Christian Counseling in Amherst MA

 

What is Christian Counseling?

We live in a world that pulls us in many directions. How can we balance our obligations, hopes, and dreams and focus on our mental health? One approach is to recognize that since we have so many worthwhile questions, many of them often rooted in faith, philosophy, and human behavior, we may benefit from a peaceful and nuanced approach to healing that Christian counseling can offer.

Let’s look at a few elements that Christian counseling and therapy will adhere to:

• Combines the principles and knowledges from the Bible with research and data from psychological research
• Grounded in the understanding that God created nature, and therefore his laws accord with the laws we observe in nature
• The Bible imparts wisdom about our nature; our thoughts, our behavior, our perceptions, and our emotions. These mainstays of human consciousness are also studied and understood through the devotion to the field of modern psychology.

Walking the road towards mental health is no small task. Finding time to talk to someone who can speak from a center that is guided by both the principles of Christian faith and psychological insight may help you engage your sense of purpose, creativity, compassion, and your ability to self-reflect and address your goals.

What is Spiritual Health?

This is an important question which revolves around your sense of self-worth—your convictions and beliefs, how you approach relationships—and how you see yourself as part of a full and loving world. If you feel a connection to the world, to loved ones, to a spiritual center, to a place your faith and valued beliefs have guided you towards, you are not alone. Likewise, if you feel detached and separate from a center, a place of value, you may find talking to one of our many thoughtful Christian counselors relaxing and helpful.

We can describe spiritual health as a valued behavior and belief with these characteristics:

• Acknowledgement that life is a two-way street, in other words, you deserve to feel love, and you should be able to accept love.
• Civic care and service to community are defining characteristics of spiritual health.
• Recognition of self-worth; the ability to feel satisfied with yourself
• Engagement with empathy as an emotion; the ability to walk in another’s shoes
• The ability to offer care to another, regardless of expectations of returned care
• Experience happiness and the ability to share that happiness with others
• Care is both others-serving and self-serving. Can you take care of yourself when you need to?
• The ability to truthfully address ‘sinful’ or negative habits that impede your thinking or ability to self-reflect
• Can you offer and seek forgiveness?
• Can you guide others when they need help?

Why Should You Seek Christian Counseling?

The reasons could be varied. You may value and enjoy your faith in such a way that counseling is conducive to unearthing a strategy that will propel you forward. You may want to capture more of your life for yourself. You may want to share more of it with others. You may be grappling with moral and ethical dilemmas that require a steady hand.

A few areas where one might benefit from Christian counseling include:

• The nature of relationships; parent and child relations, marital disputes and issues
• Parenting; guidance and tips, manageable strategies
• Mental disorder or psychological distress
• The nature of grief; dealing with loss, regret, and guilt
• Inability to set, maintain, and achieve goals
• Healing low self-esteem and lack of confidence
• Dispirited faith; lost or interrupted connection with God
• Substance abuse and addiction

Christian guidance coupled with talk therapy and skillful psychological listening and dialogue practices will hone your ability to sculpt your own mental and spiritual strength and well-being. We all deal with unique and yet similar challenges at times. How can we not just deal with them, but change and better them? Common ground between yourself and where you wish to be can be found by reaching out to our Christian counselors at Thriveworks Amherst MA. Please call us at (413) 634-4805 or book an appointment online.