Christian Counseling
Are Echoes Of Pain Creating A Crisis Of Faith In Your Life?
Do you wish your faith was a more powerful source of support in difficult times?
Have you been feeling alone in the storms of life and wishing that God felt more present?
Do you long for someone in your life who shares your faith and understands mental health?
Maybe you’re struggling emotionally and you want your faith to be a resource, but it hasn’t shifted your distress. As a result, you might feel ashamed and worry that your faith isn’t powerful enough. Perhaps you feel hopeless, defeated, and unsure of who to trust. Although you want to lean on your faith community for support, maybe you fear that your fellow believers won’t understand what you’re going through. For the first time, you may be considering seeing a therapist.
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Perhaps You’re Worried That Counseling Won’t Honor Your Christian Faith
Your faith is your native language and you probably want to integrate it into your healing journey. So when you’re considering therapy, you might be worried that a counselor won’t recognize your faith’s importance in your life. You may even fear that they’ll try to dissuade you or go against what you believe.
On the other hand, maybe your faith is already shaken and you’re looking for a safe place to say, “I’m not sure what I believe.” Your church environment may not be that place.
Right now, you might feel like you have to choose between therapy and your Christian faith, but you don’t. At Sacred Ground Psychotherapy, our therapists integrate a faith-based approach to counseling with an in-depth knowledge of mental health issues. We’re here to help you grow in your resilience while honoring your connection to God as sacred. Whether you’re questioning your faith or simply looking to strengthen it, we believe that you are beautifully and wonderfully made and deserving of unconditional care and support.
It's Normal For Us To Doubt Our Faith During Seasons Of Hardship
When we’re in a season of suffering, many of us think: “If I really believed in God, I wouldn’t be feeling this distress.” Yet if this were true, we would miss out on chances to feel God’s closeness and witness the beauty of His design.
The truth is that failure, disconnection, and suffering are meant to call us into deeper communion and intimacy with God. In fact, wrestling with our faith is what enables it to grow. The beauty of God's design is that He created us to signal out when we are scared, alone, or in pain. At Sacred Ground Psychotherapy, we believe that God would never rob you of an opportunity to make visible the invisible—the depth of His love for you. We believe that you are meant to lean on His love during seasons of loss and suffering.
Your Struggles Are Not A Sign Of Weak Faith—But A Sign That You’re Human
Many Christians worry that their emotional struggles are a sign of a weak faith, but nothing could be further from the truth. We aren’t meant to fight through the pain alone. God created us for connection. It’s by allowing ourselves to be seen in our hardest moments that we truly experience what it’s like to take up our cross and come into the fullness of God’s love.
When we turn to our loved ones for comfort, our nervous system is wired to experience feelings of relief, flexibility, resilience, and confidence. What’s more, God recognizes that it isn’t enough to be alone with Him—we need deep unity and opportunities to feel seen, known and loved by others, too. That’s why Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good for man to be alone” (NABRE). The warmth of our loving relationships can help us hold our pain and distress and make the storms of life more manageable.
Additionally, our most supportive relationships can act as a mirror of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. And when you work with a Christian counselor, you have a chance to build this kind of relationship with someone who is wise, compassionate, and well-versed in mental health treatment.
Counseling Can Help You Improve Your Mental Health And Deepen Your Christian Faith
Many Christians want the chance to discuss their faith in counseling, yet few psychologists receive training in spiritual and religious issues. Our clinicians are trained in faith-integrated care with an expertise in providing treatment from a Catholic-Christian perspective. We give adults and couples a safe space to explore places of pain with their faith held as a sacred resource in their journey toward wellness.
We also want to provide clients with a place where they can safely wonder about their faith and question things without feeling guilty or ashamed. We know that echoes of pain and hardship often lead to a crisis of faith, and we seek to validate and support people in the midst of various crises. Our therapists have lots of experience working with survivors of sexual and spiritual abuse and we take a very trauma-informed approach to counseling.
Together
We will help you work on healing old emotional and spiritual wounds, promote a healthy integration of all your parts, and empower you to lean into your relationship with God throughout the healing process.
What To Expect In Christian Counseling Sessions
Counseling with Sacred Ground Psychotherapy follows a threefold process:
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We collaborate on a treatment plan that clearly outlines your goals for Christian Counseling therapy.
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We help you stabilize your mood and regulate your emotions so that you feel safe in your mind, body, and spirit.
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We deepen our focus to further explore what old wounds are fueling your emotional and spiritual distress.
Ultimately, we’ll integrate your needs, values, and longings into your journey so that you can achieve meaningful change that lasts.
Emotional Focus
The main modality that underscores our approach to Christian counseling is Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT). This approach is generally used in the context of human relationships, but it can also help you strengthen your relationship with God. The goal of EFT is to explore your attachment to God and help you understand what causes you to move towards or away from Him in key moments. You will learn how to put words to difficult emotions, experience the beauty of God's design amidst suffering, and reach for newer and deeper connections that bring comfort and relief.
Through this process of self-exploration and spiritual reflection, we are confident that we can empower you to overcome your mental health challenges and deepen your connection with Christ. Our aim is to do therapy in a way that points you toward the Author and Perfector of your faith, enabling you to “soar on wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31, NABRE) and experience God’s love in a more meaningful way.
You May Have Some Questions About Christian Counseling
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Yes, and we know from experience what a difficult starting place that can be—especially when faith has been a central source of community and resiliency in your life! We are here to help you hold the pain and organize your experiences so that you can find the path back to a joyful connection to your faith.
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Not at all! We are not here to sway you in any direction, but to create a safe space for you to question, wonder, and explore your spiritual beliefs. We want to make room for your values, pain, needs, and longings. Whether or not talking about your faith is part of your healing journey, we’re here for you!
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We're honored you’re here, and more than anything we value creating a climate where you can feel safe and cared for and your human need for connection is honored as sacred. It is our privilege and intention to work with people wherever they are in life. Our professional staff will never, under any circumstance, enforce any personal bias or religious beliefs on you. Our top priority is to cultivate a space where you can be your authentic self unreservedly.
