Parent Connect

Life can be scary. Do you have or know a child or student who walks with anxiety? Please join us Sunday, October 22 for an opportunity to hear a panel conversation solely focused on understanding anxiety and tools to help the children and students in our lives.

Who: All Magnify Parents
When: October 22, 6-7pm
Where: Magnify Rockford Auditorium
Contact: Kristin, [email protected]

Panel of speakers:

Michael R. Lawrence, PhD, ABPP- CN
Michael is a board certified neuropsychologist and Division Chief in the Neuroscience Department at Corewell health. In addition to epilepsy work he specializes in concussion and work with the NFL, Red Wings, Griffins, White Caps and multiple colleges and high schools. He also counsels athletes on sports performance and return from injury. He will be helping us understand about brain function and how anxiety relates to the brain and what to consider regarding anxiety medication.

Anthony Muller
Anthony Muller MA, LPC, CAADC, CCS has worked in the behavioral health field for 27 years. Currently he serves as the vice president of behavioral health for Samaritas. He has extensive experience working with adults and adolescents with anxiety and other mental health struggles.

Chad Fessenden
Chad has been working with children and families since 1995 and has been a licensed therapist since 2006. He founded Green Branches Counseling Associates to provide counseling to individuals of all ages and backgrounds through proven therapeutic strategies while maintaining a Christ-centered perspective. He has experience with anxiety not only from a professional perspective but also through close family member’s struggles with it.

Karoline Carlson
Karoline Carlson is 20 years old. She moved to Michigan 2 years ago from California where she lived for 13 years. She attends GRCC and is studying early education with hopes to become a teacher for elementary age. Anxiety has always been a part of her life for as long as she can remember, but didn’t realize it until she hit middle school where she had to be removed from public school and put into homeschooling for one year. She will share how anxiety has been her constant battle and how God has met her in it.

Emily Wiarda
Emily Wiarda is our High School Director but before this she served as a dorm mom and Dean of Women at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya. In her roles working with students, both at Magnify and at RVA, Emily has walked with many students who struggled with anxiety. She is also currently taking some biblical/lay counseling classes to better serve our church, families and students.

Stu Quackenbush
It is a privilege to parent and shepherd young hearts, but there are moments and seasons when parenting can be overwhelming and exhausting. I am excited to learn with you and share some about my families journey walking with our daughter through anxiety. Mackenzie’s visible journey with anxiety began when she was a 4 year-old, and this had an increasingly difficult effect on her and our family over the next few years. We are so thankful for God’s love, patience, and provision as we have stumbled through this season together. We will be sharing about our miserable failures, small successes, Mackenzie’s strength, things that helped, and most importantly the goodness of our God. We have not “solved” anxiety (although I’m confident we found ways to make it worse), but we are incredibly thankful for the work of God in Mackenzie and our family. Ashely and I look forward to joining you!