Rev. Dr. Cindy R. Wallace

Education:

Bachelor of Music; William Carey College

Master of Divinity; George W. Truett Theological Seminary

Master of Education in Clinical Mental Heath Counseling; The College of William & Mary

Doctor of Ministry; Columbia Theological Seminary

Courses Taught:

Assisting Individuals in Crisis, Group Crisis Intervention

Research Interests:

Grief & Loss, Trauma, Moral injury, Suicide Prevention and Postvention, Crisis Support, Social Justice

Publications:

From Loss to Life and Back Again: A Curriculum for Grief Groups, Facilitator and Participant Guides. (2024, January 18). Self-published Curriculum.

“Coping With Grief in a Season of Joy,” Wellness Wednesday: Motivating and partnering with Veterans to live whole health. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, November 29, 2022.

“Suicide Prevention and Awareness Includes Postvention Efforts,” Wellness Wednesday: Motivating and partnering with Veterans to live whole health. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, August 30, 2022.

"Cues from dementia patients offer openings to break through isolation, withdrawal," Catholic Health World, Vol. 33, No 19 (November 1, 2017).

“Helping Churches Care: Grief Ministry in Action” online article with Oates Journal, May 2013

About:

Cindy Wallace was born and raised in the small community of Mendenhall, MS where she grew up in church surrounded by lots of extended family. She has been volunteering in church since middle school and had her first paid ministry position at 17 She has worked with youth, children, music, education, and has preached in churches throughout Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, and Virginia. She has had the privilege of serving in ministry projects in Texas, California, Mexico, Jamaica, and South Africa. She started her professional career as an elementary school teacher while working part-time in churches, but soon felt a call to attend seminary. While in seminary she took a Clinical Pastoral Orientation course and fell in love with chaplaincy! After working full-time at a church for a few years, she eventually found her way into full-time chaplaincy. She has served as a chaplain in a trauma hospital, children's hospital, home and residential hospice, and behavioral health hospital. Rev. Dr. Wallace studied pastoral care in her doctoral work and completed her DMin project on grief support in the local church setting.

Rev. Dr. Wallace and her husband, Robert (also the Rev. Dr. Wallace), have lived in Texas, Georgia, Illinois, and now Virginia. Rev. Dr. Wallace moved here after her husband was called as the Senior Pastor at McLean Baptist Church in McLean, VA. Rev. Dr. Wallace currently serves as the Mental Health Chaplain at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center where she started working in 2019. She serves veterans in inpatient and outpatient mental health settings, serves as the Chair of the Suicide Postvention Team providing grief support to colleagues and families, and Chair of the Critical Incident Stress Management Team, leading a team of peer volunteers to support staff after critical incidents. She is board certified through the Association of Professional Chaplains, specialty certified in Suicide Prevention with the National VA Chaplain's Association, certified in Critical Incident Stress Management with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, and is a Certified Thanatologist with the Association of Death Education and Counseling. She recently completed her Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and sees private clients as a Resident in Counseling in Virginia. Her latest publication is an 8-week grief curriculum for facilitators and participants titled, From Loss to Life and Back Again, available on Amazon. Rev. Dr. Wallace is a sought out speaker for churches and institutions across the DMV.

Rev. Dr. Wallace and her husband have two young adult sons and a spoiled Beagle-Corgi mix, named Molly.