Who cares for the caregivers?
Story: Amy Crawford
Photos: Courtesy of GracePoint
Concordia Nebraska alums working at GracePoint offer compassionate and effective pastoral, individual, couples and family counseling to support those suffering from mental illness or difficulties.
As Lutherans and Christians, we know that God’s Word and His church are the means by which God heals and sustains His people. Although many at first balk at the idea of therapy, Christian therapists have the unique opportunity support others while pointing them to the only true source of truth and hope: the person and work of Jesus Christ.
“I believe the church needs more caregivers. Our society is hurting, and historically the church has been on the front lines of soul care,” says Rev. Dr. Justin L. Hannemann ’04. “Well-trained therapists, in both psychology and theology, can partner with clergy and commissioned ministers to push back against the forces that are increasingly hostile to healthy individuals, couples and families.”
Following graduation from Concordia University, Nebraska where he studied psychology, human communication and was in the pre-seminary program, Justin began graduate studies at Saint Louis University School of Medicine to obtain a master of arts in counseling and human development, then enrolled in Concordia Seminary St. Louis to work on his master of divinity degree. While at seminary, he worked toward licensure in marriage and family therapy and was accepted into the Ph.D. program at St. Louis University where he earned a doctor of philosophy degree in medical family therapy. He then went on deferred vicarage in Nebraska.
Following vicarage, he and his father – Rev. Dr. Mark Hannemann ’80 - founded GracePoint Institute for Relational Health in Omaha in 2012. Justin then received a call to serve as a counseling pastor at Christ Lutheran in Lincoln, Nebraska, and in 2018 he received his current call to serve as assistant to The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) Nebraska District President.
GracePoint has counseling offices in Lincoln, Omaha and Columbus.
“We provide counseling, assessments and consultation to professional church workers across the country,” says Justin. “I lead a team of therapists, manage the nonprofit aspects of GracePoint and provide psychotherapeutic services to members of the community, but I specialize in caring for church workers. I also have the opportunity to lead through consultation with churches and schools regarding their relational health.”
Justin met his wife Katherine (Eberhard) Hannemann ’06 at Concordia Nebraska. She works as the administrative executive for GracePoint, and Justin describes her as “the glue that holds our operations together.” In addition to Justin and Katherine, a number of Concordia Nebraska alumni now serve at GracePoint.
“Concordia Nebraska’s Rev. Dr. Allan Paul Vasconcellos was pivotal in helping me understand the intersection of psychology, my faith and the helping professions,” explains Justin. “The theology faculty helped me go deep into the Word of God and its implications for my future service in God’s kingdom. When I entered graduate school, I felt very well prepared to think critically. I was trained well in theology, philosophy, psychology, history and human communication. This gave me a head start for grad school and the work that I am doing now.”
Since Justin and Mark founded GracePoint, the ministry has grown and now has 13 therapists on the team. While Justin serves as CEO, Mark serves as president of the nonprofit organization, which is also a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the LCMS. Since 2022, Mark has also served as executive director of Good Friend Ministries in Traverse City, Michigan, a nonprofit retreat ministry established to serve pastors of the Michigan District of the LCMS. The organization provides retreat facilities and counseling services enabling pastors to rest, pray, reflect and return to their ministry setting renewed, refreshed and re-energized for service.
“Pastors and their wives frequently feel there is nowhere to turn for help and support. Who cares for the caregivers?” says Mark. “I consider it holy ground to be invited into the lives of those who have dedicated themselves to serving and caring for others and are hurting, struggling, grieving, experiencing conflict, exhausted and suffering. To remind them of God’s love and forgiveness, to point them to the cross and the empty tomb, to seek God’s face, to seek the Spirit’s comfort and reassurance—it doesn’t get better than that!”
Rev. Aaron Hannemann ’11 joined GracePoint in 2023 and serves as site director and counselor at the Columbus office. He specializes in serving Spanish-speaking clients, making use of his language training at Concordia Nebraska. He has also served in the mission field in Guatemala. He is married to Kaela (Geyer) Hannemann ’12. He also serves as part-time pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Schuyler, Nebraska.
“There is a great need in our rural communities. It is reported that 88 of 93 Nebraska counties are underserved by mental health professionals,” he says. “What a blessing it is to serve in these two communities and to share the good news of Jesus and His love in the counseling office and from the pulpit.”
Kathleen (Garner) von Kampen ’10 graduated from Concordia, Nebraska, with a bachelor of arts in theology and a Director of Christian Education certification and has served as a therapist at GracePoint since 2023. Though a 2010 graduate, Kathleen began a Christian Education internship in Riga, Latvia, in September 2009 that continued through March 2011.
She says her time at Concordia Nebraska and her one-and-a-half-year internship in Latvia with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia and LCMS World Missions were both very formative. They helped her grow in her relationship with Christ and prepared her to serve others in her current roles.
