About this meeting
VOA|ReST is an online peer support service providing the benefits of a confidential, interactive process to individuals who are struggling with loneliness, stress and fatigue during these extraordinary times. Each VOA|ReST group – led by up to two facilitators– follows processes designed to discharge distress and enable rediscovery of positive commitments to work and lifestyle goals. It is one way of alleviating exposure to moral distress experienced by frontline workers in long-term care, health care, social services and the general public during the current global health crisis. Without a chance to address these sometimes-debilitating feelings, people are at risk for moral injury, which over time may deepen into the destruction of integrity and character. Moral distress is characterized by emotions such as shame, guilt, humiliation, fury, despair, self-loathing, sorrow and a loss of trust. Sessions are limited to 10 or less participants. Video use, with your camera, is required for participation in VOA|ReST sessions. If you are using a mobile device/phone, go to your web browser, and log onto HeyPeers! to access your scheduled meeting.
Hosts
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Host
Madonna A.
Peer Supporter
Certified Peer Supporter
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About the host
Madonna J. Arsenault, Rev., M.Div., CSD, Chaplain, CADC, CPSS
*Blessings of deep peace be with you; I’m grateful you are here.
I come from a long line of indigenous healers and am a Christian believer, mother and grandmother.
I’m also a teacher of beautiful things and an encourager of spirit with many years of experience providing spiritual and emotional care with persons who are our most vulnerable from diverse populations, bringing hope to life.
"What delight comes to the one who follows God's ways!" Psalm 1:1
“…the unendurable is the beginning of the curve of joy”.
These words speak of honoring God in the present moment and with hope, waiting for a turn in circumstances, and lifting the hope with a promise of joy and trust while waiting on the other side of a hard now.
In peer support, that’s what we do together in a safe and confidential space of empathetic and compassionate connection. The most important thing for us is to know that we are not alone in the life challenges we are facing.
*Please reach out to me here on Hey Peers if you desire to connect for one-to one peer support, spiritual care, emotional support, and wellness planning.
Deep peace,
Madonna
*Credentials:
Ordained Christian Minister with Volunteers of America
M.Div., Master of Divinity
Hospital Chaplain
Hospice Chaplain
Chaplain and Minister for Volunteers of America,
Certified Spiritual Director
Birth Doula
Trainer/Facilitator Shay Moral Injury Center, VOA
Certified Peer Support Specialist
Certified in Alcohol and Drug Counseling
Clinical Therapeutic Musician
Residential Counselor
*Groups on Hey Peers where you will find me as a peer supporter:
Volunteers of America:
VOA ReST for First Responders
VOA ReST for Veterans,
VOA ReST General
DBSA:
DBSA Friends and Family
DBSA Adult/Online
Hey Peers Certified Meetings:
Grief Support
Depression Recovery
Pregnancy and Postpartum Care and Support
Growing Together: New Moms
Communities I have created with support groups:
Soul Care for Women
Soul Care for Women: Bible Study
Plumbline Collective
One-to-One Life and Wellness Coaching, and Spiritual Direction
Motivation for help
I have been to the dark edges of deep sorrow and pain, and I have been brought to a sacred garden of joy and peace. My life is a story full of hope on this journey, and I’ve found that there is healing in the sharing our stories, more importantly, having our stories witnessed and believed is when the power of healing begins to arrive.