Compassionate Counselors
HopeWell has a trained team of pastors and counselors skilled in helping clients work through interpersonal and mental health issues using sound biblical counseling practices.
Trainers for the Church
HopeWell Ministries is a vehicle to Gospel-centered change for hurt and wounded people, working partnership with the local church by:
- Providing theologically sound and skilled counseling when complex issues rise beyond the ability of trained lay helpers.
- Providing local pastors with a safe place to which they can refer parishioners for counselors.
- Partnering with local churches equipping lay leaders to support people in need.
- Offering consulting services for church leadership as they seek to serve individuals and couples in their congregations.
Meet our Christian Care Team
We look forward to working with you.
Rev. Cron Gibson
Founder, Executive Director
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, Master of Divinity, Clinical Member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
As a pastor, I have been serving individuals and couples who have been wounded by emotional, sexual, physical, and spiritual brokenness. My passion is helping people find life-transforming hope, build deep and satisfying relationships with others, and learn peace in their own souls in the midst of the deepest struggles in their lives and relationships. My vision for HopeWell came out of my own story and my experience as a pastor. I work with a great team to integrate sound psychological principles into a vibrant and deeply rooted Christian understanding of God, people, and life.

Leslie Macchia, LPC
Clinical Director
Master of Arts in Community Counseling
I received a Master of Arts in Community Counseling from Regent University in Virginia Beach following my undergraduate experience at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Both educational experiences were formative in the way I view and practice spiritual integration in the helping professions. My experience has led me through work with adolescents in residential facilities as well as 18 years of work in pregnancy center counseling and management. I have enjoyed working with a variety of ages, races, and stages of life as they face and work through crisis and I am passionate about helping people break free from bondage. I am additionally trained in EMDR, an empirically researched and evidenced based approach to treating trauma. My own story has driven an additional interest in walking alongside individuals impacted by marital difficulties and divorce. I appreciate that Hopewell offers a unique opportunity to integrate faith in practice. A true extrovert, I enjoy spending my free time with my husband, my two wonderful children, and many great friends.

Traci Via
Counseling Ministry Associate
Master of Arts in Counselor Education
Knowing that my heart’s desire is to help love and care for hurting people, I completed my bachelors and masters degrees from the University of VIrginia in Psychology, Religious Studies, and Counselor Education to help me pursue my calling and my passion. I have struggled with a lifelong genetic condition that brings me invisible pain, and I am also a recent cancer survivor. As I personally walked and continue to walk the path of physical illness, both visible and invisible, God has taught me so much about how He loves us. Combining the experience I have gained as a counselor in high schools, nursing homes, at Hopewell, and across life, I hope to come alongside people who are hurting or confused whether they are old or young, single or married; offering hope, support, and peace through a deeper understanding of His love.

Corina Kojack
Board Certified Pastoral Counselor
Master of Arts in Counseling
I am a Board Certified Pastoral Counselor credentialed with the International Board of Christian Counselors and ordained through The River Revival Network. I started working in lay ministry in the areas of addiction and sexual and relational brokenness in 2002. I received my Masters in Counseling from Regent University in 2004 and worked as a professional counselor from 2005-2023. I have worked as a supervisor for counseling graduates within their Virginia residencies since 2014.
Everyone’s journey and path is unique to them. There is not a record in the gospels of Jesus healing the same way as he did in another encounter. There are lots of tools and options, and healing is expedited when you let the Lord light the path. My goal is to lead individuals to a safe place to learn how to work through hurt, rejection, bad experience, stress and insecurities and allow the Healer to guide them into a life of balanced health. Trauma takes a toll on the body. Using body-mind techniques, address the body and the way the body stores emotions.

Ron Jones
Pastoral Counseling
Master of Arts in Biblical Studies and Counseling
I joined HopeWell because I believe in our mission to provide quality psychological care that is fully integrated into a Christian worldview. As a pastor and counselor, I’ve seen that there is nothing the nearness of Christ can’t overcome. My wife and I have been married over thirty years and raised two children while I served as a Navy Officer and as a minister – two vocations that place unique demands upon marriages and families. I have 20 years’ experience working with men in discipling relationships. I hold a Master’s degrees in Biblical Studies and Counseling. My goal in counseling is to make myself available to people and God and have Him lead us to His genius solutions to our difficulties.

Ken Shomo
Pastoral Counseling
Master of Divinity
My primary areas of focus are marriage and relationship counseling, serving ministry leaders, and guidance for spiritual and emotional health. I’ve been married 22 years and our family has learned God’s grace through challenging seasons of special needs and chronic illness; an adoption journey; and decades of ministry leadership. I know there is good news and hope for each stage of life, and that God has created us to flourish within the context of compassionate, healing relationships. I earned an M.Div from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis in 2003, where I’m currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree in Advanced Models for Pastoral Counseling. I’ve received advanced training in couple’s counseling through the International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT) and additionally through the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (CCEF).

Mary Simms
Licensed Professional Counselor
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
I graduated with a Master’s in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary in 2016, and I received a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of the Cumberlands in 2019. I have counseled in hospitals, elementary and middle schools, on a crisis line, and in private practice. I work with adults, adolescents, and children, and with a variety of issues like anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties.
I believe that every person’s heart and history is unique, and as a result, counseling is a custom-made experience. While the interventions I use may differ from person-to-person, my counseling approach draws mainly from cognitive-behavioral and existential theories, which emphasize the value of exploring the beliefs beneath our behaviors and relational patterns. I also enjoy using art, creative techniques, and play therapy in counseling to make the abstract and difficult issues of life, faith, and mental health more accessible.

