My Approach

When we’re adrift, we don’t know how to find our way.

When we’re in pain, we need to know what’s wrong and how to heal.

If we’re going to get better, we need to know who we are and what we’re here for.

There are answers.

My approach to counseling is different.

Rather than give you techniques to help cope or feel a little better, I will give you knowledge to change your life, as well as healing.

Together, we will discover exactly who you are by examining the parts of the self that makes you a unique person.

What are the parts of the self?

Good question.

There are five parts of the self: the will, mind, body, social self, and integrative aspect of the self.

In older language, these were referred to as the heart, mind, strength, loving your neighbor as yourself, and soul.

Sound familiar?

When Jesus spoke about these aspects of the self, he said that the greatest thing we could do with our life is to “…love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” Mark 12:30-31.

Jesus was talking about something real when he used those words.

He was talking about you – how you can heal by understanding the reality of God and how the different parts of yourself can be one so that you can be a whole person.

If you know your parts, and how to take care of them, you really can get better.

There is healing.

Once you understand the big picture of who you are, and what you’re here for, we’ll get more specific.

The techniques I use in counseling focuses on your story and your relationships, and how they change you.

In therapy, these techniques are called narrative and interpersonal therapy. I use them, because they’ve been around long before psychotherapy named them, but have also been tested in modern therapy.

They lend themselves to the reality and dignity of who you are as a person made in the image of God.

As we look closely at your story, it will reveal more of who you are…

…how others have reacted to you, and how you relate to others.

We can help you make choices, and have healing experiences in therapy that you can take outside and continue on your own.

This will bring healing – to all the parts of yourself – so that you can be a very different person and live the life you are meant to live.

Whether you choose comprehensive counseling or individual therapy, these techniques, and this model of the parts of the self that make up who you are, will help you find deep healing and real transformation.

There’s really nothing else like it.

Call me, (503) 610-3598, and we can talk more about getting started with the healing and transformation you need for your life. Call to change your life.