RYH Frequently Asked QUESTIONS
We are thrilled with your interest in a Restoring Your Heart group or ministry. Please take a look at the FAQs below, or contact the RYH HQ team by emailing ryh@disciplebuilding.org.
General Questions about RYH
What is Restoring Your Heart?
RYH is a process for emotional healing. RYH’s safe, small group experiences help people become aware of how hurts from their past may be still affecting them; learn how to grieve and understand their emotions; begin the process of forgiveness; address the shame they may be carrying; and help them identify and healthily address their needs that have gone unmet. As people heal and become more whole, their relationships do too – the relationships they have with themselves, with God, and with others.
How does the RYH process work?
RYH’s process for emotional healing happens through a series of safe, gender-specific small group experiences that are led by a trained facilitator. Each participant obtains and uses a workbook to help them through a guided process of self-discovery. Weekly discussions and sharing among the group participants lead to powerful breakthroughs, greater self-awareness, and ultimately, healing.
What group experiences are available?
RYH has one introductory group experience called How Emotional Problems Develop. This 4-week group experience does not require a trained facilitator, and can be a mixed-gender group. A PDF version of this book is available for free on the Restoring Your Heart website. Anyone can read or lead an HEPD group and learn more about where long-term emotional struggles form and how they can begin the journey toward healing.
There are four (4) primary RYH group experiences, each with a corresponding workbook:
- Processing Pain (focuses on the family of origin, grieving losses, and forgiveness)
- Understanding Emotions (helps participants to identify, feel, and express emotions – especially “negative” emotions like anger and fear)
- Conquering Shame* (explores what shame is, its effects, and how to overcome it)
- Created With Needs* (addresses how to identify and understand emotional, physical and relational needs and how to get those needs met in healthy ways)
Visit the restoringyourheart.com/groups page to learn more, purchase workbooks, view upcoming groups, or add yourself to the waitlist.
*Participants must have completed Processing Pain AND Understanding Emotions in order to join a Conquering Shame group or a Created with Needs group.
How do I begin the RYH process?
We strongly recommend Processing Pain as the first group experience (it lays the foundation for all the other groups) followed by Understanding Emotions. Conquering Shame and Created With Needs can be taken in any order upon completion of both Processing Pain and Understanding Emotions.
To join a group, visit restoringyourheart.com/groups to view upcoming groups or add your information to the waitlist. An RYH Coordinator will contact you as pertinent groups become available. If you would like to speak to an RYH Manager or Coordinator first before deciding to join a group or sign up for the waitlist, you may email ryh@disciplebuilding.org, or call 770-460-1337.
How long are the group experiences / workbooks?
The workbooks vary in length, from 9 lessons to 16 lessons. One lesson is covered per week, which the participants complete in advance of the joint group session. Participants are expected and encouraged to discuss and share about their homework in the group session.
Is there a cost to be in an RYH group?
Each RYH workbook costs $30*. They are available for purchase at restoringyourheart.com/groups. Other than the cost of the workbook, each group experience is offered for FREE so that anyone, anywhere can have access to healing.
Restoring Your Heart is a ministry empowered through the generous donations of others so that group experiences can remain free. If you encounter an RYH group experience that costs money, this may be an independent RYH site or leader who is choosing to charge a fee for their services.
*Discounts and scholarships for workbooks are available on a limited as-needed basis.
Is there a way to preview the RYH materials before purchasing them?
Yes, there is a Table of Contents and a sample lesson from each workbook that can be viewed by clicking the icon for each product on our web store.
Would there ever be a reason to NOT join an RYH group?
YES. If you are in the midst of a trauma or crisis, it is strongly recommended that you WAIT before joining an RYH group and seek professional counseling first. The reason this is recommended is because RYH groups will sometimes have the participant confront raw or strong emotions. If they are already in a fragile state before the groups begins, RYH groups can do more damage than healing.
Is RYH the same as counseling?
No. While RYH employs several principles of counseling, Restoring Your Heart is not the same as counseling or a substitution of counseling. Trained RYH facilitators are NOT professional licensed counselors. They are volunteers who have been comprehensively trained in group dynamics and the process of leading Restoring Your Heart groups. Professional counseling is highly recommended by the RYH Ministry Team.
How do I find out if there is an RYH group near me?
Many RYH groups are offered virtually, so that someone may join them from anywhere pending the time of the group works for them. Thankfully, RYH groups are available around the world, so there is likely a group that will work with your time zone!
The best way to find out about groups that will fit your time and location needs is to fill out the waitlist at restoringyourheart.com/groups or inquire with the RYH Coordinator team by emailing ryh@disciplebuilding.org.
For those who reside outside of the United States, you can fill out this waitlist to be helped by an Intl RYH Coordinator.
Questions about RYH Training
How can I help others experience emotional healing?
RYH has a specific training protocol for RYH group leaders that gives people the skills and knowledge they need to facilitate an RYH group.
There are specific groups of people, like trained counselors or people with other types of emotional healing experience and group dynamics training, that might be able to lead RYH groups with less training. Any exception to the RYH Training process will have to be approved by the RYH HQ team.
How does the RYH Training process work?
The first step in the training process is for all potential group leaders to participate in a Processing Pain group AND an Understanding Emotions group. Then the person can visit restoringyourheart.com/training to register for training groups or add their information to a training waitlist.
Training costs $125 and the RYH Training Manual costs $45.
There are several training options available to work with a person’s schedule or preferred method of learning.
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- In person training
- 10-week live virtual training (similar to a normal RYH groups format, trainees complete the reading on their own, then come together for a weekly virtual group training session, typically lasting from 1.5 hours to 2 hours.)
