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ENGAGE 19 ENGAGE 19 Dean Mitchell/iStock friends. Nicole's positive opinion of Alpha grew as she watched it operate as a gateway for some to learn about Christ and as a bridge back into community life for those who had been hurt by the church. "God used Alpha to help me be about what I've always wanted to be about." MOVING FORWARD Almost a decade after beginning seminary and getting involved with Alpha, Nicole is now the regional director of Alpha, as well as a practicing therapist. These two endeavors share a common thread of helping people wrestling with deep issues and those moments of reinvention where God is offering an opportunity for significant change. Her work as a counselor focuses largely on post-divorce care, social anxiety, and phobias. The clientele, primarily women, long to be honest about what needs healing, change, and restoration. Those who come to Alpha are in a similar spiritual state. "I love swimming in those waters with people," Nicole says. "Both groups are asking questions about identity and value, and those are paths I know how to walk." "God used Alpha to help me be about what I've always wanted to be about." "We don't build relationships with people because they are projects. We do it so we can show God's interest in them." His love becomes tangible through our expressions of it. As a result, He transforms—or reinvents—everyone in the process. Nicole Sidebottom MA COMMUNITY COUNSELING Nicole Sidebottom is a licensed professional counselor specializing in post-divorce care, anxiety, and phobias. She also serves as the regional director for the Alpha Course in Colorado.