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

Parenting in Blended Families

4/2/2025

2 Comments

 
Picture
By Kristin Engler
​Guest Writer
​Kristin lives in Powell, Ohio with her husband, Jason, and they share four children in their blended family. Kristen and her family attend Newstart Church in Delaware and have a heart and passion to see blended families thrive. 
“No parent gives mercy better than one who is convinced that he desperately needs it himself.”  Paul David Tripp ​
Truer words were never spoken about parenting, but these words become even more emphasized in the child/parent relationship challenges that show up in blended families. There are many lessons God has taught me on the journey of life, but perhaps one of the most important has been what He’s demonstrated in our family by teaching us to love all of our children equally, regardless of blood. My husband, Jason, and I married in 2017 and each of us brought 2 kids to the marriage.  Our ambitions of a cohesive and happy family were short-lived, as we began to navigate custody battles, children in various degrees of abuse and trauma, and even things like loyalty conflicts and jealousy. Jealousy? Certainly, you mean that of a child to their stepparent, right? Friends, I’m here to tell you that all the emotions have been present, for each of us, children and adults alike. We never could have foreseen the complexity of what we would navigate as we learned to parent our children together. What I know to be true is that ONLY with God can we truly learn what it means to love our children and our stepchildren and know them the way He does.  ​

Read More
2 Comments

Parenting Through the Early Childhood Years

3/26/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Theresa Mabry
​Encompass Director of Operations
Parenting young children is a whirlwind of emotions. It’s excitement, exhaustion, frustration, joy, love, and everything in between—sometimes all at once. I’ve raised three children of my own, and I vividly remember feeling those highs and lows daily, if not hourly! Now, as I watch my oldest raise my grandchildren, I see those same ups and downs from the perspective of a grandparent. While the experience is bittersweet, it’s also a reminder of how precious these early years truly are. I want to encourage you: enjoy the here and now. This season may feel long at times, but it passes quickly. And the growth and development happening in these early years is so crucial—blink, and you might miss it. 
So, how can you make the most of these formative years? Here are a few guiding principles to keep in mind: ​

Read More
0 Comments

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

Three tips for parenting teens

3/12/2025

1 Comment

 
Picture
By Abby Glaser
​Community Advocate
​In keeping with this month’s theme of parenting, I get to talk about something that often comes with a mix of excitement and dread—the teenage years! While I wouldn’t call myself an expert, I do have plenty of experience—I'm currently parenting my last two teens out of five! If you do the math, that means I’ve had a teenager in my house for 12 years… and I’ve lived to tell the tale!

Read More
1 Comment

Want to Raise Emotionally Healthy Kids? Start with Your Marriage!

3/5/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Dr David Marine Mabry
Encompass Executive Director
At Encompass, we believe that a healthy marriage is one of the greatest gifts parents can give their children. Not because the marriage is perfect, but because it is real—rooted in mutual respect, open communication, and a commitment to growth. Children who grow up watching their parents intentionally nurture their relationship​ absorb powerful life lessons that shape their emotional intelligence, relationship skills, and overall outlook on life. Here are the top lessons children learn when they are raised by parents with a healthy, growing, and vibrant marriage—a relationship that embraces both the struggles and the joys of life together. 

Read More
0 Comments

Practical Steps for Healthier Families

1/29/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Theresa Mabry
Encompass Director of Operations
Want a healthier family? And we are not talking about food! Parenting is one of the most rewarding and challenging roles anyone can take on. It's a journey full of growth, learning, and love, but also fraught with difficult moments, stress, and conflict. That's why having a supportive framework can be a game-changer for both parents and children. Our program, Parenting for Kids’ Sake, is designed to help families experience growth in their parenting abilities by strengthening practical, time-tested skills.  

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

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

The relational benefits of finishing well

11/1/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Our theme for November blog posts is on "finishing well." Especially the impact that doing so has upon relationships.

By Lavern Nissley
Encompass Executive Director

Finishing has been a major theme for Ronda and me the past several years. In 2018-2019 we moved our four octogenarian parents to Springfield from Central Illinois (my parents) and London, Ohio (her parents) to Springfield, Ohio where we could more easily support them in their twilight years. All of them eventually became residents of Forest Glen or Wooded Glen.

We literally came into the world with nothing, unable to care for ourselves. And typically, that's how we're going to leave this world. Three of our four parents have crossed the final finish line of life: my Dad, November 12, 2021; my Mom, March 6, 2023; and Ronda's Mom, September 26, 2023.

Ronda and I are also looking at closing a major chapter in our own lives as we step away from executive leadership at Encompass by June 1, 2024.

So, finishing . . . finishing well has been on our minds a lot! My heart kind of jumped when I heard the theme for blogs this month.

Read More
0 Comments

What is the connection between faith and family?

9/5/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
The September theme for our social media and blog posts is devotion/faith. As always, there will be relationship health connections in terms of insights, tips, and tools.

By Lavern Nissley
Executive Director of Encompass

Would you agree that family is the primary means of transmitting faith to the next generation? It certainly seems clear from a familiar scripture in the Jewish Torah known as the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
 
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

So how is that done in our setting, some 3,500 years later? Is anyone actually writing stuff on doorframes and wearing headbands with faith messages?

Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous
    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