Christian Counseling

Providing faith based counseling in Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota

More people are looking for Christian counseling that focuses on actively incorporating their spiritual beliefs into sessions. Each day I hear stories that in previous counseling experiences, spiritual and religious beliefs were never discussed or worse the faith being blamed as the problem itself. It is sad to think the aspect of spiritually gets neglected in counseling sessions so often as people of faith can tell you their spirituality:

Provides meaning and purpose in life
Helps find a new sense of strength
Is a key part in forming their identity
Often a way they develop community
Where they turn to when all else fails

I am not the only counselor who has noticed that people prefer to seek guidance from those who support, rather than challenge, their faith. In fact, according to a nationwide survey by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), 83% of Americans believe their spiritual faith and religious beliefs are closely tied to their state of mental and emotional health.

Three-quarters have stated it’s important for them to work with a therapist who integrates their values and beliefs into the counseling process. And more respondents said they would prefer to see a religious counselor (29%) than a psychiatrist (27%), psychologist (17%), or family doctor (13%).

Selecting the Right Christian Counselor to Work With

A majority of psychotherapists will leave out your faith from the counseling process or not be trained in how to incorporate your faith; your pastor may have the knowledge of your faith but lack the skills of a trained psychotherapist to help navigate your emotional health and relationships. Working with me, you have an experienced Christian counselor that will actively incorporate your faith in the therapy. I am happy to provide tools from psychology as well as from your spiritual life. We can use the strengths from your faith to help reframe unhealthy thoughts, finding meaning in the darkest moments, and focus on building the virtues God has given you. If you have questions, please reach out and I would be glad to talk about how I can help.

I am an actively practicing Catholic & Christian myself, and glad to provide Christian & Catholic theology in the counseling process. I also invite those that are wanting to incorporate their specific spiritual beliefs into the counseling and are having a hard time finding someone of the same faith background to reach out and see if I would be a good fit for you. I have a deep respect for spirituality and welcome the discussion.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed” Luke 4:18

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Christian Counseling FAQs

How is the faith incorporated in Christian counseling sessions?

There are many different ways I can involve your Christian faith into the counseling sessions, a few include:

Exploring and developing particular virtues God has given you
How to draw closer to your spiritual supports and use them in times of stress
Using spiritual discernment to help navigate your thoughts (understanding truths versus lies)

What's the difference between Christian counseling and spiritual direction?

Spiritual direction’s primary focus on deepening your relationship with God and there can be some carry over to exploring where God is leading your life. While Christian counseling can focus on spiritual growth; the primary focus will be using your spiritual strengths to help you navigate the challenges in your life. This can involve emotional health (as I am a psychotherapist), relationships and stressors.

What if I have had so many negative experiences with Christians, why should I work with a Christian counselor?

Many people come to me to specifically work on healing in relationships from other Christians or the Church. I also have many people that want to work through their struggles with their relationship with God. I can tell you I am a professional counselor and the counseling is focused on your particular goals, not my agenda. I can help navigate matters with faith, even if you have had many negative experiences with Christians, I offer a non-judgement place to process everything.