2021 Paraklesis INC Annual Report
Paraklesis INC is a 501c3 charitable organization founded in 1990 to provide quality faith based counseling services to all who are ill or suffering. Forest Lakes Counseling, also founded in 1990 as the first legal outreach of Paraklesis and has provided office based counseling for couples and families for over 30 years. In 2010, Peace Ranch became the second legal outreach of Paraklesis offering a new experiential therapy arm to the organization specifically envisioned to help children and families in crisis.
Forest Lakes Counseling Annual Report
The year 2020 necessitated a shift in the way traditional office sessions were held. It became necessary to provide virtual sessions and adjust to the additional factors that could distract and effect the sessions. As the pandemic continued into 2021, some of these oddities became more common, less distracting, and business as usual. Although the challenge and weirdness of virtual meetings has dissipated, the stress on individuals, families and marriages, has remained, and in some ways compounded stress factors such as isolation, forced “togetherness”, and a decrease in social/recreational opportunities.
Families that learned to cope with a clear rhythm in their life of going to school and going to work at predictable times, found that it was no longer very predictable. The structure that helps to bring order to life was interrupted in many ways, and the irritation and stress grew and compounded for many people and families. Families that were just hanging on before, slowly were pushed beyond their ability to cope. Headline this morning (1/13) in the Chicago Tribune: Anxiety and pandemic fatigue are spiking amid latest covid surge
The pressure on the Mental Health providers has therefore increased dramatically. Many counselors are not taking new clients anymore. I inquired of a colleague yesterday if he knew any available therapists to deal with a particular need. His response this morning was, “I am having an extremely hard time finding anyone taking new referrals among the clinicians I know. My referral base is also getting so much smaller...”
Forest Lakes is continuing to take new clients, but at this point those clients need to be booked out 2 or 3 weeks. The problems that people are coming in with are not too different from a couple years ago, but most of the time the reason for coming in includes the stresses of our chaotic culture due to the pandemic, the response to the pandemic, and political polarization.
As I have the last few years I will present an overview of the number of clients Forest Lakes has seen. Here is a description of the different number I will be sharing.
Number of people seen when counted once for each time they come in. This for example would could 2 for a couple who came in for one session.
Number of unique clients. This is the number of different clients that came in for the year regardless of how many times they came in.
Number of therapy hours. 100% of the sessions this year were one hour sessions—so this is the total number of sessions as well. In the past I have seen some people for 1.5 hours and occasionally for a half hour.
Average income per hour session. This is the income for the year from counseling divided by the number of therapy hours.
I am going to include previous years for perspective.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clients Seen | 684 | 488 | 636 | 733 |
| Unique Clients | 86 | 90 | 88 | 85 |
| Therapy Hours | 561 | 411 | 543 | 643 |
| Income per session | 79.28 | 77.21 | 91.14 | 98.90 |
The office situation continues to be adequate, and the location easily accessible—both from a location in the city standpoint and from a handicapped accessibility standpoint.
I do not foresee any big changes in 2022, though if there are unexpected challenges, we will do what we can to shift to meet them.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul Kaschel, LLP, DPhil
Director
“Real change, Enduring change, Happens one step at a time.”
2021 Embracing the Change
In January, at our Annual Meeting we reviewed the History of our organization. Paraklesis Inc. was founded in 1990 to fill a service gap and Forest Lakes Counseling was born to provide quality, faith based counseling services for people in need regardless of their ability to pay. Twenty years later we saw another gap and Peace Ranch was born to provide quality equine assisted mental health services for all in need
regardless of ability to pay. Telling our story highlighted all of the steps on this journey and the incredible change we have experienced as founders, as a board, as an organization, as a community, and as a country.
