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Resources

Resources to accompany the course and support your engagement with story and meaning.

View Syllabus

This course is made up of teaching sessions led by Ann Maree and Melissa, with Student Lounge lessons woven between for guided reflection and dialogue.

The resources below are provided to support learning, reflection, and personal formation throughout the course. Not every resource is required, and learners are encouraged to engage at a pace that supports thoughtful participation rather than completion for completion’s sake.

Jump to Core Journals
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Core Journals

Note on course readings

Several themes and practices in this course draw from Your Story Matters by Leslie Leyland Fields, which serves as a foundational text for the curriculum. Students engaging the book in print or audio form may recognize shared language and concepts across the journals and teaching. 

Reading Journal

This Reading Journal accompanies the required readings. It is designed to support careful reading and reflection.

Students may use the printable PDF to take notes as they read. Although this is for your own use, an online assignment is required for The Other Half of Church and Suffering and the Heart of God. Responses are not graded for correctness and may be brief.

Open Reading Journal

Remember Journal

This Remember Journal is a devotional and formational resource intended for personal use alongside the course. These pages reflect themes of remembrance and meaning that appear throughout the teaching and readings.

These journal pages are not submitted or assessed but provided as a resource for reflection and integration.

Open Remember Journal

Teaching Session Resources

Teaching Outlines and Instructor Notes are grouped by lesson number to support continuity and ease of reference as you move through the course. These materials support the teaching sessions led by Ann Maree and Melissa. 

Teaching Outlines

Teaching Outlines provide a structural overview of each teaching session. They are offered to support listening, review, and integration of the material presented in class.

Instructor Notes

Instructor Notes expand on the teaching outlines and reflect the instructors’ prepared material for each session. These notes offer additional depth and clarity for those who wish to review or engage the content more closely.

Teaching sessions only (Student Lounge lessons do not include outlines or notes).

Outline
Notes
Outline
Notes
Outline
Notes
Outline
Notes
Outline
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Outline
Notes

Referenced Articles & Readings

These readings are cited or discussed during teaching sessions and are provided here for further reflection and context. They are not required for course completion but offer depth for those who wish to engage the material more fully.

Some readings are drawn from published works referenced throughout the course.

Your Turn 

Included with the book by Leslie Leyland Fields, Your Story Matters is a companion writing guide, Your Turn, which provides practical guidance for shaping and articulating one’s personal story. You will be working through these to help you in your overall listening and writing.

Observation Journal Template (Film Assignment)
Used alongside the course’s observation assignment to support guided noticing, reflection, and integration.

Journal Template

The Controversy Behind the False Memory Syndrome Foundation
(Referenced in Lesson ___)

Open Article

Puritan Resources for Biblical Counseling
(Referenced in Lesson ___)

Open Article

Proverbs, Perspective, and the NFL
(Referenced in Lesson 3)

Open Article

Jesus Is My Captain
(Referenced in Lesson 5)

Open Reeading
Jump to Core Journals
Jump toTeaching Sessions
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Syllabus - Your Story Matters

Open PDF Syllabus

Details

Instructors: Ann Maree Goudzwaard and Melissa Affolter
Contact: learning@helpher.help

Course Purpose & Learning Aims

This course is designed to foster thoughtful and careful engagement with the role of story, memory, and meaning within the Christian life and in the care of others.

Through engagement with the course material, learners will:

  • Become familiar with key terminology and concepts related to story work
  • Explore a biblical framework for one-another care, particularly with women in crisis within the church
  • Consider theological and practical approaches to stewarding stories with wisdom and restraint
  • Reflect on how stories are held, remembered, and shared for the benefit of others
  • Think creatively and critically about integrating trauma-aware practices within biblical care

Course Structure

The course is organized around four primary movements:

  • Introduction
  • Remember
  • Story
  • Application

Each section includes teaching videos, guided readings, and reflection prompts. Content is organized by week for ease of navigation, though you are not required to follow a fixed schedule.

How This Course Is Designed to Be Used

This course is offered as a self-paced learning environment. You are encouraged to move through the material in a way that is attentive to your own capacity, responsibilities, and season.

Some learners move steadily through the course, while others pause, return to earlier material, or engage selectively with certain sections. There is no expectation of live participation, public sharing, or interaction with other learners.

The course prioritizes discernment over speed and care over performance.

Readings Assignments

The following texts form the primary reading foundation for the course:

  • The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder & Michel Hendricks
    (Required reading + journal assignment)
    Purchase on Amazon
  • Suffering and the Heart of God by Diane Langberg
    (Required reading + journal assignment)
    Purchase on Amazon.
  • Your Story Matters by Leslie Leyland Fields  
    (Required reading)
    Purchase on Amazon.

Reflective & Writing Practices

Required reading journals accompany selected course texts and are completed within the course platform as part of the certification requirements.

Throughout the course, learners engage in reflective and writing practices that are integral to course completion, including:

  • Required reading journal assignments connected to assigned texts
  • Guided reflection and writing prompts related to teaching content
  • Additional reflective exercises that support integration of course themes

Some reflective activities include optional creative formats, such as timeline or vignette work, for learners who find visual or narrative processing helpful.

These practices are intended to support thoughtful engagement and integration. Learners are not required to share personal material with instructors or other participants beyond what is outlined in the course requirements.

Care, Discernment, & Content Notes

Some course themes address suffering, trauma, and difficult relational experiences. You are encouraged to engage with this material thoughtfully and to take breaks as needed.

An optional observation assignment involving a film series is included as a learning tool. Engagement with this material is not required and may be filtered or omitted entirely based on personal discernment. Detailed content notes are provided for those who choose to participate.

If at any point the material feels overwhelming, you are encouraged to pause and seek appropriate support outside the course environment.

Communication & Support

For questions related to course access, materials, or logistics, please contact: learning@helpher.help

Course Evaluation

A brief course evaluation is required at the conclusion of the course and is completed digitally within the course platform. Completion of the evaluation is part of the requirements for receiving a Certificate of Completion. Your thoughts matter.

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