Our paths first crossed about 20 years ago when David was completing his internship requirements for a Master's in Counseling under the direction of T. Albert Davis, MD. Susan, who was also working under the supervision of Dr. Davis, sent David his very first client—a serendipitous beginning to a lasting personal and professional relationship. At that same counseling center, we went on to become the Administrative and Executive Directors before later leaving there to start Rock Springs.

(You can read more about our practices on our website here.)

Our Vision

Since we both attended and graduated from the seminary at Emory University (Candler School of Theology), we deeply value our roots in our training and have remained deeply committed to the value of service.

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When founding the center in 2014, we shared the following common vision as a significant part of our vocation and calling:

1. To serve families and individuals who might benefit from our form of care and counseling, rooted in the belief that we nurture healing through  supportive engagement, thoughtful exploration, and finding connection within themselves and in the world.

2. To create a training ground for new practitioners seeking to build or maintain a practice while continuing to develop both personally and professionally.

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are honored to have served countless individuals and families. Moreover, at least seven new counseling organizations have emerged and blossomed from practitioners who have trained with us!

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About Our Approach to Spirituality and Counseling

At the core of our practice is the belief that everyone has some sense of a larger, transcendent connection to awe along with an awareness of the miracle of this universe in which we find ourselves. We honor this sense of connection in whatever form it takes, nurturing and tending to it as a part of the process for not only deepening our connections to one another, but also healing from the wounds that we all carry with us.

While much of our work often focuses on helping our clients understand and engage with the world in a more meaningful way, we also honor the process of loss and grieving. In fact, we've developed an approach that we call "The Rock Springs Way" which captures the idea of our approach: namely, Rock – a solid foundation integrated with Springs, a sense of flow and openness. This approach emphasizes flexibility between openness and conscientiousness, achieved through the practice of courage, compassion, and curiosity. In our sessions, we share techniques and methods for cultivating these life-affirming qualities.

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Additionally, our practice revolves around five key concepts that we borrowed from the discipline of Positive Psychology, known as PERMA:

• Positive emotions – exploring and cultivating

• Engagement - developing and enhancing

• Relationships – deepening connections to positive relationships

• Meaning – finding and investing; probably the most important!

• Accomplishments – achieving goals and aspirations

Our engagement with Spirituality and Transcendence

Our ecumenical approach welcomes clients from all spiritual backgrounds, as well as those who do not identify with any particular faith tradition. We are committed to helping each of our clients find their own way of encountering transcendence and a sense of awe. While we both "speak church” whenever our clients bring it into our conversations, we both have studied various approaches and practices, especially mindfulness and yoga. In addition, having grown up in a largely Jewish neighborhood, David deeply appreciates working with individuals who identify with Judaism.

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Both David and Susan are members of ACPE, an organization primarily supporting the continuing education of chaplain educators and spiritually integrated practitioners. In fact, David helped create a 30-hour set of continuing education courses for Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapists for ACPE.

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Our Passions: Gardening and Service

As avid gardeners, we often use metaphors from nature when working with clients familiar with it. Susan tended a remarkable rose garden for thirty years and brings her ancestral roots in growing up in a farming community to her conversations. David tends a small, inner-city garden that he makes available for community tours and neighbors.

We also have committed our organization to cultivating a sense of being in touch with nature. For our MLK Day of Service this year, we participated in a Trees Atlanta sponsored event planting trees on the site of a former mental hospital and now county park.

Connect with us!

At Rock Springs Positive Coaching, Caring, and Counseling, we are committed to nurturing growth, fostering resilience, and helping you cultivate a life of purpose and fulfillment. Whether you're coping with grief, depression, anxiety, or ADD, or seeking more meaning, hoping for direction, or re-building a relationship, we are here to offer our knowledge and what we hope has grown into wisdom over our years of practice.

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Our hearts and minds are open! Come see if we can be of help on your journey.