Faith Informed Counseling
Counseling & Faith
Counseling and faith communities have, at times, had an uneasy relationship. Some counselors and thought leaders in the therapeutic community have historically felt that faith often worked contrary to their efforts to bring healing and restoration in the lives of their clients. Alternatively, some churches have believed that the fields of counseling and psychology have worked to undermine their sacred doctrines and articles of faith. Unfortunately, people from both environments, with the best of intentions, have done great harm to the people they aim to serve; this doesn't have to be the case.
I received my counseling training and education from a seminary in order to more effectively integrate faith into the therapeutic process. Faith informed counseling, when desired by client, weaves the principles, practices, and spiritual disciplines into the therapeutic process.
Individual and Group Experience
Integrating faith and therapy is a unique process for everyone. In many cases, it may look like a exploration through the process of individual counseling. For others, a group modality may be more appropriate. For some, there may be some mix of both group and individual work. In any case, faith and therapy can be incorporated in a non-threatening, non-judgmental way for the benefit of individuals and groups on the journey to more integration.
Bridging the Gap: Faith & Mental Health
Deeper Stories Counseling aims to help bridge the divide between the mental health community and the faith community. Working together, we can invite people to a deeper engagement with their lives and stories at the feet of a God who is easily big enough to join them in the challenges of their journey. As both communities learn from each other and grow together into a more profound and more holistic expression of the Imago Dei, there is excellent potential for both intrapersonal and interpersonal integration that moves beyond what each community could offer independently.