“It is not always easy being a Christian within today's secular culture and workplace, let alone being a Christian counselor navigating modern psychology and practices,” she says. “I am blessed that I had a Concordia experience that strengthened my faith and allowed me to develop confidence in my approach and communication with those who might believe differently. I appreciate the consistent message of grace through faith and utilizing my vocation among my neighbors to share Jesus with my actions and service to others, which I do with every client and interaction, even if not directly proclaiming Jesus with words. Concordia further developed the foundation of my desire to serve others and point to Christ with all that I do in work, family and community.”
After returning from Latvia, Kathleen accepted her first call to St. John Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado, as a DCE for youth ministry. She married Paul von Kampen ‘11 and re-settled in Orange, California, in 2012, where she served as a DCE at St. John Lutheran Church. While in California, Kathleen studied at Azusa Pacific University and received a master of arts in clinical psychology: marriage and family therapy. She also worked part-time at a women's recovery center in Newport, California, as a clinical technician for women recovering from drug addiction.
“There is a desperate need for more Christians who are also therapists and eager to support others with the love of Jesus, the only true source of healing, hope, comfort and peace,” she says. “Christ brings light to the darkness, and our world can often feel dark, but Christian therapists have an opportunity to share the light of Jesus, offering hope, forgiveness and even law and gospel as needed to support and encourage clients in need. Whether clients are facing grief, trauma or everyday life stressors, I am fulfilled in my service to Christ first and the opportunities I have to walk with people in their journeys, pray for clients in the midst of hardships and ultimately use my varying vocations to reflect Christ to the church and world.”
The von Kampen family relocated to the Detroit, Michigan area, followed by a move back to Concordia, Nebraska. Kathleen continued her counseling vocation, served as the director of counseling services at Concordia and taught undergraduate psychology courses. In 2023, she also began working with Concordia Nebraska to develop a master of family therapy program for the university.
Kathleen says it is easy to see God weaving the puzzle pieces together of her various vocations and career experiences for His glory, as she summarized her vocational work and experiences in service to others: “Clients give to me in so many ways they may never realize, but that's the joy of working with and for people,” she says. “It has high demands but high rewards, and I am grateful for the chances God gives me to share in the joys and the challenges with my clients and students.
Mary Lou (Duitsman) Gieseke ’77 has served as a therapist at GracePoint since 2020. She came to Concordia Nebraska to study to be a teacher. As a student who sometimes struggled in school, Gieseke says she always felt drawn to helping those who seemed to be having a hard time with different aspects of school and life.
Following graduation, she began teaching in North Judson, Indiana, where she taught for two years and served as an organist and choir director. She then received a call to Calvary Lutheran and Messiah Lutheran in Lincoln, Nebraska where she taught for five years. While there she also led several choirs and played organ. She left teaching to raise and homeschool her children.
“I continued to work in the church with music,” she says. “I did a lot of one-on-one with people, working with them in music and worship teams, through death and funerals, weddings and helping with building a women’s ministry program. During all of this, I had the opportunity to become more intimate with the behind-the-scenes struggles within families and with individuals. I knew I had an opportunity within the church as an encourager for everyone with worship, but I also knew I wanted to work outside the church to help individuals as well.”
She obtained a master of arts in counseling, served Lutheran Family Services for eight years, then joined GracePoint.
“I started at Lutheran Family Services primarily as a drug and alcohol counselor working with individuals who were a part of the intensive outpatient treatment program. I loved working with this population of people. It gave me the opportunity to meet individuals on an individual basis and get to know them in a way that the papers and or public did not know them,” she says. “While at Lutheran Family Services, I was not able to discuss my faith openly, though many there knew I was a Christian and would ask me about that and let me pray with them. At GracePoint it is a natural part of our sessions to discuss and pray.”
Gieseke says her work at GracePoint allows her to show clients Jesus’ love and tell them about His grace.
“To be able to come into an environment where you can talk about very hard things and not be judged is life-saving for many people. Working in a community like GracePoint, we meet regularly to encourage, help with complicated cases and pray,” she says. “We as counselors are trained in many areas to help people through anxiety, grief, trauma and depression, but the primary starting place is that relationship with the therapist. If a connection is there, then all of the training is excellent to have, but the caring relationship is the most important. We are not there to make them into Christians and make them obedient, we are there to help them live their lives with less emotional struggles and exhibit the love of Jesus.”
GracePoint is just one of many Christ-focused organizations that offer pastoral counseling as well as individual, couples and family counseling. The GracePoint team is dedicated to providing compassionate, effective care to those who are suffering from mental illness or difficulty. Justin describes GracePoint as a safe place to work through those struggles.
“The most fulfilling part of this work is seeing people develop and heal because of the grace of God working through me and the GracePoint team,” says Justin. “The Word of God is powerful to heal and sustain suffering people. Watching God at work is humbling and gratifying.”