Since 1988 the purpose of Kindred Spirit Ministries (KSM) has been to provide Biblical/Clinical based counseling to anyone who requested such services but specifically to those who had limited financial resources. In 1992, the first counseling office opened in San Leandro, Ca. and shortly after that the Board of Directors (BoDs) approved opening a second location in Dublin, Ca. In 1994, a third counseling center started in Pleasanton, Ca.
In 1996, KSM’s BoDs approved expanding the ministry to the state of Nevada. Church leaders in the Reno area agreed to provide church/office space at no charge in exchange for providing counseling to their congregation. Churches were now offered services more readily available to each congregational member. In 2001, after Dr. Kahle's wife passed away, he became involved in assisting those in the first responder fields of police, fire, paramedics, etc., via the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) model. CISM is a Peer-Based approach toward dealing with stress encountered by EMS personnel during emergency response situations, and the after-effects of such incidents. He completed numerous courses under the CISM umbrella, including "Train-the-Trainer" courses, which equipped him to teach classes to those in the emergency response fields. Dr. Kahle focused his energies towards law enforcement, due to his prior involvement as a reserve deputy sheriff in California. He became a member of a Regional Nevada CISM Team in 2002. The team provides CISM debriefings to anyone in the EMS fields in Nevada who requests its services.
In 2002, Dr. Kahle became a Chaplain for the Truckee Meadows Law Enforcement Chaplaincy, focusing his services toward the Washoe County Sheriff's Office in Reno, Nevada. During this time he also became a member of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office CISM team, which provided its services primarily to law enforcement personnel from various agencies in both Nevada and California. As Dr. Kahle's utilization expanded, thus did Kindred Spirit Ministries.
Although counseling has always been the ministries' mainstay, these life-changing experiences redirected Dr. Kahle's life; likewise, Kindred Spirit Ministries expanded into new areas. News headlines reflect what is happening in our communities: terrorism, natural disasters, and fear of pandemics. Individuals having careers in law enforcement and the military, by their very nature, have inherent dangers that at times call for incredible amounts of restraint. When restraint is implemented with regularity, especially in cities with a high rate of violent crime or the venue of combat, the result can manifest itself in heightened stress levels.
