Encompass Connection Center
  • Home
  • About ECC
  • Couples
    • Free Relationship Assessments
    • The RINGS Experience
    • RINGS Chat demo
    • 5 Love Languages Survey
    • RINGS to my community
    • RINGS Pathwright dashboard
  • Families
    • Free Parenting Assessment
    • Parenting for Kid's Sake
    • The REACH Experience
  • Organizations
    • FREE Workplace Teams Assessment
    • Work Smart, Live Well
  • Donate
  • Get in touch
  • BLOG
  • 20th Anniversary Event highlights
PRACTICAL TIPS & INSIGHTS FOR YOUR

RELATIONSHIPS

From Dysfunction to Flourishing

5/7/2025

1 Comment

 
Picture
Mabry family portrait 1976. David is bottom left corner.
By Dr. David Marine Mabry
Encompass Executive Director
I grew up as the third of four boys in a rural, working-class family just outside a small Ohio town. To put it simply, we didn’t have much—and I don’t just mean financially. Our home was filled with stress, instability, and frequent conflict. I have few happy memories from those early years. What I do remember most is waking up to my parents arguing and navigating the constant emotional turbulence that came with it. 
​

My mother carried deep emotional pain, and my father—quiet and passive—often disappeared into the background in the face of her outbursts. My brothers and I were largely left to figure things out on our own, often getting into trouble at home and school. We endured emotional abuse and confusion about what family was supposed to feel like. I lived with a constant sense of insecurity and instability. It felt like the ground beneath us could shift at any moment. ​

Read More
1 Comment

Unity and teamwork can stop the wave of fatherlessness

3/19/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Kermit Rowe
​Encompass Relationship Facilitator
​To know how important a father is to a child, ask one who hasn’t had their dad in their life. Fatherlessness can truly be one of the most destructive challenges one can face in childhood.
According to a recent report by the American First Policy Institute, 2022 U.S. Census figures show that approximately 18.3 million American children live without a father in their home, which is about one of every four kids. What’s sadder is that the U.S. has the highest rate globally of children living in single-parent homes – 80% of which are headed by mothers. The latest census also reveals that fatherless families are four times more likely to raise children in poverty, while other research suggests that women head 84% of homeless families.

Read More
0 Comments

Celebrating My Dad

6/25/2024

0 Comments

 
Picture
Our blog posts in June will focus on reflections surrounding fathers, fatherhood, and their influence in our lives.

​
By Theresa Mabry
​Encompass Director of Operations

My dad’s 82nd birthday is this Friday, June 28th. Normally, I would celebrate with him, eating some peach pie or cobbler, hanging out with the family, laughing, and enjoying his stories. But that celebration won’t happen with him because he is no longer living on earth with me. My dad passed away way too young. He was 54 years old, and I was only 26. Our time together was way too short-lived and I would give anything to have him here in person; especially in June to celebrate Father’s Day and his birthday. 

Read More
0 Comments

The intentional father

6/14/2024

0 Comments

 
Picture
Our blog posts in June will focus on reflections surrounding fathers, fatherhood, and their influence in our lives.

​By Dr. David Marine Mabry
Encompass Executive Director

Times were not always good with my father, and I wanted things to be different for my children. Before I met my wife, Theresa, I was determined to be the best father I could be. I knew I wouldn't be perfect, but I knew I could be intentional. This intentionality made all the difference. Here are the actions and attitudes I worked on to be the best father I could be.

Read More
0 Comments

What I miss about my Dad

6/5/2024

0 Comments

 
Picture
Lavern with his Dad, David Nissley, June 21, 2020
Our blog posts in June will focus on reflections surrounding fathers, fatherhood, and their influence in our lives.

By Lavern Nissley
Relationship facilitator

My Dad died November 12, 2021. His birthday is coming up the end of this week, June 8. And Father's Day is about a week later. Although Dad was one of the most challenging relationships in my life given his patterns of anger, agitation, and anxiety, I also have more positive memories.

​Here is a heartfelt letter to my Dad, David Nissley.

Read More
0 Comments

finishing well in parenting

11/14/2023

2 Comments

 
Picture
By Abby Glaser
Encompass Community Advocate
​
I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of finishing well where it applies to parenting. Obviously parenting never really ends, but the seasons of it change! For context, my husband and I have five kids that range from 14-24. So, we have three out of the house now and two still left at home. We are in the home stretch of active parenting after two and a half decades of our lives revolving around it! When my kids were little, I often thought this would be the easier stage…what could be harder than breastfeeding and sleep deprivation and potty training? I laugh now at how unaware I was to the realities of parenting teens and young adults! While I’m not finished yet, I’ve learned a few things in this process of how to finish well with your kids that I wish someone had told me!

