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2017 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 848
Commending the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 3, 2017
Agreed to by the Senate, February 9, 2017

 

WHEREAS, for 50 years, the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, an interfaith, not-for-profit counseling and educational institute, has provided pastoral counseling, support for clergy, and training on pastoral counseling in the Richmond area; and

WHEREAS, established by 12 concerned citizens in Richmond in 1967, the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care (VIPCare) is one of the oldest pastoral counseling centers in the United States and an integral part of the Richmond community; and

WHEREAS, VIPCare has served more than 900 children, teenagers, families, couples, and individuals per year from its locations in Ashland, Charlottesville, Chester, Williamsburg, Roanoke, and two offices in Richmond; and

WHEREAS, VIPCare is served by ministers of various denominations certified by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, most of whom are also licensed as professional counselors and marriage and family therapists and all of whom have a unique sensitivity to the dynamics of behavior and faith; and

WHEREAS, VIPCare believes that a caring relationship is essential to the healing process, and no person is ever turned away based on their inability to pay; the organization also believes that the healing process involves questions of meaning and value as well as symptom relief and focuses on the inherent human need for personal and relational wholeness; and

WHEREAS, VIPCare counselors have made many contributions to the field of pastoral counseling through their research and writing and by serving in significant positions in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors; and

WHEREAS, VIPCare is accredited by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors as a counseling and training center and has received the Distinguished Program Leadership Award as well as many other awards and accolades for its benevolent work; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in 2017; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the organization’s many contributions to physical, mental, and spiritual wellness in the Commonwealth.