What about faith?
Fresh Hope Counselling is pleased to offer Christian Counselling for clients with a faith perspective.
Beth Murray, Heidi Marchand, Sherri Farbin, Cheryl Dirks, Caroline Ciano, Bea Clair and Christina Im are women of faith and committed Christians who are skilled at providing integrated Christian Counselling if desired. What does this mean for you as a client? If you do not have a faith orientation, you will still benefit from having a therapist who is firmly grounded in values, morality and respect for humankind. You can expect your sessions to include basic values of respect, dignity and care.
“What if I’m not sure how ‘Christian’ I want to get in the counselling?”
All therapists at Fresh Hope Counselling are respectful of individual faith background and preference. Having the faith perspective brought into the counselling is at your discretion and request. If you start to get uncomfortable for any reason, just let your Counsellor know.
“What if my faith is central for me? What can I expect?”
We will be approaching therapy from a Christ-centred, Biblical basis. This means the therapist may pray with you, teach new skills and educate from a counselling perspective that has faith interwoven into it.
We believe that we are fully integrated beings — body, soul, mind and spirit. What happens to our physical being does effect the other realms, and vice-versa. For example, clinical depression is a physical/chemical illness that effects soul, mind and spirit as well. In order to be treated effectively, all areas are attended to through professional assessment and treatment.
We believe in a God who heals, gives hope, loves to restore, and brings freedom. This is why we bring God into the counselling process for those who have a faith perspective.
Conversely, we do not write things off as simply being a ‘spiritual issue’ which just requires that you pray hard enough or ‘have enough faith.’ This approach negates the Sovereignty of God in a fallen world where fallible human beings are impacted by pain, suffering and free will.
If you are seeing a Christian Psychologist at Fresh Hope Counselling, your counselling will not be “New Age” in it’s content or approach. We do not just throw things out to the universe but believe in a personal, living God who responds to our prayers and desires relationship with us.
“Isn’t God all that I need?”
In other words, why do I need to see a counsellor when I have a relationship with God?
This question could be expanded to, why would I go to a doctor? A mechanic? A lawyer? A dentist? A surgeon? Because God works through people to help us in this life. I go to an Optometrist when my eyesight is blurry. I get eye glasses to wear in order to manage that condition. Yes, God could take care of all these things for us, He is capable! In heaven, we are told there will be no more tears, suffering, death or pain (Revelations 21:4). However, in this lifetime, we are in perishable bodies that fade and wear and break down.
Just as we seek help from professionals for medical concerns, so we ought to seek professional help for mental, emotional and spiritual concerns that impact our everyday lives. God created us to thrive in community and by being inter-dependent with one another. The Bible encourages us to seek wise counsel, share our burdens, encourage one another, and reminds us that ‘plans fail for lack of counsel.’ Proverbs 15:22.
“A heart at peace gives life to the body.”
Proverbs 14:30a