Sharing Hope in Seasons of Grief
with Chaplain RobynWhat Others Are Saying
"Robyn has been given the gift of compassion... Robyn's depth of knowledge from her training in trauma and loss, her skills in developing trusting relationships and her passion for her calling as a companion to the bereaved constantly inspire me."
"As I reflect on Robyn's accomplishments, the lives she has enriched, the difference she has made, I am in awe. It was my privilege to be mentored by Robyn and have her as an influence in my life. Her desire and ability to give and keep giving is amazing."
About Robyn Plocher, M.Div.
Robyn J. Plocher, M.Div., is an Iowa native and a graduate of Westmar College, LeMars, Iowa, with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Psychology. At Westmar, she met and married Terry Plocher. After college, they moved to Indiana to attend Earlham School of Religion (Quaker). They have two grown children, Amber and Richard, and one grandchild, Noah.
While attending seminary, Robyn served as Associate Director of the Wesley Foundation at Ball State University, a United Methodist campus ministry. During her time at the Wesley Foundation, Robyn provided leadership for student mission trips. Compassionate care and assistance for those less fortunate were among the highest values of Robyn's upbringing. She has worked in the barrios of San Antonio, the mountainsides of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and participated in a peace mission tour to the former Soviet Union, among other experiences.
Robyn has always cared deeply for people who were grieving. She sought to understand and make sense of loss at a very young age. The death of three peers while a young adult and the birth of two children with congenital heart problems defined the course of Robyn's ministry in pastoral care.
In 1999, Robyn founded a pediatric grief recovery center serving the Iowa Quad Cities. As Founding Director of Rick's House of Hope, Robyn and those she trained used her approach to grief support called PlayCare. PlayCare blends the principles of play therapy with the practice of pastoral care. Around the same time, Robyn was certified by the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children as a School Trauma Specialist and Trauma Consultant. She also earned her Death and Grief Studies Certification from The Center for Loss and Life Transition and Colorado State University.
Robyn has lived out her passion for grief care as a funeral home AfterCare Specialist, Hospice Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator, and in parish ministry. Now retired, her heart for supporting those impacted by grief is as strong as ever.