Christian Counseling

CHRISTIAN LIVING, LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, INSTRUCTED BY THE HOLY WORD

I firmly believe that God is constructing a holy, powerful, and radiant church - the bride fit for His coming King. And Christian counseling is in tune with the Holy Spirit to complete this construction. It is my conviction as a Christian counselor to seek God's help in the three fold mission "to turn the fathers to their children, to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and to make ready people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). As a Christian counselor I believe it is my responsibility to acknowledge the presence of another Counselor (John 14:16), the Holy Spirit, who's work is to enter and transforms lives. I am committed to assist the process of Christian living by working together with the Holy Spirit in presenting Jesus Christ, his gift of love, and the principles of His Word, the Bible, as the answer to sin and brokenness by way of repentance, restoration and regeneration. I do not believe Christians are better but I do believe they are different. Therefore therapy for Christians should embrace their belief system. It is my stance that Christians are different in this way - that they seek to live Holy lives, led by the Holy Spirit, instructed by the Holy Bible. I enjoy helping Christian people apply this motto to their lives for Christian living. One of the most rewarding parts of my work is to witness the process of transformed lives as God renews hurting and broken people through the application of Biblical principles and the truth of his Word.

This being said, I am a licensed marriage and family therapist, committed to the ethics and excellence of professional therapy. I am therefore eclectic in my theoretical orientation and approach to the treatment of various problems. I sometimes refer to psychiatric services or other therapists for modes of treatment I do not practice, whenever this is appropriate. My primary theoretical preference is in family systems and cognitive behavioral approaches to treatment. But I believe the best cognitive therapies are not enough. In addition to changed thinking needs to come a changed heart. From a theological perspective, purely cognitive therapy is like counseling without the Holy Spirit’s fullness and power to change lives. Transforming change happens when the truths and insights of Scripture and right thinking is translated from a proposition to an encounter – oftentimes a series of life-changing encounters – and an ongoing relationship with the living God who is in the business of changing lives. Thus I additionally use experiential approaches to treatment and other modes of therapy when applicable to assist in the process I believe God desires in all of us. That is the process of regeneration.

Click here to see my Ten Commitments as a professional therapist or Common Concerns.