- Self-paced online training (for those who cannot make regular group trainings work, a new self-paced training option combining reading, video modules, and assessments are available. Participants are required to attend 1-2 live weekend training intensives to experience specialized group dynamic scenario training.
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Learn more about RYH facilitator training at restoringyourheart.com/training.
Is there a specific workbook for RYH Training?
RYH trainees must obtain the RYH Training Manual before their training program begins. The training manual has a cost of $45* and can be purchased at restoringyourheart.com/training.
*Discounts and scholarships are available on a limited as-needed basis.
Questions About Launching an RYH Ministry in a Church
What information can I share with my pastor about RYH?
Feel free to share the restoringyourheart.com website, or direct your pastor or church leaders to restoringyourheart.com/pastors-and-church-leaders/
Encourage your pastor to read How Emotional Problems Develop (a free PDF download is available on our website) or to contact us to schedule a virtual consultation with an RYH Ministry Team. We can provide other written resources and promotional literature to help explain the RYH ministry.
Do I need permission from my pastor to start an RYH group in my church?
If you would like your church to host & advertise RYH groups, you will need to gain your pastor’s (or church leadership’s) blessing and permission. You will also need their help in coordinating scheduling, announcements, and promotions for the groups.
If you are trained as an RYH facilitator, you can certainly lead groups from your home, virtually, or from another private mutual location.
What is the process for launching an RYH Ministry in my church?
With the coordination of the RYH Ministry Team and the church leadership:
- Identify a group of men and women who feel called to help people heal from emotional and relational hurts.
- A trained RYH facilitator will take them through a Processing Pain group and then an Understanding Emotions group (all groups are gender-specific; males with males, females with females).
- Future leaders choose an appropriate training path to become trained RYH group leaders.
- After completion of training, trainees complete an training exit interview with RYH Trainer.
- Trained leaders co-facilitate a group (ideal if they can co-facilitate with a seasoned facilitator).
- After co-facilitating a group, facilitators may be ready to begin leading groups without a co-facilitator, but are welcome to co-facilitate if this is more beneficial or comfortable.
- Identify someone at the church who can coordinate the church’s RYH groups and schedule leaders to lead.
RYH has a Guidebook that explains all the nuts and bolts of having an RYH ministry in your church or organization.
*Discounts and scholarships are available on a limited as-needed basis.
What kind of people in my church will benefit from an RYH group?
Everyone in your church will benefit from participating in an RYH group. Studies show that 80% of people in the church have unprocessed pain that is significantly affecting their view of God, their view of others, and their view of self, and is hindering them from growing spiritually.
In general, people don’t know how to deal with emotional pain or grieve responsibly, and many people have not experienced safe people “in church”. RYH groups effectively teach people how to be safe for each other, how to withhold judgment, and how to love each other well, as the church should! RYH gives people emotional tools, common language, and a process become emotionally healthy, whole, and free.
What kind of responses can I expect from individuals going through groups?
Most people going through a group will respond with surprise at the ease of sharing in the group, the level of intimacy that develops, the degree of safety provided by the group and the new insights they obtain about themselves. It is not uncommon for the bonds developed during the group to continue long after the group’s completion, providing a sense of ongoing community, safety, and friendship for those involved.
Is RYH biblical?
Yes, RYH is scripture-based and uses biblical truths to help people understand that they are created in the image of God, created with emotions, and that emotions play an important role. Participants are provided scriptural examples of how emotions can be experienced and expressed in a way that honors God and benefits relationships.
RYH was created as an integral part of one’s discipleship process, modeled after the restorative ministry of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 61:1-4 & Luke 4:18 are cornerstone verses to support the ministry of Restoring Your Heart.
How is an RYH group different from a bible study?
RYH groups are gender specific (men meet with men and women meet with women), led by trained facilitators, limited to 4-8 participants, and meet for a specific amount of time.
While RYH workbooks utilize Scripture as part of each lesson, RYH groups are not a typical direct bible study experience, but rather a journey of self-discovery in order to release past wounds and hurts and allow the Lord to bring the participants to a place of forgiveness and freedom. As people heal from past experiences, their capacity to grow spiritually can increase dramatically. It is not uncommon for a participant that has completed an RYH group to begin experiencing a growth spurt in their relationship with the Lord and with others.
RYH has also been used evangelistically among those who are not yet walking with the Lord or who do not have a well-developed relationship with the Lord. There have been several instances where someone has desired to join a more formal discipleship group or church community as a result of the healing and scriptural truth they encountered in their RYH group.
Questions for Counselors
How can I become trained to use RYH at my practice or with my clients?
Your experience as a professional counselor can both add and subtract in your ability to facilitate an RYH experience, which is why we highly recommend going through the normal training pathway to become a trained RYH facilitator. In some cases, your experience as a counselor can accelerate the training process. Please contact ryh@disciplebuilding.org to get in touch with an RYH Manager who can discuss your particular set of circumstances, your needs, and your expectations.
How do I begin using RYH as a tool to help my clients?
After training, we recommend reading How Emotional Problems Develop, a free download on our website. Then, purchase Processing Pain workbooks and begin a gender-specific small group among your clientele or a one-on-one study with a client.
Does RYH have other resources that could be helpful to my practice?
RYH has several workbooks that are designed for use in a confidential gender-specific small group: Processing Pain, Understanding Emotions, Conquering Shame, and Created With Needs. How Emotional Problems Develop can be led as a 4-week discussion with a mixed group or mixed clientele. Additionally, there is the RYH Training Manual that can be used for your personal reference and which contains helpful information from both a biblical perspective and an emotional/relational perspective.
Can I charge my clients a fee for participating in a RYH group that I lead?
This is up to you. A group offered through your practice can be an efficient way to increase your revenue.