Christian Counseling
What does Christian counseling even mean?
Christian counseling can mean different things to different people. It’s not just one approach—it’s a spectrum of how faith is included in the counseling process.
For me, it’s not about following strict rules. Instead, I focus on bringing the compassion, grace, and love of Jesus into how I support and walk alongside my clients.
My Approach
As a Christian, my faith shapes how I see the world. But that doesn’t mean I expect you to believe the same things or follow a certain path.
I believe God made us to be connected to our bodies and our emotions. Most of us deeply desire to be truly seen and known by those around us. We can’t have soul-filling, authentic relationships with others if we don’t have one with ourselves. I believe if people can work through things that have impacted them negatively in their past, they can be the person they really want to be. I enjoy combining science and faith to help Jesus meet you in those places of pain you hold.
I’m here to meet you where you are. Whether you want faith to be a big part of your counseling or just want someone open to spiritual conversations, my goal is to listen with kindness and understanding.
What to expect in Christian counseling with me
What I Will Do:
- ✔️ Approach counseling with the belief that Jesus is loving, compassionate, and healing
✔️ Support your marriage unless you tell me otherwise (except in cases of physical violence, substance addiction, etc.)
✔️ Acknowledge that people with a Christian background may have caused you harm—and help you work through it
✔️ Use faith as a foundation while integrating research-backed therapy techniques like EMDR and EFT
✔️ Respect your personal beliefs, even if your relationship with Christianity is complicated or filled with doubt
✔️ Honor and encourage you if you do not identify as cisgender or heterosexual
✔️ Help you strengthen your relationship, no matter what your gender or orientation - My goal is to create a space of healing, respect, and understanding—wherever you are in your journey.
What I Won’t Do:
- 🚫 Read scriptures in session
🚫 Pray over clients
🚫 Tell you how to follow God
🚫 Try to convert you to Christianity
🚫 Engage in anything that even remotely resembles conversion therapy
I want you to know exactly what Christian counseling looks like in my practice. Here’s what you can expect:
Your beliefs are completely up to you.
I have a personal relationship with Jesus, but you don’t have to in order to be my client.
I won’t bring up faith unless you do.
If you want to talk about Christianity or spirituality, I’m open to it—but I’ll never push it on you.
My faith is about love and inclusion.
Unfortunately, parts of modern Christianity have been used to exclude and harm people—especially those who are LGBTQ+, people of color, and those with disabilities. That’s not the faith I follow. My approach is based on Jesus’ love, grace, and acceptance of all people.
If you want faith in your counseling, I’m here for it.
This can simply mean knowing I share a similar understanding of the world.
No matter where you stand with faith, my goal is to support you with kindness and respect.
"Getting to know yourself so that you may know God is the adventure of a lifetime." - Pete Scazzero, author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.
Who might be looking for Christian couples therapy?
Couples seek Christian counseling for many reasons. Here are some common ones:
- Faith is an important part of your relationship. You want your values to be reflected in therapy.
- Your upbringing shaped how you see intimacy. Growing up in a Christian culture may have impacted how you view sexuality and connection with your partner.
- You’re rethinking gender roles. Maybe you were taught strict roles growing up, but you and your partner want to do things differently.
- You want to break generational cycles. You hope to create a healthier relationship while still honoring your faith and family.
- Your faith isn’t the issue. You and your partner love Jesus, but your struggles aren’t about religion.
- You want to fight better. The way you argue now doesn’t feel respectful or reflect God’s love, and you want to improve communication.
If any of this resonates with you, Christian couples therapy can help you navigate these challenges with faith, love, and understanding.
Christian counseling and EMDR
Healing isn’t just emotional—it can connect to your physical, mental, and spiritual experiences too. That’s why combining Christian counseling with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can be life-changing.
I’ve seen EMDR help people not only heal from trauma but also develop a more positive view of themselves. For some, this healing has even brought them closer to God. By processing painful experiences, they’ve been able to take the sting out of trauma and find where God was in it all—even answering the hard question, “Where was God?”
What This Can Look Like:
✅ Processing trauma while recognizing God’s presence and using faith as a source of strength
✅ Unblocking harmful beliefs about what God says about you (e.g., I’m not enough, I can’t ever get it right)
✅ Building self-esteem so you can start seeing yourself the way God does
If you’re looking for a way to integrate faith into your healing journey, EMDR in Christian counseling may be a powerful tool for you.
Healing from Church Hurt While Holding Onto Faith
For many, the church has been a source of deep pain. Christianity has existed in a patriarchal society for centuries, and unfortunately, people have misused the Bible to control and manipulate others.
Maybe you were on the receiving end of this misuse. Or maybe you didn’t experience direct spiritual abuse, but you were taught to ignore or “pray away” feelings like anger or sadness.
It’s easy for those experiences to get tangled together—the pain caused by people and institutions and your view of God or how He sees you.
That’s why I love using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help people start untangling those experiences. EMDR can be a powerful tool to:
✅ Separate church hurt from your relationship with God
✅ Heal from spiritual wounds without losing your faith
✅ Learn that emotions like anger and sadness are valid and don’t mean you lack faith
✅ Reconnect with God in a way that feels safe, true, and loving
If you’ve struggled with spiritual abuse or religious trauma, you’re not alone—and healing is possible.
Some of my clients come to counseling looking to integrate their faith into their healing process. I truly believe (and there is plenty of research behind) the connections your brain, body, and spirit have together. I enjoy combining science and faith to help Jesus meet you in those places of pain you hold.
God made us to be connected to our bodies and our emotions. Most of us deeply desire to be truly seen and known by those around us. We can’t have soul-filling, authentic relationships with others if we don’t have one with ourselves. I believe if people can work through things that have impacted them negatively in their past, they can be the person they really want to be.