What is Christian Counseling?
Christian counseling is type of pastoral counseling that helps Christian clients utilize the resources of their faith to help them grow relationally, emotionally, and spiritually. All of our pastoral counselors and spiritually-integrated psychotherapists who provide Christian counseling are equipped and trained in integrating the insights of Christian spirituality with counseling skill and theory.
What Christian counseling is not.
Christian counseling is not coercive, manipulative, and doesn't seek to judge or evaluate people's faith or spiritual maturity. Christian counseling that is ethical seeks to incorporate clinical insight with the theological understanding of the care-receiver. While utilizing biblical principles, it doesn't “overspiritualize” issues that might have a mental or physiological cause. Clients will be referred to outside sources when treatment required is beyond the scope of care available here. When a client is wanting to talk about God or spirituality, all of our counselors are equipped and ready to go there. The spiritual care that we provide is client-centered — meaning that we don't push our beliefs on anyone, but trust each person to cultivate and strengthen their own relationship with God.
What happens in a Christian counseling session?
Our counselors may ask about your faith background and spiritual journey. We may invite you to talk about your relationship with God, how you worship, and whether you use spiritual practices in your own walk with God. We may ask whether there has been any church hurt or even trauma that has intersected with your faith journey. If requested by the client, the counselor may suggest certain prayers, scriptures, spiritual disciplines, books, and other resources to facilitate growth inside and outside counseling sessions.
If you've never been to counseling, or if you've been numerous times before, our goal is to make you feel at ease and comfortable enough to talk about what's on your heart. Our goal is to equip you in your walk with God and others so you can find healing and even deepen your faith in the process.
What Christian counseling is not.
Christian counseling is not coercive, manipulative, and doesn't seek to judge or evaluate people's faith or spiritual maturity. Christian counseling that is ethical seeks to incorporate clinical insight with the theological understanding of the care-receiver. While utilizing biblical principles, it doesn't “overspiritualize” issues that might have a mental or physiological cause. Clients will be referred to outside sources when treatment required is beyond the scope of care available here. When a client is wanting to talk about God or spirituality, all of our counselors are equipped and ready to go there. The spiritual care that we provide is client-centered — meaning that we don't push our beliefs on anyone, but trust each person to cultivate and strengthen their own relationship with God.
What happens in a Christian counseling session?
Our counselors may ask about your faith background and spiritual journey. We may invite you to talk about your relationship with God, how you worship, and whether you use spiritual practices in your own walk with God. We may ask whether there has been any church hurt or even trauma that has intersected with your faith journey. If requested by the client, the counselor may suggest certain prayers, scriptures, spiritual disciplines, books, and other resources to facilitate growth inside and outside counseling sessions.
If you've never been to counseling, or if you've been numerous times before, our goal is to make you feel at ease and comfortable enough to talk about what's on your heart. Our goal is to equip you in your walk with God and others so you can find healing and even deepen your faith in the process.
