Creating Hope for Tomorrow. What an incredibly simple statement, but as simple as it is to say, it is incredibly difficult to obtain. That is why Logos is here. Almost 20 years ago I started my practice. I used a Professors office and I believe I only saw one client for several years. My hope in my future as a therapist seemed dismal. I had a good job in another field, but my heart longed to help others. But how could I help others when I had not found my own way through the darkness. One day I had an epiphany, thanks to a great supervisor who spoke words of wisdom into my life. She reminded me of my dream to become a therapist, which had been buried underneath bills and a desire to move up the corporate ladder. After another month of prayer and seeking wisdom I decided to step out on a great adventure. I quit my job and opened Logos Counseling Services.
Most people ask about the name. Although I had heard the Greek word Logos many times I had never really understood the full meaning of the word until a preacher at my parents old church spoke on the word. The Greek word Logos can be found in many places, including the Bible. Logos is the Word, or Christ as a part of the trinity. It is also where we get our word reason or logic. My approach to counseling is to help people find help with their emotional pain by using logic and reason as well as their Faith in Christ (assuming they have one). If they do not have a Faith in Christ then it still doesn't negate the truth found in the Word, it is simply presented in a slightly different manner. And no, I don't use logic to "battle" emotion. Instead we use logic to better understand the concept of emotion and how it works. Then we use logic to begin implementing strategies to help drain the excess emotion and find a balance between the gifts of emotion and logic.
Over the years the business has morphed into what it is now, but the original vision stays the same. Our desire as a company is to help create hope for tomorrow. We all use different techniques and methods to accomplish this goal but it's the same vision. We know we can't help everyone, but we try to touch those we can.
Over the years I have found several keys to finding success and I'd like to share them with you.
First, I had to change my definition of success. I had to take it out of the tangible world and place on the intangible. Success can't be about money or fame because then we ride the roller coaster of happiness and depression. Tangible items always come and go. Even many intangible items come and go. Success had to be something internal, a desire to become someone different, someone better. Then I chose to try to take people with me along this road. We all achieve success because we re-defined success in terms that we can achieve. We set achievable goals and learned to celebrate each small victory along the way.
Second, I realized the importance of relationships. Please recognize I didn't use the singular tense there. It's not about a singular human relationship, it's about relationships. These relationships take on different forms as well as different levels of intimacy, but they are all important. Some are seasonal, some are lifelong. Some are intense, some are easy. They are all different. My first ally at Logos were my parents, most especially my Mother. She took on the role of answering phone calls from a cell phone almost 200 miles away from where I practiced. She also learned a brand new skill set by learning how to file insurance claims. To this day she is still the "Voice of Logos". Her voice is the first voice you will hear (if you go to voicemail) at all our Logos locations. Having her on my side gave me the support to keep pushing ahead. She was both a voice of reason and encouragement. It is important to have someone in your corner. Oftentimes we lack those types of relationships that are intimate enough to be the voice of reason AND encouragement. I've been blessed with many of those relationships over the years and I continue to relish all of them.
Third, I stopped "fighting for my rights" and chose instead to fight for others. This fighting still isn't in the form of physical confrontations or harsh debates (although I do enjoy them), instead it's in the form of caring more for others than myself. Although I'm huge on self care, I do believe our society has crossed the line between self care and selfish. We have to work hard to be much less self centered and choose to focus on others around us. This is a daily struggle for me. It's easy to leave my office and not want to hear anything else negative. It's easy to shut people out because of selfishness. I have to constantly remind myself to let others in and to choose to focus on them.
I hope by hearing my heart and both my journey and the journey of my team you will begin to understand the Logos' vision. We will continue to push forward and help people create hope for tomorrow.
