Office Rentals, Trainings, Counseling, & Community Programming can be found below.

About

ABOUT A LIGHT OF HOPE, PLCC

MISSION STATEMENT:

A Light of Hope, ALOH, is committed to breaking the stigma of mental health by providing emotionally safe services in a way that meets the needs of each individual member and community. ALOH’s focus is to be a part of the journey; the member is the expert while the clinician provides the tools for them to optimize their life journey. ALOH staff strive to provide an ear, a voice, a safe space, and the skills for our members to brighten their internal light and over time, share it with others.

ALOH VALUES: IM LEAD

Innovation- ALOH strives to be at the forefront of innovation by tailoring new experiences to meet the needs of its members.
Member focused- sessions & experiences of the center are focused on member needs.
Learner- Staff & Members listen to others with a constant curiosity to learn and/or respect each person's beliefs.
Emotional Safety- Maintain an environment that keeps members and staff emotionally safe.
Accountability- Maintain the highest level of respect to members & staff by promoting accountability & positive change.
Discipline- Staff & members exercise discipline to seek ways to constantly improve their character.

CONTRIBUTING TO THE GREATER GOOD:

A Light of Hope, ALOH, prides itself on aiding its community. We believe that through helping one member, the support and tools we provide are then given back to those outside our doors. Like a rock thrown into a body of water, our actions ripple out to the larger community. ALOH members receive resources that are passed down to their families, peers, and other community members.

Staff

STAFF

Nora Hewson
I am a therapist that works with individuals, couples, families, kiddos, groups and supports. I am licensed as an independent clinical social worker (LICSW). I obtained my BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and my Master of Clinical Social Work with an Area of Emphasis in Military Practicum. I have experience working with military, law enforcement, first responders, those diagnosed with autism, and their families /supports. My area of expertise is in trauma therapy with a focus on person centered care where the patient is the expert and whole health.

My purpose in my work is to walk jointly with my patients and support them along their healing journeys, at whatever pace that is needed. I have a vast array of volunteer and work experience to include: trauma consultant, bilingual therapist, group therapist, crisis phone counselor, natural disaster first responder and crisis worker / NY Medical Reserve Corps, bi-lingual Spanish/English community advocate, reintegration community case manager, International English teacher, homeless shelter case manager, coordinator for transitional shelter, and aid for youth and young adults diagnosed with autism

For me, confidentiality, emotional safety, trust, humility and being a constant learner are the building blocks of healing and mental health recovery. My goal in care is to provide a place where people can feel safe to open up and to one day experience healing that returns their light.

Focus Areas

AREAS OF FOCUS
&
SPECIALTY POPULATIONS

Clinical Focus:

-Traumatic events

-Attachment and interpersonal relationships

-Life Adjustments (medical, retirement, & loss)

-Feeling low or adjusting to new changes

-Substance use and addictions

-Life and work stressors

-Anxiety symptoms

-ADD/ADHD & TBI

-Autism Spectrum

-Grief (loss of someone close)

Specialty/Area of Expertise:

-Veterans

-Service Members (S.M.)

-Law Enforcement (L.E.)

-Fire Department (F.D.)

-First Responders (F.R.)

-Federal, State, and County Govt. Employees

-Families & Supports of Veterans & Govt. Employees

-Highly Confidential / Discretion

-Children (18 months-9 years old)

-Elderly/Elders

Our Services

OUR SERVICES

CLINICAL

WELLNESS

OTHER

Individual Therapy
Youth Therapy
Couples Therapy
Family Therapy
Support Groups
Specialty Groups
Wellness Groups

Activity Groups
Walking Groups
Chair Yoga
Yoga
Financial Wellness
Outreach Events
Community Socials

Office & Training Room Rentals
Licensed Clinical Supervision (LICSW)
Fee For Service Clinical Consultation
Community, First Responder & Healthcare Training
Community Resources
Small Business Networking

Clinical Services

CLINICAL SERVICES

A Light of Hope offers a wide array of clinical services to help heal the brain and body.

To help reach as many members in the community, we have focused programming on groups to keep fees low, however, members have the option to join other types of services offered. Please note, to join a group, you must be assessed for health and appropriateness; all members must be healthy enough to join and be able to provide a safe space for other members. Should any member not meet these requirements once in a group, they will be referred to individual therapy at ALOH or referred out for a more appropriate fit.