No one likes change but looking back I can see change has been both necessary and beneficial. From our inception, Peace Ranch has had to remain flexible to meet the needs of various horses and humans, in a constantly evolving field in which we now find ourselves the “experts”. The ability to pivot is built into the fabric of our organization, so together - horses, volunteers, clients, staff – we moved into 2021 with confidence that our Mission is relevant, our Vision is worthy of pursuit, and we are equipped and ready to serve.
“I go to Nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”
Nature’s Healing Power
The head line of a Feb. 2021 Wall Street Journal article read: “For Better Health during the Pandemic, Is Two Hours Outdoors the New 10,000 Steps?” The article goes on to say that “the benefits of nature have been clear to scientists for some time but the pandemic has made the matter more urgent.” Being in nature is “strongly linked to lower blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones, and decreased anxiety, depression, and fatigue." Nature Deficit Disorder - a newer diagnosis especially in children is based on the belief that spending less time outdoors results in a wide range of developmental and behavioral issues. Though it has not yet made its way into mainline psychology, organizations like United Way of NW Michigan have made this growing concern a priority.
Peace Ranch harnesses an evidence based therapy model using an experiential approach in a natural environment. Once again we find ourselves at the leading edge of current thought and mental health practice and are honored to serve.
Facing the Giants
Recent headlines in the Traverse City Record Eagle include:
• Youth in crisis: Children in need of better mental health treatment options. (8/8/21)
• Overdose Deaths on the rise in region mirror statewide, national trend. (8/8/21)
• At Issue: Mental Health Services: Time to close the Michigan’s Access gap (6/28/21)
Addiction, Anxiety, Depression, Grief, and Suicide are just a few of the giants impacting our children, families, communities, and nation. Here at the ranch we are expanding services to meet these needs. Resilience and Leadership for Kids, Parenting Classes, Internships and Trainings for students and professionals.
To increase access to services at Peace Ranch we are partnering with new agencies and have expanded our clinical and equine staff, program support staff and added a new staff member to expand services to support Military and Emergency Workers. How can we face these critical issues? There is only one way- TOGETHER!
Herd Highlights
New Herd Member: Gabriel: 4 year old, Grey/white Mini Pony Rescued from slaughter. Health and handling issues.
Rainbow: Apollo & Cowboy
Apollo came to Peace Ranch November 24, 2020, a Sanctuary referral from Horse North Rescue. A well bred paso/peruvian cross, he had no formal training until his 10th year and in just 4 years had lived in several different homes with a repetitive pattern of failure which involved (in each situation) a mounted blow up on his part which resulted in owner injury. This persisted even after months of rehab at the rescue which is why he came to Peace.
2021 was wonderful for Apollo. After moving from place to place for 4 years and experiencing repeated failure and abuse, he came to Peace and was embraced by both his herd members and our community. Apollo overcame his fear of people and became a favorite with clients and volunteers.
In early April, Apollo showed signs of severe lameness. Upon exam including xrays and bloodtests, it was determined by Dr. Kirk Johnson, DVM (an equine vet specialist) that Apollo had advanced Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis. DSLD is a debilitating disorder limited to suspensory ligaments of Peruvian Pasos, Peruvian Paso crosses which Apollo is. The disease appears to be genetic and frequently leads to persistent, incurable lameness and the need to euthanize affected horses. There were two possible courses of action: injections in the joints, and daily pain management. Both were attempted but neither successful. Apollo was in constant pain. The concensus of Dr. Johnson and our team was that he should be humanely euthanized and laid to rest at Peace Ranch.
The discovery of Apollo’s illness brought new perspective on his past. He was never bad or dangerous, he was in pain. In Sanctuary at Peace Ranch, Apollo overcame his fears. Gently and willingly he connected with people facilitating healing in their lives. Apollo was well loved and we are honored to have been able to provide a year of peace, connection, healing and a final resting place for him.
