Spiritual Care and Counseling

"This is what our society needs--not new ideas and inventions, important as these are, and not geniuses and supermen, but persons who can be, that is, persons who have a center of strength within themselves."

--Rollo May

After earning a B.A. Degree at Southeastern College (now Southeastern University) in 1987 and attaining a Masters of Divinity Degree in 1995 at Reformed Theological Seminary, I began my clinical-pastoral education (CPE) in the state of South Carolina. For nine months I worked in a psychiatric in-patient setting creatively integrating spiritual care with mental illness. Following this most insightful training, I spent a good nineteen months in a major hospital applying spiritual care to chronically and terminally ill patients and their families. And I haven't forgotten the many times I stepped foot into the ER to comfort the surprised, the confused, and the wounded. Similar to these crisis interventions, I also served in the military for four years, where part of my responsibilities included accompanying other military personnel in bringing casualty news to families unaware of loved ones who were killed in action. At 48 years of age, I broadened my training by earning the Master of Arts Degree in Community Counseling. I also hold a Post Graduate Affiliate membership with The American Academy of Psychotherapists.

I practice psychotherapy out of an integrated (existential/psychodynamic) approach. I believe significant person-to-person encounters during infancy and childhood, also known as attachment, have strong influences on our present interactions. Likewise, I uphold the client's subjective truth, the here-and-now of human experience, and the mysteries of the unconscious that translate into dreams, the imagination, and everyday living. Foremost, I empower, rather than pathologize, my clients.

I also provide a form of therapy known as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), a researched based intervention for T/traumatic events such as PTSD, natural disasters, physical or sexual abuse, grief, and other symptoms related to past memories. Having completed some 48 hours of training and 10+ hours of consultation, I am officially recognized in the EMDR Institute website as a Level II trained clinician.

Along with EMDR, I take interest and pursue ongoing training/consultation in the following areas: anxiety, mental obsessions, compulsive behaviors, and phobias. These symptoms can bring about overwhelming discomfort, to say the least. Using a variety of approaches, I aim to help the client discover ways to integrate the different energies or parts that make up her or his core self.

My philosophy and expression of spirituality and spiritual care is unique, as my book depicts. Today, I walk with a customized understanding of spirituality that encourages my clients to develop their own version of how to make meaning in a chaotic world. Detached from any established religion or affiliation, spiritual care in my practice sustains the beliefs and values of those I serve.

Since I believe that the therapist-client relationship is paramount to the healing process, I am not sold on quick fixes. I realize that our desperations can lead us to think magically. I know; I've been there. However, you can find advice on every corner for a nickle a piece, as well as countless self-help books by self-proclaimed gurus in local book stores with claims of possessing the miracle cure we all anxiously hope to discover. But in reality, lasting growth and development takes time, commitment, and participation.

Web Hosting by Yahoo!

Spiritual Care and Counseling

Spiritual Care and Counseling

For more information on scheduling an appointment, please call my confidential voicemail (770-417-2737).