People often resist counseling because of a belief that it means that they have a deep flaw or that they are admitting to weakness. If they tough it out, they should be able to get through it on their own. What it really means that their current arsenal of coping skills is overwhelmed by environmental and relational stressors. 

Truth be told everyone experiences depression and anxiety at different times in life, and most people far more frequently than they would care to admit. Everyone can benefit from learning more effective coping, communication and problem-solving skills.

Painful life events experienced by all people generate distorted beliefs which lead to ineffective behaviors and relationship stress. Each client receives a complementary assessment which identifies their unique distorted beliefs. Together we work to relate the distorted belief to the individual’s current problem. Counseling focuses on building the life skills that allow the client to identify more effective beliefs and behaviors which, when applied consistently, will normalize disturbing emotions.

Many people have a perception of God as a loving father, but emotionally perceive Him as critical, shaming, angry and/or distant. They want and need to depend on Him when anxious or depressed but they find themselves avoiding Him and beating up on themselves for doing so. Connecting with God emotionally in a way that allows the individual to integrate the emotional and spiritual components of his life is an important counseling focus.

Clients are often puzzled to observe themselves overreacting to life experiences—remarks made by others or things that others do. They are actually reacting to stored memories of their own past painful experiences. Clients learn ways to identify emotional triggers and respond to them in the moment.