Read More
2 Comments

Lavern's SOUL Talk on investing in healthy relationships

9/12/2023

0 Comments

 
Encompass Executive Director Lavern Nissley shared this 23-minute SOUL Talk presentation on "The Good: Investing in Healthy Families and Relationships" at The Nehemiah Foundation's annual Case for Community Summit September 8, 2023.

​You may want to download a number of items he refers to in the presentation:

Read More
0 Comments
    Want to get weekly emails to stay up-to-date with Encompass?
    Subscribe to Our Email List!
    Picture

    Hosts

    Dr. David Marine and Theresa Mabry are Co-Directors of Encompass since June 1, 2024.

    TOPICS

    All
    5 Love Languages
    Abuse
    ACE Score
    Achievement
    Aging
    Amygdala Hijack
    Anger
    Any Relationship
    Apologizing
    Asking Great Questions
    Attention
    Bids
    Busy Calendar
    Change
    Children
    Children And Divorce
    Christmas
    Coaching
    Codependency
    Commitment
    Communication
    Community
    Competition
    Conflict
    Confronting
    Connection
    Consequences
    Counseling
    Couples
    COVID
    Date Night
    Death
    Deposits
    DISC
    Divorce
    Emotions
    Empathy
    Encompass History
    Especially For Couples
    Especially For Families
    Especially For Organizations
    Exercise
    Expectations
    Faith
    Falling
    Family
    Family Business
    Family Trees
    Fatherhood
    Fathers
    Fear
    Finances
    Finishing Well
    Forgiveness
    Fun
    Generational Trends
    Genetics
    Getting Along
    Getting Things Done
    Giving
    Grandchildren
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Grieving
    Growth
    Healing
    Healthy Eating
    Healthy Lifestyle
    Holidays
    Honesty
    Human Trafficking
    Humility
    Humor
    Illness
    Infidelity
    In Laws
    In-Laws
    Insomnia
    Intimacy
    Kindness
    Leadership
    Learning
    Legacy
    Listening
    Live Well
    Long Distance
    Loss
    Love
    Love Defined
    Marriage
    Minimalizing
    Morale
    News Articles
    Nonverbal
    Offenses
    Office Culture
    Our Stories
    Outcome Orientation
    Parenting
    Parenting Adult Kids
    Peace
    Personality
    Planning
    Polarization
    Power Of 2
    Praying Together
    Preparation
    Proactivity
    Problem Orientation
    Productivity
    Reactivity
    Research
    Restoration
    Retirement
    RINGS Chat
    RINGS Experience
    Romance
    Romantic Attraction
    Satisfaction
    Schedule
    Screen Use
    Sex
    Siblings
    Sleeping
    Smartphones
    Smiling
    Stress
    Success
    Suicide
    Surprises
    Survey
    Talking
    Teamwork
    Teens
    Timeouts
    Traits
    Transformation
    Truth
    Understanding
    Valentine's Day
    Virtual Relationships
    Wedding
    Withdrawals
    Working Out
    Work Smart

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018

Picture

FIND IT QUICKLY

Refer A CLIENT
Schedule meeting
SHOP RINGS PROGRAM
bring rings to my area

STAY CONNECTED

OFFICE HOURS

MON 9a-2p
TUE 9a-2p
WED 9a-2p
THU 9a-2p
​Other hours by appointment
call us: ​937-250-1418

VISIT US

616 N. Limestone St. | Springfield, OH
Funding is provided by Clark County Job and Family Services, Charles L. Shor Foundation, Nehemiah Foundation, Springfield Foundation, Turner Foundation,  and private donations and fees.
​Program content is the sole responsibility of Encompass Connection Center and does not necessarily represent the views of the funders.
Encompass Connection Center services are provided to all eligible persons on a non-discriminatory basis. Encompass Connection Center complies with all applicable laws and regulations concerning discrimination does not discriminate on the basis of the potential participant's race, gender, gender orientation, age, disability or religion.

​Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 37-1485217
  • Home
  • About ECC
  • Couples
    • Free Relationship Assessments
    • The RINGS Experience
    • RINGS Chat demo
    • 5 Love Languages Survey
    • RINGS to my community
    • RINGS Pathwright dashboard
  • Families
    • Free Parenting Assessment
    • Parenting for Kid's Sake
    • The REACH Experience
  • Organizations
    • FREE Workplace Teams Assessment
    • Work Smart, Live Well
  • Donate
  • Get in touch
  • BLOG
  • 20th Anniversary Event highlights