Meet Your Traveling Companions: the Members of the Thursday Night Therapy Group

• Ashley, age 19, who was sexually abused by her stepfather from age 9 to 15; her mother displayed deliberate indifference to Ashley’s outcry for help;
• Hunter, age 32, who awoke on the ground in the dark after a rain-wrapped tornado destroyed his mobile home, critically injuring his toddler daughter;
• Felicia, age 34, who, at age 14, was nearly raped by her brother’s friend; twenty years later, she is still haunted by it;
• Ben, age 20, who saw combat horrors in the Middle East and returned home a fundamentally different person;
• Patty, age 47, who lost control of her car; her husband died when they hit a semi-truck;
• Jake, age 30, an EMT who responded to a hate crime / shooting at a local church’s Wednesday night prayer service. The son of a preacher, Jake lost his faith as a result of what he saw.
• Darrell, age 35, who served time in prison for armed robbery. When he was released, he entered therapy to seek solutions for the frequent rages that overtook his decision-making abilities.
• Scott “Dr. Matt” Matthews, age 60-something. He’s conducted a general practice of clinical psychology for 40 years because he likes to build things. As a behavioral psychologist, he collaborates with his clients in building new personal histories that encourage/require healthier behavior and emotional management. The values he tries to let guide his professional endeavors are truth, toughness, tolerance and tenderness. Teaching others in the intimate setting of psychotherapy is sometimes a strain for him because he has never found ways to be consistently patient. It is in that domain that he lets his clients teach him.