Counseling

When Debbie Naugle and her teenage daughter Brittany Ward have a major disagreement, they might raise their voices. But they always talk their way out of the problem and into a resolution. Interviewed at Valley Mall with her mom, Brittany, 16, said she wins most of the time, but admits that while she's winning the argument she's also making most of the concessions. The communication and mutual respect the Falling Waters, W.Va., mother and daughter maintain are keys to family members resolving their disputes, said Ryan Trout, a volunteer mediator with Washington County Community Mediation Center.

The Washington County Community Action Council has seen a substantial increase in people asking for help with home foreclosures. CAC Executive Director David G. Jordan said the organization has hired an extra counselor to handle the increase. "We used to serve maybe 10 or 20 people a year. Now it's more like 10 a month. And I'm sure the number will go up," Jordan said. For several years, CAC has offered mortgage foreclosure counseling. While the organization does not have money to offer people who are behind on their house payments, they have three counselors who sometimes can convince lenders to work out different payment plans.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The founder of the West Virginia Society of Ghost Hunters is expected to be evaluated by state officials for 60 days before 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Gray Silver III sentences her on convictions of practicing medicine and counseling without a license. Susan R. Crites, 57, of 208 Ruffed Grouse Lane in Berkeley County, was found guilty in September of three counts of unauthorized practice of medicine without a license and four counts of unauthorized counseling without a license.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. ? The founder of the West Virginia Society of Ghost Hunters is expected to be evaluated by state officials for 60 days before 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Gray Silver III sentences her on convictions of practicing medicine and counseling without a license. Susan R. Crites, 57, of 208 Ruffed Grouse Lane in Berkeley County, was found guilty in September of three counts of unauthorized practice of medicine without a license and four counts of unauthorized counseling without a license.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - The founder of the West Virginia Society of Ghost Hunters was found guilty Friday of practicing medicine and counseling without a license, after two days of trial. Susan R. Crites, 56, of 208 Ruffed Grouse Lane, is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. on Dec. 10. She was found guilty of three counts of unauthorized practice of medicine without a license and five counts of unauthorized counseling without a license, Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela J. Games-Neely said.

A prisoner's perspective on prisons To the editor: Over the last three decades, the people responsible for the ideological direction of the Maryland Division of Correction have waffled between rehabilitation and treatment, to "lock them up and throw away the key" warehousing. Neither concept proved to be enough of a continued success to sustain itself. In those same 30 years, none of those empowered officials thought to ask the only ones who definitely know what rules, regulations, programs, rewards and punishments will and will not work.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - He started off with a joke, but only a few in the audience seemed to understand it. "Little microphones have a way of picking up my voice," John Dean said as he held a microphone up Saturday, referencing the microphones Richard Nixon had hidden in the White House and used to secretly tape conversations during his presidency. Dean, who worked as Nixon's White House counsel, was involved in the Watergate scandal, and later testified for the prosecution about it, helping to expose Nixon's role in the matter.

End-of-life discussion FREDERICK, Md. - A representative from Compassion and Choices will speak at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, at C. Burr Artz Public Library, 110 E. Patrick St. The organization provides end-of-life counseling and support for dying patients and their loved ones. The event is free and open to the public.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Natalie Newcomer spent 17 years in banking and has used that experience to help other people get their houses in order as the executive director of Maranatha, a faith-based nonprofit organization she founded in 1991. Born and raised in Franklin County, Pa., Newcomer and her husband, Bennett, lived and worked in the Washington, D.C., area for years before returning to take care of aging parents. "I had a hard time finding a job because everyone told me I was overqualified," the former banking officer said.

Name of business: Women's Christian Care Center Owners: Bill and Dianne Kleckner with associates Clarence and Kathy Horst Address: 1309 Pennsylvania Ave., Hagerstown Opening date: Nov. 1, 2005 Services: Professional Christian counseling to women and their families. Psychodynamic model of therapy for sexual and physical abuse victims, marriage and sex therapy, other mental disorders such as personality disorders, mood disorders, sexual disorders, anxiety disorders, identity/dissociative disorders.