COSTS:

Most Minnesota Insurances Accepted

Private Pay

*Requests for therapy in the community, home, or other environment are at higher rates and taken on a case by case basis. These cases must first be assessed for safety, scheduling of staff, & are not guarenteed.

Support Groups

SUPPORT GROUPS

Law Enforcement Support: group support for police officers to share experiences; topics to address difficult circumstances; balancing work & personal life; & skills for improved quality of life. W2 or certification of officer status & state ID needed
Military & Law Enforcement Retirement Support: join up with other members who have retired from the military and/or law enforcement. Share experiences with others, discuss transition or upcoming transition experiences, psychoeducation on impact of adjustment to life changing events, purpose, managing time, & tools to address changes.
Military Combat Support: support for combat Veterans with focus on education, sharing experiences, camaraderie & skills. DD214 eligibility.
Veteran & Police Trauma Support: for those who have experienced combat trauma & officers who have been exposed to traumatic events on the job. Briefly share experiences, impact on daily living, & learn skills to enhance quality of life. W2, officer status & state ID for eligibility.
LGBTQI+ Processing & Support: attend a supportive group & environment where you can safely process experiences, emotions, and feelings. Group sessions will also address coping skills and provide other resources to help support you.
Youth LGBTQI+ Processing & Support: high school youth can attend a support group where they can feel safe to process, share experiences, emotions, & feelings. Group sessions will also address coping skills and provide other resources to help support you along your healing journey.
Sexual Trauma Support: briefly process impact of sexual trauma on daily living & relations, participate in discussion topics, & learn copings skills.
General PTSD Support Group: a safe and trusting space for members who have experienced post traumatic stress symptoms to briefly share with others, feel a sense of connection, and learn skills to cope with symptoms impacting daily living.
Medical Support: a safe space for members to briefly share medical experiences, feel heard, have a voice, experience support of other members & staff, obtain education, learn & reinforce skills, share in community & feel supported.
Volunteering for Purpose: attend group to talk about purpose, develop a purpose task, volunteer in the community & share your experiences. Some groups will focus on holiday needs (shoe box packages, shelter support, nursing home connections & cards for hope).
Miscarriage Support: support for moms who have miscarried a baby, need a space to share experiences, & feel supported.
Grief & Loss Support: support group for those who have suffered the physical death of a loved one. Sessions will focus on brief check-ins, topics of interests, impact of holidays, reminders and coping skills.
Cancer Caregiver Support Group: a supportive environment for caregivers and supports of those diagnosed with Cancer. The group provides a shared space of support, tools for coping, shared experiences, wisdom, and sense of community.
Autism Caregiver Support: for caregivers and supports of those diagnosed with Autism, the group focuses on shared experiences, education, speakers, & support for caregivers of those diagnosed with Autism.
Service Member Spouse & Law Enforcement Partner Support: members of this groups are the caregivers, loved ones and parterres of Service Members & Law Enforcement employees. The group is focused on emotional support, coping skills & shared wisdom from others. Partner’s DD214, military ID, W2, or Officer Status needed for eligibility.
Mental Health Caregiver, Family & Partner Support: support to caregivers, family members & partners of those who struggle with mental health symptoms. Focused on support, psychoeducation, wisdom, & coping skills. This group can be extremely beneficial for those whose family member is not interested in mental health services or has experienced many barriers to care. The group not only provides support but teaches skills members can then pass to their loved one or use in everyday life.
Kiddos of Service Members & Law Enforcement Support: small age limited groups designed for kiddos who struggle with adjustment to their caregiver being in the service or in law enforcement. Signs of struggle may be difficulty in school, attention, outbursts, problems listening, hygiene, and zoning out. Small groups focus on brief sharing of experiences that may be impacting their daily living, safe space to feel heard and understood, activities that create a sense of comradely and emotional safety, and coping tools. DD214, military ID, W2, or Officer Status of parent/caregiver needed for eligibility. *Parental Release of Treatment

