How I got into this field of work.
Having grown up on Long Island and northern New Jersey, I moved to Michigan in 1966 to attend Hope College. My father was "Pastor Atwood" and my Mom took care of the whole family. I was the oldest of four children. It was a great start in life. We were surrounded by a wonderful community who supported us through the big ups, and the big downs of life.
I met Jan during my Junior year at Hope, and we married in 1970 upon my graduation. We were so young! She had two more years of college to complete, while I attended Western Theological Seminary the first three years of our marriage.
In the spring of 1973, I had taken a ten-week, full-time program in Clinical Pastoral Education at Pine Rest Christian Hospital. What I had just learned about caring for people, I brought into my first year of ministry after my ordination as a Minister in the Reformed Church in America. Upon my graduation and ordination, we went to what is referred to as a "new church start" in Laguna Hills, California. In hindsight, it was an entrepreneurial effort that gave me the opportunity to be their Minister of Congregational Care. For many reasons, few of which were under my control at all, that first job out of the Seminary came to an abrupt end after a year. Today, I yet count it as one of the most important and defining years of my life.
Jan and I returned to West Michigan. She worked in banking, and I was given the opportunity to co-found what was then The Marriage and Family Center, a nonprofit counseling center affiliated with Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. I seized the opportunity, enrolled in Calvin Theological Seminary so that I could earn a degree that would allow me to get on a track toward becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. After that second master's degree, and after the required five-year apprenticeship, I was licensed in Michigan in 1980. During those five years, I continued my education and training, earning my Doctor of Ministry degree from Western Theological Seminary. That program was self-designed, and perfect for my entrepreneurial inclinations. During the program, the focus of my education and training was on the then emerging profession of Marriage and Family Therapy.
In 1980, I finished my third graduate degree and became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Master Social Worker. I also became a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. You should note that I gave up my Social Worker license in 2007, and my license as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 2023. Today, I continue on as I began, as a Pastoral Counselor.
The Marriage and Family Center became The Fountain Hill Center for Counseling and Consultation. I was the Center's Executive Coordinator until I did a succession plan on myself in 2007. After 33 years, the building was paid for, there was an endowment fund to maintain it, a dozen competent therapists were actively working there, leadership had emerged... and it was time for me to move on.
I teamed up with Dr. Greg Kuhn for a couple of years. He and I formed a business partnership and we worked diligently together until Greg had a massive heart attack in 2007. That sad event became truly transformational. Time stopped and I took a long walk into solitude.
With Greg gone, I rattled around for a year and a half in the huge office we had leased together. In 2009, a blessing happened. The Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in America decided to ban the practice of Reiki from all Catholic institutions in the U.S.A. Jan, who had also earned a Masters in Management, was providing Reiki at the Dominican Center at Marywood. She decided to leave there and to come on over to my big half-empty office. I like to say that after almost 40 years of marriage, I finally talked her into moving in with me! It was just wonderful to share our office condo together for 12 years. Our paths crossed most days as we each came and went, doing our own thing, a part of each other, and apart from each other.
Let me back up a bit. In 1988, Governor Blanchard appointed me to a term on the State Licensing Board for Marriage and Family Therapy. Governor Engler then appointed me to two more terms. During those nine years on the Board, we re-wrote the law governing our profession, and watched over the growth of Marriage and Family Therapy in Michigan.
In 1995 a very important event happened to me. I was introduced to Ken Wilbers "big book," Sex, Ecology, Spirituality. That began my love affair with the Integral Theory and its practice. I have been a student and practitioner of Integral Theory ever since and much of my work is organized around the framework it provides for understanding and working with everything. Everything. It is much easier to navigate through life with a map than without, and Integral Theory is the map of all maps. You can learn more about this elsewhere on my website.
