Therapy

Therapy differs from counseling in terms of the depth of processing and perhaps the amount of time required. Whereas counseling tends to concentrate on coping with more circumstantial issues, therapy in its various forms focuses at a greater depth on issues of healing and integration of the whole individual.  This means taking a holistic look at your life to discover patterns of feeling, thinking, and acting from your earliest memories to the present moment.  Many of these patterns and perceptions were learned unconsciously, before you could talk and certainly before you had exposure to truth, life experience, and choice.  They were survival strategies that preserved you but they may be archaic, inefficient and limiting now.

When you engage in therapy, you are investing in a transformation that occurs from the inside out. Jesus speaks of this kind of life altering change as beginning at the heart level. He tells the Pharisees to “first clean the inside of the cup and dish, then the outside will be clean” (Matthew 23:26 NIV).  Changing the direction and pattern of our lives requires reexamining and possibly surrendering core beliefs about ourselves, the world, and God that have led to cycles of pain and brokenness. As you identify and discard faulty beliefs and choose to live in truth, you are released to experience a chain reaction that transforms your thoughts, feelings, and actions as well. We lay down perceptions, lies, and habits that have been unproductive in order to wholeheartedly pursue the freedom and grace promised in the reality of Christ.

Therapy requires a willingness to be transparent with yourself and a decision to be patient and open in the process. When you take the time and honesty to lay yourself bare, you will begin to see unhealed or recurring wounds, relational habits, and perhaps parts of yourself that have been lost along the way. You will also see consistent strengths and gifts inherent to who you are, as well as trace the redemptive hand of God across the pages of your story.

As a psychotherapist, I draw upon a variety of methodologies and therapeutic approaches, including: Gestalt theory, transactional analysis, Rogerian client centered therapy, etc. In guiding the therapeutic process, I filter these approaches through the truth of the Bible and a Christ-centered worldview. I have seen real and significant life change through Christ’s power, and I believe it is possible for you.

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us” (Ephesians 3:20 The Message).

For me, as a privileged and trusted guide and observer, this heart transformation and “new life” is one of the most exciting and convincing testimonies to the reality of the Gospel.

I would consider it a honor to be on this journey with you. You can contact me at any time to set up an appointment.