Christian Psychotherapist is not an Oxymoron (Valerie Good interview)

Valerie Good is a graduate of Tyndale Seminary and a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists. She has been practising in the field of mental health for 20 years. Valerie currently works as a Clinical Supervisor in an accredited community mental health agency.

She and her family live in Bradford, just north of Toronto. Her husband Rob was the founding pastor of Promise Church until recently when he took a staff position at Heartland Community Church in Mississauga.

Rob Good and Promise Church interview:

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/rob-good-and-promise-church

Rob Good And Promise Church

Rob Good is the founding pastor of Promise Church in Bradford, Ontario. They describe themselves as ‘A community united to show God with us, making all things right.’

Pastor Rob has found innovative ways to do community service, empowered the congregation to initiate good things in their city and interactive technology to assist in their discipleship journey.

Bradford is a bedroom community north of Toronto.

Link:

https://promisechurch.ca/

Pastor, Police, PTSD - Cory Kostyra

Cory Kostyra is the pastor of Bradford Community Church and is making great inroads into his small city. Bradford is a bedroom community north of Toronto that is described as the primary country urban area of Bradford, West Gwillimbury, Ontario. This small city overlooks a farming community known as The Holland Marsh, located on the Holland River that flows into Lake Simcoe.

We have never featured a country urban area on the podcast, but apparently that is a thing.

In his other occupation he is part of the Ontario Provincial Police Traffic Support Unit that cleans up after highway accidents. Both highways 400 and 404 are major, multi-lane arteries flowing in and out of the Greater Toronto Area and often dealing with injuries and fatalities along their routes.

Unfortunately, Cory suffers from PTSD and has a story that will help us understand what many in police, EMS and healthcare are facing. So, we want to talk about that, but we also want to hear about some of the open doors in community since Cory entered pastoral ministry.

Links:

Bradford Community Church

https://www.bradfordcommunitychurch.com/

Living with PTSD

https://veterinarian.news/service-dog-refused-entry-into-bradford-restaurant-incident-leads-to-education-around-legislation/