Faith-Based Counseling

Are You Struggling To Make Sense Of Your Faith?

woman closing her eyes and holding her hands to her heartDoes 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 youโ€™re interested in religion, but the topic scares you awayโ€”as much as you want to seek guidance, youโ€™re leery of people who attempt to proselytize you. Or perhaps youโ€™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 youโ€™re struggling with your mental health, they may tell that you need to โ€œpray more.โ€ 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 wouldnโ€™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, โ€œWhoever suffers mental illness always bears Godโ€™s image and likeness and has an inalienable right to be considered a person and treated as such.โ€ 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.

woman smiling on the computerUnfortunately, 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 youโ€™re a believer, youโ€™re โ€œtoo blessed to be stressed.โ€ This stigma perpetuates an atmosphere of shame in many churchesโ€”people are afraid to be honest about their issues because they donโ€™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 othersโ€”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, itโ€™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

Letโ€™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.

woman counselor talk to womanOur faith-based therapists have over ten years of experience working with individuals looking for guidance and counseling connected with their faith.ย 

After all, your spiritual well-being directly impacts every other aspect of who you areโ€”physical, mental, and emotional. Thatโ€™s why faith-based counseling seeks to treat the whole person. We want to identify the core issues in your lifeโ€”whether they relate to relationship trauma, discrimination, or depression and anxietyโ€”and understand how they impact your spirituality.

What To Expect In Sessionsย 

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. Itโ€™s also about stepping back and letting go of your need for control. We want to help you accept Godโ€™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 wonโ€™t feel the intense need to manage relationships and problems outside your control.

Whatโ€™s more, accepting Godโ€™s will can help you accept yourselfโ€”you will understand that your life has a divine purpose and your mental health is in Godโ€™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 Counselingโ€ฆ

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

woman smiling and opening her arms to the sunYes, 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. Thatโ€™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.

Iโ€™m interested in exploring my spirituality, but Iโ€™m not sure what direction to take.

You donโ€™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 โ€œsuccessโ€ hereโ€”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, itโ€™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 arenโ€™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 youโ€™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.s

Spanglish How to Choose a Therapist-min

Download Your Free Mini Guide!