Beliefs

Every counsellor works from their own understanding about life, the nature of problems, and the nature of solutions.  This means that whatever the counsellor personally believes will cause him or her to develop a philosophy and approach to counselling that fits with these beliefs.   Therefore, I believe that it is only fair for clients to know what viewpoint on life the counsellor is coming from.  

I am a Christian and the counselling that I do comes from the perspective of a Christian worldview. This means that the way I counsel will be influenced by my belief and value system as a Christian. It does not mean that I will be constantly quoting from the Bible.

You do not need to be or become a Christian in order for me to counsel you. I have been trained to use a variety of counselling methods which are helpful to people regardless of religious belief.  I also respect the belief systems of others, even when those beliefs are not my own, and will work with you accordingly.  

However, if you enter counselling with me, you need to be prepared to receive counselling from someone who is a Christian and who works from a Christian viewpoint on life. If at any point in the counselling process you become uncomfortable with this, I will be happy to refer you to someone else.

There is a spiritual side to human life.  Therefore, there are issues in our lives that need to be dealt with in a spiritual manner.  In the Christian viewpoint, this means that human beings are meant to be in relationship with God.  When we struggle, this relationship can be a great source of comfort and support, and can even help us resolve issues.  It is something that should be encouraged, not seen as part of the problem.

Counselling from a Christian viewpoint can encourage people to keep their faith even when life is a struggle. It can also help identify areas that may need to be dealt with spiritually and assist people in working through these issues. However, it is not up to the counsellor to make belief decisions for the client.  Since God has made people with the ability to make choices, what clients believe is their choice, and is between them and God.  A Christian counsellor is to be caring and respectful towards all clients, regardless of their choice. 

In this world where hurt, pain and brokenness are inevitable, I will encourage healing in the lives and relationships of the people I counsel.  I will encourage people to find ways to let the pain they have experienced become a positive, instead of a negative influence in their lives.  I will do my best to walk with them through their struggles, to be with them in some small way while they move towards a deeper level of healing and wholeness.