YMCA of Middle TN

The Restore Team

Scott Reall, Executive Director/Founder
Rebecca Griffith, Senior Program Director/Counselor
Alissa Anderson, Counseling Area Program Director/Counselor
Lynn P. Spaw, Counseling Area Program Counselor
Ashley Boyd, Counseling Area Program Counselor
Samuel Rainey, Restore Counselor
Christie Thalhimer, Development Director
Charity Mulhern, Area Program Coordinator
Lindsey Campbell, Area Program Coordinator
Susanna Powers, Area Program Coordinator
Meghan Smith, Human Resource Coordinator

Scott Reall, Founder

Scott Reall is an author, recovery coach and teacher. He is founder and executive director of Restore Ministries of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee in Nashville. Scott began his journey with the YMCA over 20 years ago when he became the Senior Wellness Director of the Green Hills YMCA. In this position he found his passion for helping people change their lives by overcoming life controlling issues so they can achieve their full potential in spirit, mind and body. In 2000, he began Restore Ministries. He is now the author of five books in the Journey to Freedom series published by Thomas Nelson. Journey to Freedom is now being used by YMCAs, churches, corporations, and prisons all over the USA and other countries across the world. Journey to Freedom has been translated and published in Russian. It is currently being translated into Spanish. Through Restore Ministries, he has helped close to 10,000 people overcome obstacles of change in their lives truly making Restore a life changing program of the YMCA. You may contact Scott about seminars, audio programs, groups and other resources of life change at:

Restore Ministries
4041 Hillsboro Circle
Nashville, TN 37215

For more on Scott and Journey to Freedom, visit http://www.journeytofreedom.org/.

Bring in Scott to share stories of hope and restoration, as well as how to build a healing community in your city. Contact Meghan at mhsmith@ymcamidtn.org to request Scott to speak at your next event.

Rebecca Griffith, MA, Senior Program Director/Counselor

Rebecca is the full-time Senior Program Director for the Restore Counseling Center. Rebecca is responsible for hiring and supervising Restore therapists, area coordinators and the masters level student interns. Rebecca also manages all tracking and reporting for the Restore program.

Rebecca received her MA in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College and worked as a counselor in private practice for 9 years in Columbia, SC before moving to Nashville in 1998. She is the mother of 4 daughters, ages 9 -19. Rebecca is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and the Association of Play Therapy.

Her approach to therapy is deeply spiritual as she believes our deepest needs are met in relationship to our creator. She uses a Christian 12 step model in both her group and individual work. She also enjoys work with couples, helping them to explore the core needs and vulnerabilities that have led them to a place of pain and conflict and helping them understand how knowing their core value can lead them to a place of healing and restoration in their marriage.

Alissa Anderson, Counseling Area Program Director/Counselor

Restore Ministries is privileged to have Alissa Anderson join the counseling staff team. Alissa brings over fifteen years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and most recently her own private practice. Alissa received her undergraduate degree in Social Work from Belmont University and her masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Trevecca University. She has extensive experience leading small groups, as well as a professional background working in ministry specifically with adolescents.

Alissa often draws on her own personal recovery experiences as well as her role as a wife and mother to offer help and hope to individuals, couples and families.

Alissa is an asset to the Restore team because her passion is to partner with people in the Isaiah 61 way.

Lynn P. Spaw, MSN, APN-BC

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Lynn received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Family Nurse Practitioner & Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practioner degrees from Vanderbilt University.

Lynn is able to diagnose and prescribe medications for conditions such as Depression, Anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, BiPolar Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Eating Disorders and others when appropriate.

Her paradigm for counseling is in accordance to Pia Mellody's (author of "Facing Codependence") model which identifies five Core Issues of our Perfectly Imperfect Human Condition: Self-Esteem, Boundaries, Reality Perception, Dependency and Moderation. Understanding that everyone's childhood was perfectly imperfect, symptoms may emerge later in life around: Relational Esteem, Enmeshment & Avoidance, Dishonesty, Problems with Interdependence, and Intensity Issues respectively.

She is able to evaluate and treat pediatric, adolescent, and adult clients.

 

Ashley Boyd, Restore Counselor

Ashley is a staff counselor at Restore Ministries. She received her B.A. in Communications and Journalism at Baylor University and her M.A. in Biblical Leadership at Phoenix Seminary. After working in the non-profit sector for nearly 10 years, Ashley received her M.Ed. in Human Developmental Counseling from Vanderbilt University.

Ashley has a heart for serving underprivileged populations, as she has worked with adults and children with disabilities, refugees, and the homeless. Her focus in counseling is working with individuals as well as couples facing trauma, addiction, and relationship issues. She has a passion for helping others replace false, negative messages about self with true, more positive beliefs about who they are.  In addition to having a call and passion for counseling, Ashley is passionate about connecting with and enjoying her husband and two sons.

 

Samuel Rainey, Restore Counselor

Samuel is a staff counselor at Restore Ministries. He also maintains a private counseling practice in the Franklin area. He completed his undergraduate degree in Communication from the University of Arkansas. Prior to pursuing his graduate degree, he counseled premarital couples, created and facilitated marriage mentoring groups, and led men through issues of sexual integrity. Samuel graduated with a Masters in Counseling Psychology from Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle, WA.

His focus is on individuals and marriages struggling with depression, abuse, and other relationship issues. Additionally he has led Domestic Violence treatment groups for men as well as Marriage workshops for refugee churches to help strengthen marriages. He is the co-author of "So You Want to be a Teenager", a book focusing on issues that preteens experience as they become a teenager. Samuel is deeply passionate about helping others to find their voice.

Christie Thalhimer, Development Director

Christie serves as the Development Director of Restore Ministries and the Margaret Maddox Family YMCA. She helps run Restore's We Build People campaign and helps plan the annual fundraising events, including Celebration of Hope and The Restore Ministries and Green Hills Family YMCA Golf Tournament. 

Christie received her BA in Sociology and her BFA in Studio Art at Wake Forest University. She has worked for the YMCA of Middle Tennessee since she moved to Nashville in the summer of 2006 from Richmond, Va. She also serves on the board of Recovery Community in East Nashville. 

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