Discipleship Counseling

What is Discipleship Counseling? 

For those who are struggling, we use the Bible as our source of truth and wisdom for our counseling.  We focus on Jesus Christ in the believer and the believer in Jesus Christ as the central truth of our counseling.  These truths are known as the Exchanged Life. As we yield to the Holy Spirit, we lovingly help individuals, couples and families find healing, freedom, reconciliation and maturity in Christ.

What about finances?

1.  Each individual counselor on our staff must trust God to provide his or her salary.  That means we live like missionaries, trusting God, by faith, to provide our salary through individuals and churches who believe in us.

2.  The ministry as a whole, also, trusts God to provide for our overhead costs such as leasing our space, upkeep, and ministry materials.  

We suggest $90 (per 50 minute session) for the donation for your counseling.  For some that is not a problem. We ask that those folks give the entire $90.  If you cannot give the $90, we simply ask you to pray about how much you want to donate for each of your counseling sessions.  Then respond to the Lord's leading. If you are unable to donate any amount, we ask that you approach your church or the person who referred you to us and ask them to assist financially by completely or partially paying for your sessions. Your $40 charge for the Taylor Johnson Temperament Analysis and your donation for the counseling goes toward the overhead cost of the ministry.  It does not go toward the salary of the counselor.  If you would like to give a donation toward the salary of the counselor above the $90 suggested donation for counseling, you may do so but it is not required.   

How long is each session?

Each sessions lasts approximately 50 minutes.

How many sessions may I anticipate?

We average around 16 sessions.  This may be less or more depending on your needs.  We prefer to see you once a week. Since we have so many people waiting to get in for counseling, if you must cancel your appointment, please give us at least 24 hours notice. If not, we will ask you to make a donation for that hour.

What is our approach to counseling?  

We believe that God has placed four basic needs in every person.  Each has a need for love, acceptance, worth and security (L.A.W.S.).  Growing up we look to those closest to us, usually our parents to meet those needs.  A Biblically functional family is one where both father and mother are full of God’s love, are operating in their design, a man as a loving initiator and a woman as a respectful responder.  The children’s L.A.W.S needs are met by dad and mom.  Dad and mom lead the child to faith in Jesus Christ and show them how to let Him meet those needs. 

Many of us did not grow up like this.  Even if our L.A.W.S. needs were met, our parents may not have known how to lead us to Jesus as the One to ultimately meet those needs. We learned to meet our L.A.W.S. needs on our own apart from Christ in positive but not Biblical ways.

We who grew up in a very Biblically dysfunctional home received a lot of rejection.  We have learned to meet our L.A.W.S. needs on our own apart from Christ, most likely in negative and not Biblical ways.

We have all learned to live out of what the Bible calls the flesh.  The flesh is anything we have learned to do to meet our L.A.W.S. needs and to make life meaningful apart from Christ.

Once we have spent some time on your history helping you discover your unique flesh, we will show you from the Bible how Christ in you and you in Christ is the ultimate answer.  We will then show you how that truth applies to your personal situation whether it be personal, marriage or family related.

What areas do we counsel in?

We counsel in these areas but are not limited to: spiritual problems, emotional problems, mental problems, habitual sin problems, demonic oppression, pre-marital, marital, singles, parenting, teens, and some younger children (when we see children or teens, we require the parents to be counseled also).

How do we counsel married couples? 

We use the same truths as above, but we also help the couple with issues like communication, marriage roles, parenting, etc.  The couple may be counseled together or as individuals after the initial session and will be brought back together later.

What do I need to do to prepare for my counseling? 

Call for an initial assessment.  We will ask you to take the Taylor Johnson Temperament Analysis (TJTA) before your first counseling session. As stated above, the TJTA is a one time cost of $40. We also know how much it will prepare you for your counseling to attend a Grace Life Conference. So, we will discuss your options for attending one. It would be highly beneficial (and would shorten your overall number of sessions) if you attended a Grace Life Conference. The Conference is held in our office each month and costs $50 per person; $90 per couple; $40 per single parent; $30 for a pastor or spouse; $10 for alumni who brings a workbook or alumni are free if they bring a first-time participant. If your schedule will not permit you to attend a live Conference, you may purchase the CD version along with a Conference book for $40.  We will, also, ask you to prepare for your counseling by reading a book or listening to a CD assigned by your assessor. Please feel free to discuss any financial concerns with the person doing the assessment.

What if I can't get in for counseling right away?

You may also attend a Grace Discipleship Group while you are waiting. The Grace Discipleship Group is specifically designed to lay a Biblical foundation for you. It is a 12 week course that you can jump into at any time regardless of what week we are studying. Along with the Grace Life Conference, it will prepare you to receive the maximum benefit possible from your discipleship counseling. The Grace Discipleship Group in our main office normally meets on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:00pm.