Rick W. Smale, Certified Christian Life Coach

I'm Rick Smale, and for over 25 years now I've been a Marriage & Family Therapist offering Christian Counseling to those in struggling relationships with past hurts that have held them captive & prevented them from having the life they've always wanted. This led to my interest in Christian Life Coaching and ultimate graduation and subsequent certification from The Institute for Life Coach Training

My Master's Degree is in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University. I have led a substance abuse recovery program called Celebrate Recovery. I have two undergraduate degrees, one in Philosophy from Eastern Kentucky University and the other in Ministry from Johnson Bible College.

My journey through life has been & still is, an exciting one. But don't think that it has been one without unexpected turns and bumps in the road, some disappointments and many learning opportunities.

I am a Charter member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, which is also how & where I became familiar with Life Coaching. I keep a current license for Marriage & Family Therapy and membership with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

When I became a Christian, at age 19, I trusted God to forgive me but I also trusted Him to lead me to where & how I was to serve Him. It's been in a variety of ways over the years but always associated with His Church. I have served Him in Youth Ministry, Preaching Ministry, Counseling Ministry, Recovery Ministry, Life Coaching Ministry and now by working with and developing the Small Group Ministry at South Union. My two offices remain at the South Union Christian Church near Bloomington, Indiana, and the Hillcrest Christian Church in Bedford, Indiana. Along with my Christian Counseling and Christian Life Coaching, I also serve as Associate Minister of Counseling and Small Groups at the South Union Christian Church.

I also enjoy the opportunities to speak with different groups on topics ranging from spiritual issues, marriage enrichment, parent/child relationships, divorce & the blended family to stress management, depression, building self-esteem and living true to your core values.

That's what I do, now, I'd like to tell you who I am.

Simply stated, "I'm a country boy". I love a good basketball game, grew up playing in a small high school in southern Indiana & some in college. I grew up in the country, farmed for most of our neighbors & learned early that I love the outdoors. The hills of southern Indiana only planted the seed of what has become a passion for me with mountains. From the rolling hills of southern Indiana, to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, to the Colorado Rockies and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, God takes my breath away every time I see His awesome majesty manifest itself through His creation.

From my 1st pony, named "Thunder", I knew there was something of a cowboy in me that would be there the rest of my life. My wife, "Cindy", and I shared a dream of living on a horse farm, raising our kids to that way of life, breeding Quarter Horses and living in a log home. That's just what we did. After years of praying, planning, saving, looking for the right place - it happened. We stepped into living our dream on a 40 acre farm, miles from the nearest town. Two of our daughters have been involved in rodeo and we have enjoyed supporting them when they compete or just loading up a couple of horses to go camp & trail ride.

SOME THINGS I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT ARE;

My relationship with God, encouraging others in their relationship with Him, being as connected & present with Cindy as I can, being involved in the lives of our children and - yes, if you can believe it - our 5 grand-children, sitting around a campfire at night with good friends, being in the saddle on a good horse, sitting on the porch swing with Cindy in the light of a full moon, mountains, answered prayer and seeing dreams come true - (mine and yours)!!!

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