Description
Something often I hear is, “When do I know it’s time to seek the help of a mental health professional? Shouldn’t I just pray about this and trust God?”
Why do you need to choose?
I help support Christians who are deeply connected to their faith and would like to incorporate their beliefs into counseling. What exactly this looks like is up to you!
This can include prayer in session, discussing conflicting beliefs that are causing you to feel stuck, processing church hurt or residual anxiety from purity culture, using Christian terms/language, scripture, and more. You tell me what you think will be most helpful and I will follow your lead. If you’re not sure, we can brainstorm together.
I want you to know that although I am a Christian, I will not project my beliefs onto you; I want to hear about your faith and experiences. I would be honored to hear anything and everything you would like to share with me.
Christian Counseling for Couples:
After years of praying for God to lead you to your partner, you have finally found the love of your life. And while you are grateful for them, you are also feeling confused or discouraged because your relationship is not what you expected it to be.
The good news is, you don’t need to have it all figured out in order to feel relief from struggles in your relationship. I would love to support you in any way I can.
I help Christian couples who:
-Are in the beginning stages of their relationship and want to have a solid foundation of communication
-Are looking for premarital counseling as they tackle some tough topics in preparation for their union
-Have been together a long time but feel distant from their partner and would like to feel that “spark” again
-Are looking for sex therapy to support the physically intimate part of their relationship, whether due to anxiety from purity culture, difficulty talking about sex, mismatched sex drives, etc.
-Have experienced infidelity and are looking for hope and healing
Couple’s Counseling Specialties:
Infidelity: Maybe you are the partner who is feeling blindsided and betrayed, and you don’t know how you can possibly recover from this heartbreak. Or, maybe you are the partner who was unfaithful, and you are experiencing such immense guilt and shame, you can’t bear to look at yourself in the mirror. Whichever partner you are, I know you are hurting. I want to provide the hope that couples can heal and strengthen their relationship after infidelity.
Emotional intimacy: Sometimes we are so out of practice of opening our hearts to someone, vulnerability feels like a lost skill. Or maybe we have closed ourselves off after being hurt one too many times.Through practice and willingness, couples can strengthen romance and connection, and I would love to support you along the way.
Sex therapy: Talking about sex is hard sometimes! I love to create a space where couples can get honest with each other about their own needs and desires so that they can build a sex life together that is safe, intimate, and enjoyable.
High conflict: I have so much admiration for couples who come into therapy due to high conflict because I know some things they are up against: Feeling guilty about ways they have reacted in arguments with their partner, exhaustion from experiencing the cycle over and over again, and tons of shame because they feel they should “know better”. I am not here to judge you; I actually want to help reduce the shame and guilt, strengthen your communication skills, and generate healthy conflict resolution. If you and your partner are committed to stopping the cycle, I would love to support you.
Individual Counseling: Eating Disorders
Maybe after years of telling yourself that what you are dealing with “is not that bad”, you are tired of minimizing your experience. You feel exhausted, confused, and unsure about so many things. What you do know, however, is that you are ready to start feeling better, and are needing some support along the way.
I help clients who:
-Want to heal body image issues or increase self-esteem
-Are interested in body acceptance
-Have an eating disorder but have felt marginalized for some reason in the eating disorder recovery space
-Might not meet the requirements for an eating disorder, but struggle with disordered eating or chronic dieting
Individual Counseling: Relationship Therapy for One
Couple’s counseling is not the only way to work on relationships in therapy. Doing relationship work in individual therapy can be helpful if:
-You’re new to or recently back on the dating scene and are looking for support
-You have noticed certain patterns in your dating history that you are curious to learn more about, whether that be the type of partner you are picking or the way you respond in relationships
-You are in couple’s therapy with your partner but want your own space for processing and support
-You have childhood trauma or relational trauma that is impacting your current relationship
-Keep in mind, relationship therapy is not just for romantic relationships. Maybe you’ve experienced toxic friendships or an unhealthy relationship with a family member. Let’s process the pain, do some boundary setting, and work on those assertive communication skills.
On a Personal Note…
I am an extroverted self-care enthusiast. My faith is my grounding source. In my free time, you can probably find me in the midst of going down an internet rabbit hole about the latest topic that interests me. I enjoy spending time with my loved ones, including my husband and (also extroverted) parrot named Paco.
Whether you're working on your relationship to yourself & your body--or your relationships with those closest to you, therapy with me will help you create a life with more connection and less stress. I specialize in supporting adult individuals and couples through empathy-based and effective relationship-focused therapy.
Easy scheduling at www.lovehealgrow.com. I can't wait to support you.