Welcome to the new and improved website for The Haven Counseling & Therapy, formerly known as Rochelle Kennedy Counseling!
While the therapeutic relationship is certainly my priority in the day-to-day, I have always wanted to provide some small doses of therapeutic insight to those who may be on the first days of self-discovery. I’m not an expert counselor, so please don’t expect to find expert advice here. What I am is on my own journey of self-discovery both as an individual and as a counselor and this blog will serve as a tool for both of us as I flesh out some of what I am learning and some things that I often share with my clients in session. If you choose to become an individual client of mine, you’ll likely hear me speak about the things I write here with some regularity. While this blog will hopefully offer some small therapeutic tools, my hope is that it will successfully introduce people to me as an individual and counselor.
Why The Haven Counseling & Therapy?
No one tells you when you enter private practice that you won’t only be doing counseling anymore – now you’re also a CEO. And no one tells you that, if you fall in love with the private practice world, you’ll want to grow it into even more. Right now, I’m the only person working with The Haven, but my hope is that over the years this will grow into a big counseling community right here in the heart of Middle Tennessee.
As for the name, it’s born out of a passage in Psalm 107 (v1-2a,28-30).
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story…
…Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
The whole psalm speaks to the terrible things the people of the Lord had endured. It talks about the hardships and struggles and the multiple touches from God where he tried to help them. Then it finally gets to verse 28 where they reach the end of their own abilities and cry out to God for help and he rescues them. Eventually the storms of life stop raging and it says that God “guided them to their desired haven”.
Counseling should be just one way that God does this. The storms of life are often too much for us. We all have an end to our own abilities. The word of God never says that he won’t give us more than we can handle. In fact, if there is one thing that seems to be clear throughout scripture, it’s that we will routinely be handed more than we can handle. God’s word simply says that he’ll help us shoulder the burden. Sometimes the people in our lives help us do that. Sometimes they just don’t have the skills. Sometimes they refuse to help us. Either way, counseling is a great tool in those seasons.
So here’s to 2023 and fresh beginnings for us all. While I’m starting this new professional venture and putting words out into the world instead of just to one person at a time sitting across the room, my hope and prayer for you is that if you’re weathering a storm you’ll cry out to the God of the universe for him to lead you to your desired haven. And if I can be of any help to you as you walk that journey, I’d love to help. Who knows, maybe The Haven Counseling & Therapy can be one of the tools you use to get to your own haven.