Laura Sprinkle
Resident In Counseling
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
I received my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from East Carolina University in 2001. Over the next 14 years, as I worked in full time ministry serving at-risk youth and families, I found that I longed to learn the necessary skills to help hurting individuals reach the place of healing and wholeness that will enable them to walk out their God given potential in life. As a result, in 2015, I moved to Virginia Beach to enter the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Regent University. I believe that every person, no matter who they are, how they feel, or what they have done is born in the image of God and is immeasurably loved by a good Father. My hope is that I can help individuals who are stuck in places of grief, uncertainty, or hopelessness to discover the place of healing and hope, so that they may live out the abundant life that God has planned for them to live.

Wendy King
Counseling Ministry Associate
Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling
I received my Bachelor’s degree in Family Studies from Messiah College in 2002. Afterwards I moved to Texas to grow in my understanding of discipleship and counseling. I worked on staff at a local church with their youth ministry for ten years. During this time, in 2008, I also received my Masters in Biblical counseling at Dallas Theological Seminary. Through the years I have counseled high school and college students, individuals and married couples. I have a passion for helping people find healing and change through exploring their stories and seeing Jesus in the midst. I consider it a privilege to walk alongside people in depression, anxiety, life changes, family dynamics, and many other circumstances. I was born and raised in Norfolk, where I now live with my husband and two kids.

Juan David Mejia, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
I am a licensed professional counselor in the state of Virginia. I received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology and History from William Paterson University, a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from Nyack’s Alliance Graduate School of Counseling and a Master’s of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before working as a professional counselor I served as a pastor for 6 years.
I specialize in working with couples, individuals in Christian ministry, and adults dealing with anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship challenges, and sexual brokenness. As a Christian counselor, I seek to counsel from a biblical perspective and utilize a gospel-centered approach. In addition, I draw from a variety of therapeutic approaches according to the client’s specific needs. Mainly, I use interventions and insights from Attachment Theory, Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method. I feel blessed to work at Hopewell and grateful for the opportunity of walking alongside people through their challenges and suffering.

Julie Smead
Resident in Counseling
Master of Arts in Counseling
As a Virginia Beach native, I love having the opportunity to work in my hometown helping individuals and families find hope and healing. I have been married to my husband Chris for over 16 years, and together we have four children. I graduated from the University of Virginia (go Cavaliers!) before pursuing my Masters Degree in Counseling. I enjoy working with individuals and families, helping navigate issues of trauma, grief, loss, relationship struggles and more. Additionally, I am an EMDR trained practitioner with specialized training in Somatic and Attachment focused EMDR. In my spare time, you can find me enjoying the outdoors with my family, drinking coffee with friends, or teaching fitness classes at the YMCA.

Michelle Mejia
Registered Art Therapist Provisional, ATR-P
I joined the HopeWell team because I am passionate about God, His Word, and serving people through counseling and ministry. I have a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Art Therapy from Pennsylvania Western University.
I have experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families both in the local church and in numerous behavioral health settings including inpatient facilities and as an in-home counselor. I enjoy working with people in all seasons of life and utilizing diverse therapeutic models, art interventions, and creative techniques as a way of encouraging self-awareness, emotional intelligence, healing, growth, and change. On my days off you can usually find me practicing self-care by painting, tidying my home, or hanging out with my husband while we read together or catch up on our days over an iced latte.

Josh Phillips
Resident in Counseling
I graduated from William and Mary with my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I have experience working with adolescents and adults through complex issues like anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress across contexts including hospital, university and private practice settings.
People go through a range of painful experiences which negatively impact thoughts, feelings and behaviors. In turn, I understand that forming an alliance to collaboratively and gracefully explore someone’s story reveals the healing power of the Gospel of Christ. This can be a difficult and beautiful process that leads to a healthier, more vibrant life. In my free time, I enjoy being alongside my brothers and friends in addition to engaging in life-giving activities like sailing, sports, and reading!

Cassie Phillips
Intern
As an ambassador for Christ, I believe what He has delivered me from has empowered me to help others through the Holy Spirit. I specialize in addictions counseling, trauma healing, group therapy, premarital counseling, and working with those who have experienced the criminal justice system. I have worked in a variety of counseling settings, over the past three years including helping open an inpatient treatment center and running a substance-abuse program at a local jail. Jesus and discipleship are the focal points of my counseling because without the Lord, lasting change cannot occur. I have 8 years of personal experience in being delivered from a myriad of addictions and I will walk with you as the Lord delivers you, too. Whether you need someone to listen, emphasize, or guide, I am here to love, encourage, and challenge you into knowing the Lord and the specific call He has for you.
I have a Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Criminal Justice Administration and am pursuing a Masters in Addictions Counseling from Liberty University. I color my practice with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy since I find they are closely aligned with the Gospel.
Your Support Can Change a Life
Your gifts to HopeWell are tax deductible. More importantly, your gifts can literally save someone's life. We help people all the time who don't have the funds to get the help they need. In order for us to continue helping them, we need scholarship funds to provide for them. Would you give today to help provide for men, women, and children who need help? You can be the answer to their prayers.