In 1995, I began working with family owned businesses in West Michigan. Low and behold, the skills that I had acquired as a Marriage and Family Therapist applied directly to the ways people got along at work. I read a ton, learned a great deal, and over the years have worked with more than 50 businesses from mom and pop start ups, to co-preneurial businesses, to a couple of over 400 million in revenue. I've succeeded and failed along the way, and learned much. I yet love working with leaders.
In 2019, I placed an intention to cut back my work load. My 4-4-40 plan targeted 4 hours a day, 4 days a week, 40 weeks a year. That goal was eased into place when Covid arrived in 2020. A lot of how both Jan and I worked changed as we went virtual! In 2021 we sold our office condo, and made a deal with the Fountain Hill Center to rent space as needed. Today, my goal is 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, and I'm still shooting for 40 weeks a year.
Prior to Covid, I began to write a little book of big ideas, and self-published it in 2020 - LOVING MOTHER EARTH: Integrating Environmentalism and Spirituality. It is available on Amazon. I also began writing on Medium where my followers keep growing in number.
75,000 or so.
That's how many hours I estimate that I have worked face-to-face with individuals, couples, families, and business leaders. I've spent a lot of time with many people in all sorts of life situations. Such a blessing. In the beginning, I was "book smart and street stupid." Over the years, and after studying and learning constantly, after experiencing the struggles of thousands of people, and after growing in my own personal life and marriage, I believe I have gained a deep appreciation for how challenging it is to be in a relationship over time, both at home and at work.
There is more to my story and much of it is very important to me, but held close to my soul.
My personal mission is to explore, map, and guide people to the Kin-dom of God.
My professional mission is to help people, at home and at work, to get along and get ahead.
And before I wrap this up, I have to mention that our daughter is married, with two boys and a girl, and living in Des Plaines, IL. Our son is married, with two boys and living in Caledonia, MI. As any of you know, when you get to this stage of life, it is easy to take great joy in being grandparents.
Socrates said that "Wisdom begins in wonder."
My life continues to be wonder-full. And I am so very grateful for all the blessings.
"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns: I am thankful that thorns have roses."
I couldn't agree more.
Having grown up on Long Island and northern New Jersey, I moved to Michigan in 1966 to attend Hope College. My father was "Pastor Atwood" and my Mom took care of the whole family. I was the oldest of four children. It was a great start in life. We were surrounded by a wonderful community who supported us through the big ups, and the big downs of life.
I met Jan during my Junior year at Hope, and we married in 1970 upon my graduation. We were so young! She had two more years of college to complete, while I attended Western Theological Seminary the first three years of our marriage.
In the spring of 1973, I had taken a ten-week, full-time program in Clinical Pastoral Education at Pine Rest Christian Hospital. What I had just learned about caring for people, I brought into my first year of ministry after my ordination as a Minister in the Reformed Church in America. Upon my graduation and ordination, we went to what is referred to as a "new church start" in Laguna Hills, California. In hindsight, it was an entrepreneurial effort that gave me the opportunity to be their Minister of Congregational Care. For many reasons, few of which were under my control at all, that first job out of the Seminary came to an abrupt end after a year. Today, I yet count it as one of the most important and defining years of my life.
Jan and I returned to West Michigan. She worked in banking, and I was given the opportunity to co-found what was then The Marriage and Family Center, a nonprofit counseling center affiliated with Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. I seized the opportunity, enrolled in Calvin Theological Seminary so that I could earn a degree that would allow me to get on a track toward becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. After that second master's degree, and after the required five-year apprenticeship, I was licensed in Michigan in 1980. During those five years, I continued my education and training, earning my Doctor of Ministry degree from Western Theological Seminary. That program was self-designed, and perfect for my entrepreneurial inclinations. During the program, the focus of my education and training was on the then emerging profession of Marriage and Family Therapy.
In 1980, I finished my third graduate degree and became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Master Social Worker. I also became a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. You should note that I gave up my Social Worker license in 2007, and my license as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 2023. Today, I continue on as I began, as a Pastoral Counselor.
