Life by Design Wellness offers professional counseling utilizing modern, evidenced-based methods/techniques of counseling integrated with Scriptural principles and a Christian worldview.  However, clients can choose to opt out of utilizing a Christian perspective and receive evidenced-based therapy alone.  

“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.”  Proverbs 20:5 

“Why does Life by Design provide faith-based counseling?”

As both a Christian and as Licensed Professional Counselors, we believe that our faith and our calling are to be utilized to help the body of Christ pursue and experience emotional, behavioral, and relational health as a part of experiencing wellness in life. 

 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7,NKJV)

God fully understands us as His creation and He recognizes the importance of how we think, as well as the impact of our thoughts on our beliefs, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. Our goal in Christian counseling is to help the client in the process of “renewing their mind” (Romans 12:2) through appropriate evidenced-based counseling techniques and methods combined with an understanding and application of scriptural principles. Combined, this approach to the counseling process often helps guide the client in accomplishing the desired positive changes for which they sought out counseling to accomplish. 

“As a Christian, do I really need professional counseling?”

Honestly, that depends on many factors. We all know that living a life of faith does not exempt us from the challenges, trials, and obstacles that life can present us with at any given moment. We all find that we need others to come alongside us from time to time to provide a place of safety, words of wisdom, a spirit of encouragement, comfort in our difficulty, an opportunity for healing, a guiding voice in times of uncertainty, and ultimately, hope for the journey.

Often times, our family, our friends, our church community and pastor provide that encouragement to us and that great support system is sufficient in helping us successfully navigate life’s challenges and crisis experiences. However, sometimes the need is so great, the wound is so deep, the journey is so confusing, that all that support, while very appreciated, but falls short in helping us achieve the healing, hope or restoration we seek. 

Consider the following:

• Are you experiencing difficult life circumstances or experienced traumatic events which have resulted in emotional, behavioral, or relational challenges that you are struggling to manage or overcome? 
• Are you battling feelings of depression, anxiety, or the inability to cope in healthy ways?  
• Are you imprisoned by the chains of an addiction from which you cannot find freedom? 
• Are you a Christian who in the midst of these challenges has found that praying, reading your Bible, and staying connected to a your church community has been helpful, but not enough for you to experience the victory, joy, healing or restoration you so desperately desire?    
• Despite the support around you and the strong beliefs within you, do you continue to struggle and fall short in attaining the full emotional, behavioral, or relational health you know God wants for you? 

If so, then professional counseling that integrates biblical principles and Christian values may be able to help you achieve your goals. 

“Why might I need a professional counselor and not just the support of my church family?”

Think of it this way: If you are a Christian, it’s likely that you believe in the power of prayer. True? (I hope you answered yes!) In addition, it’s likely that you also believe in the knowledge and gifts that God has given the medical community. So, when you experience a minor medical problem, like spraining an ankle, either you or someone you know has the knowledge and experience to help you through the journey to healing. However, is the same true when you break a leg, develop diabetes, are diagnosed with cancer, have a heart attack or face some other major medical crisis? Of course not!  A major medical crisis requires a visit to a qualified medical doctor for effective treatment.  Even if your friends have personally experienced similar medical events, unless they are a trained medical professional, they do not have the knowledge/skills to help you fully heal. So, you ask them to pray for you and then you go find a medical professional who has been gifted in understanding how to help the human body heal. You go with the hope that the medical professional can utilize their knowledge/skills to understand your body’s dysfunction/illness, assist you with understanding your challenges and guide you towards full recovery through a plan of treatment and rehabilitation.

Just as God has blessed us with great physicians who have the knowledge and skill to assist in physical healing, I believe God calls and equips professional counselors with the knowledge and gifts needed to assist others with emotional and relational healing. 

Our decisions, the decisions of others, unpredicted life experiences or circumstances, or any combination of factors, often lead us to places of difficulty, pain, uncertainty, hurt, disappointment, anger, conflict, divorce, addiction, grief, despair, the loss of hope and more; places of pain that we just sometimes can’t find our way out and over on our own.  It’s in those times of emotional and/or relational crisis that we need someone with knowledge/understanding/skills to guide us towards a full recovery. If you find yourself in such a place, professional Christian Counseling is a great option for starting your journey towards emotional health.

“Won’t it all be okay if I just give it time?”

Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief, time does not heal all wounds.  Time is a necessary, important part of healing, but not enough in and of itself.  Think about it.  If we ignore our need for medical attention during a major medical crisis, we will either be overcome by our infirmity or heal with a level of dysfunction that significantly impacts our life for years to come. Imagine if you experienced a compound fracture of your arm but refused to allow it to be set back into place because of the fear of the pain and the unknown of the surgical procedure needed to repair it.  Even if it healed, you would be left with significant impairments, dysfunction, and limitations which could have been avoided if you willing to face the pain and unknown of the healing process.  Yes, sometimes the healing process can be painful and scary, but that pain and fear is temporary.  What lasts is the result of the healing process, when one is restored to the level of functioning that is healthier than it was prior to the healing process. 

Mental, emotional, behavioral and relational health are sometimes impacted by events, experiences and factors that create a crisis akin to a major medical crisis. When this happens, it is perfectly normal and acceptable to seek the help of a qualified professional in order to get help for the healing process.  Time alone is often not enough in order to heal and return to complete wholeness.

Ready to start the journey?

To schedule your initial counseling appointment or your free 15-minute consultation to learn more, please contact Life by Design Wellness at 469.629.8213 or email the office at info@lifebydesignwellness.com.