns in 2007, supporting 18 students over the past 11 years. Licensed clinicians within our practice give of their time and expertise to supervise interns who come from a variety of psychology and counseling programs at both the master’s and doctoral levels. This fall, two more interns will begin their experience.

The intern program is essential to our practice as they serve the marginalized – those who otherwise could not afford therapy. For a reasonable charge, many have found great help and support through our interns. Our mission statement highlights our value of equipping others to excel in the field of psychology and counseling. It is our desire to share our knowledge and skills with the next generation, helping Christian students integrate the science of psychology with faith.

Back in 2010, I was accepted as Vital Sources’ 2nd intern. (Many thanks to Mary-Eileen Hahn who pursued Vital Sources as a new clinical site for counseling students in 2007.) I was a pastoral counseling student from Loyola University in Baltimore. I had been keeping an eye on Vital Sources throughout my master’s program, hoping that this would be the place to accept me for my 2nd year of clinical experience. Having looked at their website (several times), I found myself drawn to their vision and mission. It fit my own personal and faith-based values. To practice my new counseling skills within the secure environment of caring, Christian professionals was an excellent addition to my experience.

During my 10-month internship, I had the great honor of serving clients who otherwise could not afford therapy. The marginalized, the poor, the uninsured found their way to my door. It was my deep privilege to help the “least, lost and lowly” during their time of great need. I could feel no greater purpose than to be a conduit of God’s mercy and help during times of great pain and suffering. With the help of my supervisor, Margie Brubaker, LCPC, I grew into a more competent clinician as she guided me through complex and difficult cases. Even though I was new in my skills, I felt like my clients received an excellence of care as a seasoned clinician was behind me throughout my internship. I also give thanks for Jeeyoung Ahn, PsyD. a child psychologist, who also supervised me in my work with children, youth, and families.

After my experience at Vital Sources, it was with great joy that I joined the staff as a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor. The practice continued supporting me in my efforts to reach full licensure as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Now into my 8th year with Vital Sources, I find myself guiding and helping interns as Vital Sources’ Internship Coordinator. It is with great joy that I embrace this leadership role, helping students along the road to fulfilling their call to this sacred work.

Pamela Richardson Shepp, LCPC and Internship Coordinator

Vital Sources is accepting clients who can be seen by our newest interns: Victor Lohmann, III from IPS/ Divine Mercy and Samuel Lee from Loyola University. To inquire about current openings, please call us at 301-620-8700 and ask to speak with the Intake Coordinator.