Kristi Madison is a licensed professional counselor, a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner in Virginia and is nationally certified as a Master Addictions Counselor. She has over 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults. Prior to becoming a licensed therapist, she taught high school special education classes and was a licensed teacher with endorsements in history/social sciences and k-12 special education.

Dr. Madison received her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Walden University. Her research focus was on the help seeking behaviors of African American Christian churchgoers.  She also has a Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Liberty University and a Bachelor’s of Social Work Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, she has the equivalent of a masters degree in special education.

She is the owner of Abiding Hope Counseling Services in Manassas, VA. Dr. Madison provides a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental environment where an individual or family can explore their concerns without fear. She believes that it is her job to encourage and empower the clients who trust her to share in their journey. She utilizes empathy and a strengths-based approach with a variety of techniques to work with clients coping with mood disorders, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use in individual and group settings. Her experience is unique in that in addition to the traditional counseling setting, she has worked outside of her office in homes and in the prison system.

Dr. Rochelle Johnson is a womanist theologian whose research focuses on Black women of faith living with clinical depression and practical approaches to pastoral care. She also works as a licensed clinical social worker and practices privately in Chicago. Her main passions are teaching, parish work, and mental health. Her clinical social work experiences encompass the Chicago area, where she has worked in community mental health centers, churches, hospitals, and public schools. On top of her theological degrees, she also holds a certification from the Center of Religion and Psychotherapy. She is on the path to ordination in the United Church of Christ, and she offers her expertise to clergy and congregations in her role as the Emotional Well-Being Consultant for Advocate Health, Midwest Region.