My Approach to Helping
If you're hurting and need to heal, or feeling stagnant and would like to grow I'd love the chance to help you! I believe therapy is a partnership between the therapist and you, the client. I want to guide you, help organize your thoughts and feelings, and aid you in finding solutions to your problems.
I believe that humans are physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual beings. A typical treatment approach, as an example, for a person of faith with depression might include professional counseling to address the mental and emotional aspects, diet and exercise and/or medication to facilitate physical healing and growth, and pastoral discipleship or study if spiritual health is important to you. You are so much more than just your body or just your thoughts; you are a complex individual!
I love to explore not just your problems and needs, but also your strengths and support. I believe that every individual and family possesses strengths as well as a certain amount of dysfunction. Because of this, I love to use a strengths-based approach in our sessions to give you a more realistic picture of yourself.
More Info About My Practice
As our name reflects, Agape Christian Counseling is a Christian non-profit organization. It is important to note that non-Christians are welcome as clients and I will not impose my faith on you. Of course, many people seek us out because we are a Christian organization and request the integration of what the Bible tells us with evidence-based behavioral science research. We are all licensed therapists or are in the process of pursuing independent licensure. I myself am an independently Licensed Professional Counselor, which means that after graduation I have completed 3,000 supervised hours of direct and indirect practice.
One thing I love about our practice is our partnership with local communities. We partner with A21, an organization that rescues individuals who have been trafficked, and we are also able to provide presentations at schools or churches on a variety of mental health topics.
My View on the Nature of 'Disorders'
What does "normal" actually mean? This was one of the first questions we were asked in our Abnormal Psychology course in graduate school. Many people define "normal" mental health as the ability to function in day-to-day living, without harming the self or others. Some people have the misconception that to be "abnormal" means one is crazy; that is simply not the case! I believe this is why some people are opposed to seeking mental health services. While the stigma is beginning to slowly melt away it does still exist. One of my goals as your counselor is to help you see that you're not crazy! Rather, you are hurting or having some difficulty functioning in your daily life.
Clinicians who offer sliding scale payment structures may offer lower or reduced fees based on an individual's ability to pay. Please contact this clinician for more details regarding their fees or sliding scale policy.
