I am very comfortable incorporating a client’s faith as part of their healing journey. I completed most of my hours towards licensure in a church-based counseling center and I have prayed with clients when they request it. I have incorporated scriptures, God’s promises, Christian music, and other aspects of faith and spirituality into activities such as affirmations, grounding activities, relaxation techniques, self-care, and as part of managing depression, anxiety, and stress. When working with couples that want to incorporate faith, we discuss how to build a strong spiritual connection to each other and building a foundation of the relationship based on faith such as reading the Bible, doing Bible Studies, praying, or engaging in Life Groups together.

I grew up attending church with my family from the age of three, but it wasn’t until I was around the age of 10 that I accepted the Lord. Even then, it wasn’t until I went to summer camp in High school that I finally truly understood what accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior truly meant. I know that I was called from a very young age by the Lord to do something for Him. I truly feel that becoming a counselor was a fulfillment of that calling on my life. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11-14. I know this was a promise to Israel about being exiled and brought back from Babylon, but it is a reminder that God won’t leave us in the hardest places of our lives forever but that sometimes He allows us to endure hard things so that when we do fulfilling His purpose and plan for our lives, we find contentment and fulfillment we might not have otherwise found. It’s a reminder to hold onto the hope that He hasn’t forgotten us.

I am very respectful that Christians often have different beliefs about different grey areas of the Bible and I encourage clients to share what they believe about something rather than forcing them to see things the way that I believe. I encourage clients to tell me when they believe I am disrespectful or over the line in speaking Biblical truth into their life as this can cross ethical boundaries of pushing beliefs onto a client which I am conscientious about doing. I incorporate faith and spiriruality at my client’s comfort level and often times I find that even clients that say they have faith and don’t want to incorporate it, eventually feel comfortable enough to bring it into the therapy room.