The Marriage and Family Center became The Fountain Hill Center for Counseling and Consultation. I was the Center's Executive Coordinator until I did a succession plan on myself in 2007. After 33 years, the building was paid for, there was an endowment fund to maintain it, a dozen competent therapists were actively working there, leadership had emerged... and it was time for me to move on.
I teamed up with Dr. Greg Kuhn for a couple of years. He and I formed a business partnership and we worked diligently together until Greg had a massive heart attack in 2007. That sad event became truly transformational. Time stopped and I took a long walk into solitude.
With Greg gone, I rattled around for a year and a half in the huge office we had leased together. In 2009, a blessing happened. The Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in America decided to ban the practice of Reiki from all Catholic institutions in the U.S.A. Jan, who had also earned a Masters in Management, was providing Reiki at the Dominican Center at Marywood. She decided to leave there and to come on over to my big half-empty office. I like to say that after almost 40 years of marriage, I finally talked her into moving in with me! It was just wonderful to share our office condo together for 12 years. Our paths crossed most days as we each came and went, doing our own thing, a part of each other, and apart from each other.
Let me back up a bit. In 1988, Governor Blanchard appointed me to a term on the State Licensing Board for Marriage and Family Therapy. Governor Engler then appointed me to two more terms. During those nine years on the Board, we re-wrote the law governing our profession, and watched over the growth of Marriage and Family Therapy in Michigan.
In 1995 a very important event happened to me. I was introduced to Ken Wilbers "big book," Sex, Ecology, Spirituality. That began my love affair with the Integral Theory and its practice. I have been a student and practitioner of Integral Theory ever since and much of my work is organized around the framework it provides for understanding and working with everything. Everything. It is much easier to navigate through life with a map than without, and Integral Theory is the map of all maps. You can learn more about this elsewhere on my website.
In 1995, I began working with family owned businesses in West Michigan. Low and behold, the skills that I had acquired as a Marriage and Family Therapist applied directly to the ways people got along at work. I read a ton, learned a great deal, and over the years have worked with more than 50 businesses from mom and pop start ups, to co-preneurial businesses, to a couple of over 400 million in revenue. I've succeeded and failed along the way, and learned much. I yet love working with leaders.
In 2019, I placed an intention to cut back my work load. My 4-4-40 plan targeted 4 hours a day, 4 days a week, 40 weeks a year. That goal was eased into place when Covid arrived in 2020. A lot of how both Jan and I worked changed as we went virtual! In 2021 we sold our office condo, and made a deal with the Fountain Hill Center to rent space as needed. Today, my goal is 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, and I'm still shooting for 40 weeks a year.
Prior to Covid, I began to write a little book of big ideas, and self-published it in 2020 - LOVING MOTHER EARTH: Integrating Environmentalism and Spirituality. It is available on Amazon. I also began writing on Medium where my followers keep growing in number.
75,000 or so.
That's how many hours I estimate that I have worked face-to-face with individuals, couples, families, and business leaders. I've spent a lot of time with many people in all sorts of life situations. Such a blessing. In the beginning, I was "book smart and street stupid." Over the years, and after studying and learning constantly, after experiencing the struggles of thousands of people, and after growing in my own personal life and marriage, I believe I have gained a deep appreciation for how challenging it is to be in a relationship over time, both at home and at work.
There is more to my story and much of it is very important to me, but held close to my soul.
My personal mission is to explore, map, and guide people to the Kin-dom of God.
My professional mission is to help people, at home and at work, to get along and get ahead.
And before I wrap this up, I have to mention that our daughter is married, with two boys and a girl, and living in Des Plaines, IL. Our son is married, with two boys and living in Caledonia, MI. As any of you know, when you get to this stage of life, it is easy to take great joy in being grandparents.
Socrates said that "Wisdom begins in wonder."
My life continues to be wonder-full. And I am so very grateful for all the blessings.
"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns: I am thankful that thorns have roses."
I couldn't agree more.