Jennifer's Transformational Story

Kevin Carver, Assistant Regional Director, shares about the transformation and healing of one of his clients at the Massillon office. Client permission was given, and client name was changed.

Jennifer was 46 when she came to Encompass Christian Counseling. She had just been released from jail from an arrest the previous year. Jen had been arrested numerous times over the last decade for prescription drug abuse, but this last time had been different. Prior to being arrested, Jen attempted to purposely overdose and kill herself. Jen shared that her last experience in jail was horrific and traumatizing. She said that the inmates had threatened both physical and sexual violence to her and the guards didn’t aid her in any way. She admitted that she now had an extensive record that included 19 felony charges in 4 different counties. If she couldn’t get it together this time, she was going back to jail for good. Jen sat anxiously on my couch and talked about her history of drug use and how it helped her to survive day to day. While she was able to voice her hope in Jesus, the shame of her past and struggles were written all over her face. Jen had a young daughter that she had already lost to CPS twice and she was afraid of losing her again.  

 Jen shared that while she was in jail she had a literal “come to Jesus” moment where she was crying out to God in the depth of her detox and pain and he answered her. When she was released, she sought out a local church and threw herself into every bible study, activity, and the music department. She would share during sessions how close she felt to Jesus on Sundays, but the rest of the week was scary and excruciating. Jen first sought counseling from the church but eventually was referred to Encompass because it became evident that she had deeper work to be done. She couldn’t make sense of why her faith in Jesus wasn’t providing instant transformation and resolution to all of her problems.  

 During our first sessions I helped Jen to explore her life and began to educate her on trauma. We also attempted to tackle the immediate life problems of employment and caring for her 12-year-old daughter. But, due to her prolific record Jen was unable to work most places. Jen struggled for the next year in therapy to make sense of her life and why she couldn’t overcome her addiction and just be the mom her daughter needed.  

 One week after a particularly hard session of talking about her substance use, Jen returned for her usual 2^nd session of the week different. She seemed very off and somewhat disconnected, so we began to explore what was going on. Jen pensively said, “I believe I may have been sexually abused.” I began helping her talk through this possible revelation and we discussed what that might mean and the hope that treatment could offer. Jen left that day very somber and with more questions than answers. The following week Jen came back panicked. We began a discussion in session that has been ongoing for 6 more years.

Jen spent time over the weekend praying and asking God to shine a light on her life and what she realized terrified her. Jen not only had a history of sexual abuse from previous spouses and lovers, but it extended all the way back into her childhood and earliest memories. She realized that the reason she didn’t have many memories of childhood was due to extensive sexual abuse at the hands of her sister, brother, and possibly father. Weeks later Jen would admit that she had previously been through six different substance use treatment centers/programs and Encompass was the first one that identified that she had trauma. This realization was the beginning of healing for this woman that had spent the first four decades of her life in dark bondage. 

 The road to recovery for Jen has been long and arduous with many twists and turns, successes and setbacks. Jen learned about her symptom of dissociation and how this impacted both her relationships and also the role that dissociating served. During one particular session Jen remained physically present in the room but dissociated for over an hour. It took our office staff, me, and another supervisor to ground her and reestablish a sense of safety. But even after that experience that still occurred frequently, Jen pressed into her trauma and worked tirelessly, sometimes during multiple sessions a week, to talk about and resolve these memories. Through this work she has maintained her sobriety and recovery since 2015.  

 After beginning her trauma processing, Jen realized how much her choices and substance use had impacted her daughter. So, she enrolled her daughter in counseling and took steps to help her find her own healing and for their relationship. I wish I could say that this process was smooth or completely successful. Jen’s daughter would be engaged in counseling off and on over the next 5 years until she turned 18. Rita eventually made a strong enough connection with her counselor to gain insight, but the pain was too deep and hard for her to do her own trauma work. Jen and Rita have worked on their relationship and resolved some of the hurt from Jen’s substance use, but this continues to be a source of triggering for Jen’s daughter as they both continue to work through it all.  

 Over the years Jen has had much success in working through her trauma using interventions such as sand tray, EMDR, TLC trauma processing, TBRI, and formational prayer. Jen has moved through numerous jobs over the years and no longer makes $9 and hour. She can recognize and speak out against sexually inappropriate behaviors of others and is an advocate for other women. During the course of treatment Jen also felt God leading her use her story to show his glorious redemption to others in the throes of addiction. Jen has earned her Chemical Dependency Counselor license; finished her Bachelor’s degree in Mental Health Counseling; and in 2026 she will graduate with her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling. Jen will often speak of the difficulty of her journey and the road and items yet unfinished. She still struggles with anxiety. She still struggles with feeling shame about her failures as a mother. But now she has a deep faith in God and a clear picture of her worth, purpose, and calling to help others. She shared the following when discussing her counseling journey: 

"Counseling at Encompass Christian Counseling has truly changed my life. As a faith-based organization, Encompass is helping me heal from past trauma and build the tools needed to maintain my sobriety, but it has also deepened my relationship with God. Through the guidance and support of my therapist, Kevin Carver, I've learned to lean on my faith in times of struggle and find strength in God's grace. His compassion, insight, and dedication have given me the confidence to move forward, and I am beyond grateful for the impact this journey has had on my life and my faith." 

Jen’s story is only one of many that occur at our Encompass offices each week. Jen was able to experience hope and freedom in our Massillon office. However, due to our current facility’s size, our waiting list can be upwards of 100 people, and people in need are referred to other counties or forced to wait for the mental health services they so desperately require.

Last year, we started an initiative to increase the reach and access of mental health services in Stark County. You can learn more about this initiative at buildinghopecampaign.org. Our hope is for everyone in need of mental health and addiction services to have access and to experience the healing they deserve.