Are You Struggling To Make Sense Of Your Faith?

Does your life lack meaning and purpose? Do you believe in God, but he feels distant from you? Have struggles with your faith impacted your ability to handle work, relationships, and other important areas of your life?

Maybe you’re interested in religion, but the topic scares you away—as much as you want to seek guidance, you’re leery of people who attempt to proselytize you. Or perhaps you’re a believer who is well along in your journey, but your faith has hit a rough patch. You may have no motivation to maintain a prayer life or spend time with God anymore. In the midst of your struggles, you may feel like you have nowhere to turn for support.

Believing In God Does Not Mean You Will Never Be Unhappy

Deep down, you may be confused about what a healthy relationship with God looks like. Other believers may act like being a Christian means you should never be unhappy. If you’re struggling with your mental health, they may tell that you need to “pray more.” As a result, perhaps you find yourself using your spiritual beliefs to avoid addressing psychological issues. Maybe you wish you knew someone who would accept you and wouldn’t make you feel pressured to mask your troubles.

If this is the case, we would be honored to fill that void in your life. Here at SMPsychotherapy & Counseling, we provide a safe, judgment-free space to explore faith-based issues without any guilt or shame. Whether you consider yourself religious or not, our goal is to help you map out your spirituality and get to know yourself on a deeper level.

Many People Believe The Lie That Mental Health Issues Are A Sign Of Weak Faith

As St. Pope John Paul II said, “Whoever suffers mental illness always bears God’s image and likeness and has an inalienable right to be considered a person and treated as such.” Mental health issues affect everyone, even the most devout believers. Having strong faith does not make you immune to depression, anxiety, and other emotional challenges.

Unfortunately, there is a stigma surrounding mental illness in many religious circles today. Some people falsely claim that mental health struggles are a sign of weak faith. They say that if you’re a believer, you’re “too blessed to be stressed.” This stigma perpetuates an atmosphere of shame in many churches—people are afraid to be honest about their issues because they don’t want to be seen as weak. As a result, they end up masking their emotional wounds and feeling isolated and alienated from others.

The Problems That Caused Your Spiritual Struggles May Be Outside Your Control

The truth, of course, is that mental health challenges have nothing to do with a lack of faith. Conditions like depression, anxiety, and trauma often stem from factors outside of your control. There may be suffering in your past that weakens your ability to feel grounded in what you believe. Abusive or toxic relationships may have made it hard to trust others—which in turn makes it hard to trust God. Dealing with discrimination, systemic racism, and other issues of injustice can have a similar effect.

In order to rebuild your trust and strengthen your relationship with God, it’s essential to seek help. The problems that caused you to question your faith may have been out of your control, but your healing is not. With the right spiritual counseling, you can find relief from your mental health struggles and reconnect with your divine purpose.

Faith-Based Counseling Can Help You Deepen Your Relationship With God

Let’s be honest: seeking support for spiritual issues can be intimidating. In the past, people you sought guidance from may have tried to convert you to their religion or told you that your suffering was all a result of sin. Here at SMPsychotherapy & Counseling, our attitude is just the opposite. We want to give you a safe space to explore spirituality on your unique terms, using your own values to understand your priorities and purpose in life.

Our faith-based therapist, Roxanna Cruz Ceballos, has ten years of experience working in human services. She has supported people suffering from relationship issues, incarceration, domestic violence, and self-destructive behaviors. Her approach is eclectic and she seeks to cater her treatment to each individual, prioritizing their mental health as much as their spiritual health.

After all, your spiritual well-being directly impacts every other aspect of who you are—physical, mental, and emotional. That’s why faith-based counseling seeks to treat the whole person. We want to identify the core issues in your life—whether they relate to relationship trauma, discrimination, or depression and anxiety—and understand how they impact your spirituality.

What To Expect In Sessions 

The main focus of faith-based counseling is establishing a personal relationship with God. What that relationship looks like is up to you. You may benefit from journaling, meditation, a more active prayer life, or listening to worship music. By pinpointing your needs, you can increase your self-awareness and get a clearer picture of your spirituality.

That said, therapy is not all about adding more activities to your life. It’s also about stepping back and letting go of your need for control. We want to help you accept God’s will for your life and focus on the things that are within your power. Doing so makes it easier to establish healthy boundaries, since you won’t feel the intense need to manage relationships and problems outside your control.

What’s more, accepting God’s will can help you accept yourself—you will understand that your life has a divine purpose and your mental health is in God’s hands. Despite what others may have told you, the unhappiness you feel is not a sign of weak faith. It is a sign that you are not satisfied with surface-level contentment and desire to grow in your relationship with God.

Here at SMPsychotherapy & Counseling, we want to help you deepen that relationship in ways you never dreamed. God loves you and accepts you regardless of your situation. When you understand that truth, you can experience newfound peace in your mind, body, and spirit.

You May Have Some Questions About Faith-Based Counseling…

Are you going to accept me even if we have different views on God and religion?

Yes, by all means! Although Roxanna is Catholic, she is not here to impose her faith on you. She is here to help you navigate your relationship with God by focusing on what works best for you. Besides, it is refreshing and enriching to do therapy with people who see the world differently. Diversity is part of what makes life beautiful. That’s why our counseling sessions are open to anyone, religious or not. And if you are a believer, Roxanna would be more than happy to apply Biblical principles to counseling.

I’m interested in exploring my spirituality, but I’m not sure what direction to take.

You don’t need to have all the answers. You can come into faith-based therapy just as you are, with or without any established beliefs or practices. This is a chance to figure out what direction you want your spiritual journey to go in. There is no measure of “success” here—the goal is not for you to develop more set-in-stone beliefs, but to understand yourself and your faith in a deeper way.

How am I going to engage in counseling with my busy schedule?

As busy as you may be, it’s important to set aside time for self-care. If you make small sacrifices in your schedule now, you can make changes in your mental health that last for the rest of your life. Besides, we offer telehealth appointments for clients who aren’t able to come to the office.

Experience Newfound Peace In Your Mind, Body, And Spirit

If you want to see a faith-based counselor but all the spiritual guidance you’ve ever gotten has been shaming or unhelpful, we would be honored to make a difference in your life. To explore your faith with us, you can email us or call us at 203-800-9778.