Christian Counseling
Providing faith based counseling
At this point you may be feeling disconnected from God. Either you had a close relationship with God, then life happened and your relationship with the Creator faded, or you have never had a spiritual encounter until recently and are wondering what does a relationship with God look like. You know there is something more to life and coming back to our Lord is going to be the turning point in your story.
I am here to help guide you closer to your faith and show you how to stay connected to the vine, Jesus Christ. 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. People tell me daily how empty the counseling can feel when you miss the most important dimension to our life.
It is sad to think the aspect of spirituality 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 past nationwide survey by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (now under ACPE), 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 navigate through unhealthy thoughts, find meaning in the most challenging 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. Ultimately, Christians see strengthing and restoring their relationship with God as a part of well-being. Christian counseling can include the practicals of deepening your connection with Christ and becoming more like the Master. Being discipled by Christ has the impact to change your lifestyle, how you respond to your relationships, and how you heal from your insecurities. Learn more about faith-based therapy and counseling here.
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