When I was five years old, I was stunned to learn that everybody in my kindergarten class did not know Jesus. I remember tearing up over this. My mother told me that she was going to start a Good News Club. I was overjoyed as I invited them all to attend. At age 7 I told my parents that I wanted to accept Jesus and was baptized in an inlet of the Outer Banks of North Carolina where we lived at the time. It was at that age that I experienced genuine conviction over personal sin.

When I was 13 years old, I went through a period of fighting and rebellion. I learned to trust Jesus more deeply as an adolescent after getting into a terrible fight in which I severely injured another boy. Wisely, rather than severely punishing me, my father led me in a study of the book of proverbs. My faith matured because of this, and I turned aside from the kind of trouble that I was getting into. As a result of this, I had few friends in high school because I refused to participate in parties with drugs, alcohol, and sex.

My church Sunday school class and youth group was led by my mentor who was a Pennsylvania state trooper who exemplified faith, strong family values, and Christian leadership. My rich church involvement and several close friends were important for my perseverance of faith.

Late in high school I had become a strong long-distance runner. My favorite verse became Isaiah 40:31: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like Eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” This verse meant much more to me than anything about running. It helped me stay focused on rising above struggles and persevering through hardship by hanging onto the Lord.

I went to a Christian college and met my wife there. We married two weeks after graduating in 1983. Together, we engaged in college campus ministry for three years while I sought to discern my long-term career path. I enjoyed providing direct care for students that I discipled. It was then that I realized that my calling was to become a Christian therapist.

My campus ministry mentor, a Christian scholar, prepared me to handle the skepticism of Christianity that I would face at the academically rigorous University of Chicago where I received my master’s degree in social work. Romans 12:2 became a very important verse at that time and remains so: “Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Since my completing my graduate school in 1988, I have incorporated my faith in every aspect of my clinical work. Christians often struggle with the question of why having faith doesn’t produce wonderful outcomes in many aspects of life. I want to help my clients cultivate a mindset based on trust that God is responsible for our ultimate well-being and destiny as Romans 8:28 explains: “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (NIV).”

I use cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapies because these methods involve cultivating a conscious and deliberate evaluation of one’s mindset, purging negative beliefs and practices, and replacing these with practicing what is true and good. As a 30+ year provider of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy I am often able to help my clients not only heal from traumas but also realign their understanding of God as the Good Parent, and not the one who abandons or harms us (as many earthly parents do).

I hope that you will consider contacting me for therapy in the areas where I provide specialized care. Be assured that I will pray with you every session specifically with your needs, challenges, and decisions in mind.