After exercising compassion during her time working with adopted and fostered youth, Barbara Kampa extended her passion for helping others by leading the inception of Rhyme & Reason Ministry, Inc. in 2012. Kampa has proudly served as Rhyme & Reason’s CEO ever since, assisting people with various mental, social, emotional, and behavioral challenges as they navigate life. The faith-based organization is dedicated to promoting holistic wellness in every area of a participant’s life, paying attention to mind, body, and spirit.
“We look at the whole person when a behavior happens or a desire for something is verbalized to us,” Kampa said. “A lot of the barriers or problematic behaviors that can prevent an individual from realizing their dreams or living their best life are not due to just one thing. We are multi-faceted, multi-dimensional human beings, and there are a lot of dynamics in our lives. We take those things into consideration. As behavior clinicians, we're looking at things like nutrition, physical health, mental health, emotional health, and all the different domains of life that affect a person. We then try to meet those needs.”
Rhyme & Reason is an approved Medicaid waiver provider for 18 counties in Northern Indiana and currently has staff working in nine of those counties to offer its Behavior Management, Participant Assistance and Care (PAC), and Social Program services.
Led by master-level therapeutic clinicians, Behavior Management helps individuals become as independent as possible through therapy based on proven, scientific methods. Rhyme & Reason’s Adaptive Abilities Mentors take on a direct support role through PAC, which supports individuals as they develop practical daily living skills that enable them to keep up a home, manage various appointments and responsibilities, and take care of themselves.
“We want to make sure that we're elevating the dignity of every person. We believe that everybody is made in God's image, so we want to empower them with their unique autonomy,” said Director of Social Program & Events Andrew Kaser.
The Social Program allows staff to walk participants through healthy social relationships to practice skills learned through therapeutic endeavors. With an Adult Social Program and Youth Social Program, there is ample opportunity for people of all ages to develop healthy relationships with one another through fun activities in a safe environment.
“The program is designed to be a kind of roadmap. It's a way to travel with our participants and give them opportunities to experience relationships,” Kaser said. “One of the things that we're trying to combat that's very prevalent in this demographic is loneliness or not having many peer-to-peer relationships. This gives individuals a way to connect not just with their clinician but with each other. There are a lot of participants who will talk to each other throughout the week, and then when they get together at our events, it's special to see their eyes light up because they're being reconnected with someone they care about.”
Providing a place for relationships to blossom among peers, especially in working with people who have social barriers or who have experienced relationship trauma, is a priority for Rhyme & Reason. Over the years, the Rhyme & Reason staff have been privileged to witness wonderful moments when those relationships came to fruition. Notable milestones include such goals as getting married, living independently in your own home, and 12 adults embarking on a vacation to Florida which, for many, marked their first trip among peers and their first trip beyond the State of Indiana.
“Relationships are huge in our culture. They’re something we're constantly working on with our individuals, especially with our leadership committee and our Social Program overall. We ask, ‘How can we make and maintain healthy relationships?’ With the diagnoses of the individuals that we serve and with trauma history, relationships are always at the core of most relationship problems and every beautiful moment," said Kampa.
With 55 employees, nearly 200 participants, and 84 acres set aside for a future campus, Rhyme & Reason looks forward to a future where it can extend its compassionate care to more and more people. Kampa encourages anyone who wants to get involved in Rhyme & Reason’s ministry to plug into its ample volunteer opportunities.
To learn more about Rhyme & Reason Ministry, Inc., visit its website, email info@rhymeandreason.net, or call 574-855-0203.