2021 Service Stats
Session Demographics Pie Chart:
Children & Families in Crisis 62%
Military/Veterans 36%
| Stat | 2020 | 2021 | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therapy & Ed | 895 | 1570 | 75% |
| Internship | 500 | 1000 | 100% |
| # served | 951 | 1773 | 86% |
| Unique | 140 | 300 | 114% |
Therapy & Education Hours: 1570
Internship Specific Hours: 1000
Total Therapy & Education: 2570
Number of People Served: 1773
Number of Unique Clients: 300
2021 Just the Facts
New Partnership: Generations Ahead Grant Funded by DHHS for 2021.
New Staff Positions:
Jan Stump MSW accepted the position of Clinical Director at Peace Ranch.
Retired Sergeant Major Chad Brown accepted the position of Program Director.
New Referral Sources: Increased 100% including NEW contracts/agreements with Centra Wellness, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa Chippewa Indians, expanded MI DHHS Contract, Catholic Human services.
New Parent Resources: The Bottom Up training provided for professionals was expanded to meet the needs of foster parents.
New Trauma training for EAGALA Professionals: Advanced Certified Eagala practitioners have the privilege of offering training for Eagala professionals eligible for continuing education credits. This year we provided part one of a two part trauma focused training which was very well attended.
New Sponsor A Horse Program: Successfully developed and launched early 2021 $46,000
Improved Veterinary Services: This year saw a major upgrade in equine care by changing to Classic Equine. Dr. Kirk Johnson DVM with multiple areas of expertise has enabled us to consolidate veterinary, dental, and trauma hoof care under one skilled team.
Volunteer Stats
Total Volunteer Hours: 2343!!
Horse related: 1721
Facility related: 323
Program related: 299
Honoring Erwin P. Sporte
This year Erwin Sporte moved to his final resting place in Heaven. Mr. Sporte came to Peace Ranch as a volunteer in 2011, he was 89 years old. Erwin was a retired business man whose wife had passed and had no family. He adopted the ranch and we all became family.
Erwin was an inspiration to all he knew. He was upbeat, positive, and really sharp. He was great with kids and old folks and everyone in between. On hot days, or snowy days, Erwin was there helping to do what he could and NEVER complained. Erwin always went above and beyond, And he told EVERYONE about the ranch.
In 2021, in honor of Erwin P. Sporte, we instituted the “Good Sporte” Award, an annual award to be given at our year end gathering of volunteers to recognize the volunteer that most exemplifies the Spirit of Volunteerism demonstrated by Erwin. The first recipient was Angela Argue.
Major Mile Stones
Paraklesis dba Peace Ranch Property Purchase: 10+ acres including house, garage & hay storage, pastures, outdoor arena, round pen, gardens, cabin formerly donated by Peace Ranch Founders. This will significantly expand possibilities for organizational use and development of the entire facility.
Paraklesis dba Forest Lakes & Peace Ranch is operating with a Full senior staff team including:
Executive Director: Jackie Kaschel
Forest Lakes Counseling Director: Paul Kaschel
Peace Ranch Clinical Director: Jan Stump
Peace Ranch Program Director: Chad Brown
Support Staff:
Business Manager: Theresa Galante
Independent Contractors: 1 CPA, 3 Equine Professionals
50+ Core Volunteers plus 140 Volunteers annually as needed
On Deck 2022
New Partnership Pilot: Peace Ranch and Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center will pilot trauma therapy for children who are victims of assault. The pilot has been fully funded by a grant from the Clark Family Foundation
New Resilience Training for Front Line/Emergency Service Workers
Expanded retreat services for veterans and families.
Expanded training for Eagala Professionals.
Expanded summer Leadership & Resilience training for kids.
New Partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters will open the ranch for mentoring.
New Caretaker for Peace Ranch property
Transition of property oversight from Founders to Caretaker
It is important to note that our successes this year, as every year, are the result of hundreds of people giving their time, talent, and resources to make a difference in the life of others. We couldn’t do it without you and, as always, it is an honor to serve with you.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jacquelyn Kaschel, MLITT, EAGALA Advanced
Executive Director