Specialty Groups

SPECIALTY GROUPS

Parenting Skills: learn where your skills came from in how you interact with your kids, new skills to help manage behaviors, and coping skills for new age social changes. *$25 per group session, must agree to attend all 10 sessions.
STAIR for trauma: time limited manualized trauma informed care focused on awareness, impact of trauma on daily living, emotion regulation & social skills, and psychoeducation. This group does not go over past experiences rather, members share how their experiences impacted them and learn new ways to cope. *$15 per group session, must agree to attend all 12 sessions.
CPT for trauma: time limited trauma informed care that focuses on group format of cognitive processing therapy. Brief reviews of past trauma experience designed to address one major traumatic experience that has caused PTSD. This group is best for those with combat experience, one witnessing event to something traumatic, or one experience of violence (physical or sexual). *No one with current or new onset of suicidal or homicidal ideation may attend group as the material will exacerbate symptoms. $25 per session, must agree to attend all 12 sessions.
Art Therapy: process emotions through physical art projects. This group is designed for those who are more creative or struggle with wording what's going on internally or as a result of experiences. *$30 per session, must agree to attend all 10 sessions.
Writing Therapy: process emotions by listening to others and writing your own short stories, songs, & poetry . *Open group, $15 per session, must complete assignments.
Lyric Therapy: attend group sessions with others who process their emotions and experiences through written, sung, or played music. Share songs, how the song relates, and what emotions &/or memories arise as a result of the song.
Singing for Healing: for those with a love for singing. Learn awareness, skills, and process emotions through voice lessons with others as you learn new songs that evoke emotions. *Must know how to sight read and sing. $45 per group session, must agree to 10 sessions for each song and be 15 min early.
Anger Management: time limited group designed to address common causes to anger, provide psychoeducation, review and complete skills, and share experiences for opportunity of growth. *$25 per session, must agree to attend all 12 sessions, bring materials, & complete all assignments.
Reducing Perfectionism: time limited group focused on awareness of causes of perfectionism, need to be in control, image & new skills to cope with intrusive behaviors. *$15 per session, must agree to attend all 10 sessions, & complete all assignments.
Setting Boundaries & Limits (Trauma & Adjustment): time limited group providing psychoeducation, skills, examples, and role play. *$20 per session, must agree to attend all 10 sessions, & complete all assignments.
Boundaries & Limits (Caregivers of Substance Users): time limited group for caregivers & supports of those with substance use. Group focuses on support, empowering the caregiver/support, skills to manage use behaviors, and building supportive and empathetic networks to stand firm. *$15 per session, must agree to attend all 10 sessions, & complete all assignments.
CBT-I (sleep problem): Time limited sleep group focusing on sleep hygiene, psychoeducation, skills, and support. Group can be effective for trauma symptoms, mood disorder, insomnia, and other medical problems impacting sleep. *$20 per session, must agree to attend all 10 sessions, & complete all assignments.
Repairing Relationships (attachment or adjustment): Time limited meetings focused on understanding attachment styles, impact of childhood on perceptions and expectations of others, culture & environment, coping skills, & role play. *$15 per session, must agree to attend all 10 meetings, & complete assignments.
Memory Repair (attention, trauma, fatigue, & brain injuries): Time limited sessions focusing on understanding the causes of memory impairment, coping skills, and supports. *$25 per session, must agree to attend all 12 sessions, & complete all assignments.
Whole Health: Time limited group that aims at healing the whole self and not just the brain. Psychoeducation on the importance of addressing all aspects of healing: brain, body, health, finances, religion/spirituality, community relationships, & purpose. *$20 per session, must agree to attend all 10 sessions, & complete all assignments.
Time Management & Prioritizing: Designed for those who struggle with prioritizing things, being late, & problems with piecing things together for deadlines. Share experiences & laughs, learn causes, obtain education, skills, and resources. *$25 per session, must agree to attend all 10 sessions, & complete all assignments.
Scrapbooking For Change: each session a topic will be assigned to scrap book and members will share their scrap book pages, emotions, and brief experience. *$30 per session, must agree to attend all 10 sessions, & complete assignments needed for scrapbooking sessions.

Outreach

OUTREACH

Weekly Socials

Veteran Coffee Social
Community Board Games & Puzzle Connection
Wallyball or Pickleball (costs dependent on location in community)

Spanish Speakers

English Classes $25 per group or $50 per individual session
Resources Class for Spanish speakers $15 per group
Movies, food & social connection $15 per person, pay ahead or available till no seat left.