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SCORE Success Story: Gethsemane Counseling & Coaching Services

Gethsemane Counseling & Coaching Services, Blake Ringenberger

Title / Role: Founder
www.gethsemanecounselingandcoaching.com
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How SCORE helped.

SCORE mentor Jim Frey has been working with his client Blake Ringenberg, founder of Gethsemane Counseling & Coaching Services, since November 2018. Jim and co-mentor Bob Thomas have been delighted to watch this dedicated therapist grow his counseling practice and expand his services. 

Helping to Uncover True Potential

Blake has created a counseling service based on “Experiential Therapy.” Psychology Today describes this as “a therapeutic technique that uses expressive tools and activities, such as role-playing or acting, props, arts and crafts, music, animal care, guided imagery, or various forms of recreation to re-enact and re-experience emotional situations from past and recent relationships.”

“My wife and I are passionate about providing mental health services to clients with all insurance providers- we noticed that, when you have medical assistance in Lancaster County, your options for mental healthcare are limited and many of these clients do not feel they are getting the personalized, creative care they need. We wanted to fill this gap for our community and create a place filled with experiential therapy, nature, and fun things like a treehouse office and hobbit hole office (coming soon). We love not being "just another counseling practice." We also noticed that a lot of men in our community were missing out on opportunities for "man-friendly counseling," which is why we have a pool table, a creek for fishing, and a weight room (though our female clients also enjoy these things!).”
   - Blake Ringenberg, founder of Gethsemane Counseling & Coaching Services

 

 

Guiding A Small Business for Future Growth

In the autumn of 2018, Blake sought the assistance of SCORE Lancaster-Lebanon mentors to support him with particular areas of his business plan. SCORE mentor Jim Frey was assigned as the lead mentor, and he enlisted the co-mentoring assistance of non-profit expert Bob Thomas. Together they worked closely with Blake on the parts of his business that would lead to future growth and the ability to serve clients more efficiently.

“Our main area of concentration was business development. We worked on ways to attract new clients, individuals as well as groups, for his practice. This past fall, Blake negotiated an annual contract with the Donegal School District for a counseling program at the Gethsemane’s facilities. Bob and I also advised Blake on a plan to source talented interns as a way to create opportunities, assist with caseloads, and serve as a source for future staffing.”
- Jim Frey, SCORE volunteer mentor

"Blake has become a much more thoughtful and disciplined business person in the past year - a significant achievement for someone trained to be a therapist.  He has been more attentive to his businesses’ finances and has learned to make decisions after careful thought and analysis. He is a natural entrepreneur with good ideas on how to grow Gethsemane.”
 - Bob Thomas, SCORE volunteer mentor

 

Pivot To Meet The Challenge

Blake Ringenberg, more than anyone, realizes that your business life, like counseling, is an ongoing process. His vision has not dimmed since the arrival of the global pandemic this spring that upended so many lives and small businesses. One of the primary challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic was finding a way to deliver quality mental health support to patients, at a time when there was a critical need while adhering to the requirements of social distancing. Blake quickly made the pivot to Telehealth to overcome the barriers of the crisis.

“Telehealth has allowed us to continue working with our clients providing reliable care while practicing physical distancing. This new tool has made it easier and more convenient for clients to stay healthy and engaged while continuing treatment."
- Blake Ringenberg, founder of Gethsemane Counseling & Coaching Services

Gethsemane Counseling is also providing free telehealth counseling to anyone working in the health care profession during the pandemic.

Achieving Goals With Eyes On The Future

The work of our SCORE mentors continues to help Blake Ringenber achieve his goals for Gethsemane Counseling & Coaching as they plan for the future.

“SCORE, and our mentors, in particular, have been fantastic at reigning us in and helping us to remember to focus on the business side of our practice as well. They have helped us to become more efficient in our bookkeeping, hiring, and paperwork. They have been one of our primary sources of encouragement when facing challenges!”
- Blake Rinkenberg, founder of Gethsemane Counseling & Coaching Services

 

Is A SCORE Mentor Right For Your Small Business?

“Do it! Don't waste another minute, not being signed up with a SCORE mentor. The SCORE team has experts in all areas of business, and we can guarantee that they will truthfully and graciously guide you through all phases and aspects of owning your own business. They are the right people to have in your corner.”
- Blake Rinkenberg, founder of Gethsemane Counseling & Coaching Service

 

 

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115 East King Street
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(717) 397-3092

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