Today we’d like to introduce you to Fawn Bull.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in upstate NY raised partly by my grandparents and in Foster Care. My mother died at the age of 57 from alcoholism. I dated my current husband all through middle school and high school. We met when we were 12. After High School, he went to college and we broke up. We each married other people and were both married for about 7 years. I had three boys twins and a single born. He did not have children in his first marriage. Around the time of our high school reunion ( 10 yrs. ) I was looking to see where he was by logging into classmates.com. He had left a message for me on there about a week beforehand. He was also going through a divorce as was I. We had not spoken for 8 years at this point. We got back in touch, and ended up going to the reunion together. Shortly afterwards, my three boys and I moved to Texas and David and I got married. He was a Chef in Austin at the time working at the Driskill hotel. He previously worked under Dean Fearing at the Mansion on Turtle Creek. We went on to have a daughter and then a son. Over the next ten years I had realized that I too was an alcoholic. All of the food and wine events masked my alcoholism as sophisticated adult socialization and all I knew about it from my past was so very different. My mother dragged me to bars, and hung out with motorcycle guys and drank Budweiser so to me Sauvignon Blanc did not seem as bad. Regardless, I put myself into a rehab clinic and did the hard work of getting sober for myself, my family and my future. I started going to church and what I call my lifetime walk with Jesus. My husband and I both received counseling from a mentor of mine Irma DeJesus whom also does the same work as I do now. She was a gift from God whom saved our marriage and David and I were able to finally start living the fairy tale life we always dreamed of when we were Highschool sweethearts. We also attended Celebrate Recovery at our church as well which I believe helped me the most to stay sober. It was sitting in a circle with others like me that I felt most understood and felt like I could be vulnerable and share my feelings and needs without judgement. Together with counseling I believe it has helped me to now celebrate 8 years of sobriety this coming August. A different ending to alcohol addiction than my mother had for sure! About 4 years ago with only two kiddos left living at home, my husbands job moved us to Mineral Wells for a renovation on a historic hotel. Shortly after moving here, I finished my certification as a Temperament/Christian Pastoral Counselor. I started counseling here at FMB Christian Counseling LLC. only to see that there are many people who are in need of counsel that could not afford it. There are very limited resources here in Mineral Wells as well. I decided that starting a non profit, The Mineral Wellness Center, a 501 (c) (3) would allow us to apply for grants to get the needed funding to help pay for counseling services that people could not otherwise afford. We are moving into our third year here at The Mineral Wellness Center and over the last few years we have been recipients of many grants and donations from The United Way, local area Businesses, Brookshires grocery store and also from areas churches. We have a grant writer on our board that is helping to acquire additional funding through many local and statewide sources. Additionally, the contract for my husbands restaurant here was ended early and not expected but even with that we have decided to stay in Mineral Wells and continue helping the community through The Mineral Wellness Center. He has recently also become a Certified Temperament Counselor here and through FMB Christian Counseling we have been able to provide services to over 150 people and provided over 470 hours of counseling. We have not had to turn away a single person that is wanting counsel because we have the benevolence fund that provides payment for services that the client cant afford. We use a sliding scale fee for clients as well as the benevolence fund to fill the gap in cost so we can keep the center running. We also have a last Friday of the month gathering called Farmhouse Fellowship where we invite local non profit leaders and other area business leaders to join us for breakfast and coffee and discuss our individual needs, network and share resources with one another because we believe that we are stronger together and united we can help more people in our city. Quarterly, we have a fundraising event called Farmhouse Sessions where we invite an area musician to come have an outdoor concert and we provide a Chef driven Meal. Your donation of 45$ is your “ticket” and its a great time for everyone all while providing funding for a great cause. We have had support groups, small group meetings such as bible studies and other gatherings as well as the Farmhouse as we call it has so many uses for God Kingdom. I look forward to helping many gain freedom from addiction, grief, anxiety and the many other issues we all face today. I love being able to be used by God to shine His light of love and healing and to help other people going through very difficult life situations overcome the heaviness of life. I have committed my life to helping others any way that I can and there’s so many people who need to know that they are not alone in what they are going through.