ACC E-Accord Summer 2022

partnerships between qualified
counsellors and churches, who
are so good at creating healing
environments, we can make such
a vision a reality.
PRIVILEGE AND POSSIBILITIES
However ambitious this may
sound, in God’s hands this is
possible, and I have seen it
myself as I have worked to make
it happen in various locations.
Restore Counselling Network is
God’s mission and I have been
both humbled and privileged by
the invitation to partner with God
in his plan.
God knew what was coming
in terms of the pandemic, and
that we would be dealing with
the current difficulties. My
responsibility has been simply to
respond to this call, to trust despite
the challenges of such a mission,
and to keep on knocking, seeking,
and asking. To start to build an ark,
as it were, when there is no sign
of rain, takes resolve. Setting up
Restore Counselling Network was
not too dissimilar.
Now, in 2022, we are better
able to see the urgent need in
the burgeoning mental health
predicament (the rains that have
arrived, so to speak). Many can,
therefore, quite understandably,
feel daunted by the prospect of
setting up a counselling service
in the current climate. There are
so many regulations, pitfalls, and
unknowns.
I want to encourage you,
however, and say that it is
possible. In collaboration with
God and one another, all things
are possible.
COLLABORATION IN
COMMUNITY
This, I believe, is not a time for
doing our own thing, but a time for
working together in ways we never
imagined we could. And so, yes,
together we can plant affordable
counselling services across this
nation and serve God and country
for better mental health and
healing for all.
You may at this point be asking
yourself how or where to begin
setting up such a provision in
your community. Whether you
are a church representative or a
social enterprise leader, a qualified
counsellor, or a trustee, it all starts
with a simple conversation. We
follow this up with an exploration
of context, vision, and call. It is
an unhurried, prayerful journey
guided by a bespoke and
collaborative consultancy process
that I have developed over the
years.
Our model is proven, financially
viable, simple, realistic, and
achievable. We can resource
you with a robust strategy,
the right documentation, and
ongoing support for establishing
a sustainable and professional
practice.
Broadly speaking, there are three
phases involved in setting up a
new counselling agency:
PHASE ONE: PLANNING
Planning your new counselling
service is the most important
aspect of setting up. Having
good foundations in any project
is essential to its success and
long-term sustainability. For us,
this means building with prayer,
the right people, a good business
model, secure funding sources and
professional resources. We work
with church leaders, trustees and
qualified counsellors to ensure the
vision is sustained and kept at the
forefront of the plan, and that the
service you offer your community
is professional.
PHASE TWO: IMPLEMENTATION
Putting your plans into action and
opening your doors to the public
can feel daunting at first. We are
here to support you to do that. Our
model is proven, with a number
of counselling services set up and
running successfully for many
years now. These can be set up
as a separate charity/organisation
or as part of a church’s existing
outreach into their community.
We work ecumenically with any
denomination to enable the work
to be professional and to meet
industry standards.
PHASE THREE: SUPPORT
Keeping the ball rolling takes
energy and motivation, especially
when dealing with initial teething
problems. We offer post-setup
support to ensure that what
you started will keep going and
will keep on producing good
results. We want your service to
be effective and we will be there
for you as you tackle the growth
of your new set-up and help it
to develop its full potential. We
14 accord Summer 2022 www.acc-uk.org • www.pastoralcareuk.org