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been easy at all. Moving to a new town was hard at first. Changing churches was also hard because I had poured so much of myself out to those relationships. We lived in Austin for 2o+ years and Mineral Wells is very different. Much smaller than Austin and it was different at first for sure. Growing up in a very small town in NY though, we soon realized how much it felt like home and now love it here. Much slower pace and our new church family at HighRidge Church in Mineral Wells is one big family. I have more friends in my church and the town than I ever had in my whole life put together! It is a real home town community here where everyone helps one another. It has been challenging to get grants that keeps our momentum going but the community has stepped up to fill gaps where funding has been low. My husband and I have self funded this non profit out of love and knowing that God placed us here in Mineral Wells for this very reason. We have reached the end of the road in what we can self fund however due to the abrupt closure of the restauraunt at the Crazy Water Hotel that was due to owners and investors deciding to self manage the hotel despite the contract that they had with La Corsha Hospitality Group, which my husband is the regional vice president of food and beverage for. I do believe that God will provide and that its just a matter of time before more funding is secured. It would be such a loss for Mineral Wells to lose this non profit that enables this service in healing for its community members and surrounding areas especially having been recently named the wellness capital of texas. For real complete wellness, mental health needs to be a part of it and this town has a lot to heal from. This town has been affected by addiction that has reached several generations and in order for Mineral Wells to become a tourist town calling people from all parts of the country, we need to heal our own community first.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Mineral Wellness Center, we are dedicated to providing a place of healing, restoration, and hope for individuals and families in our community. Through faith-based fellowship, holistic wellness, and compassionate support, we offer a space where first responders, individuals in recovery, and those seeking peace can find encouragement and renewal.
We are committed to empower all people to discover purpose and eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health, addiction, and recovery.
To compassionately serve our community through faith-based care and holistic restoration, offering a centralized resource center to help leaders and individuals overcome life’s adversities and challenges.
To empower all people to discover purpose and liberation, eradicating stigmas surrounding mental health, addiction, and recovery. We envision a community united in hope and freedom, supported by a centralized location that fosters overall wellness and ignites transformative growth.
We approach every individual with empathy and understanding, fostering a culture of care and support.
We embrace a spirit of faith, promoting hope, freedom and spiritual growth thru our true identity in Christ.
FMB Christian Counseling provides counseling services at The Mineral Wellness Center.
At FMB Christian Counseling, we are committed to helping individuals navigate life’s challenges through faith-based guidance and understanding. We work to create an environment of healing, acceptance, and transformation by helping you apply biblical scripture to every day life circumstances.
At FMB Christian Counseling, we offer a variety of Christian counseling services that include Temperament Therapy, Individual and Group Counseling with a focus on addiction, stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse, grief, co-dependency and finding your purpose.
FMB Christian Counseling is dedicated to serving the community by providing compassionate Christian counseling services in a safe and non-judgmental home-like environment. Our goal is to enable people to achieve greater emotional and spiritual health. We believe that God is the ultimate counselor supplying us with all the necessary resources to find true healing and freedom. Using biblical truths, we will help you find your identity in Christ equipping you to better handle the many stresses and pressures of life. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we will help you to find freedom from your strongholds so that God can use you for His true purpose and you can then in turn make a difference in the lives of others!
Fawn’s personal journey through hardships and her triumph over challenges give her a deep, empathetic perspective, making her a relatable and compassionate counselor.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I dont believe in luck. I believe in God. God has a plan and a path for each of us and if we are obedient and stay on His path, I believe we are in alignment with our God given purpose and path. Obedience and faith play a huge role as well!
Pricing:
- Sessions are 75.00 for each session hour.
- We do not take insurance.
- We offer a sliding scale fee based on income.
- We have a benevolence fund, funded by local grants and donors that enables us to lower the cost of counseling services.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mineralwellnesscenter.org/ https://fmbchristiancounseling.com/
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