Counseling Services & Spiritual Direction

The pastor of Grace United Methodist Church sets aside each week to respond to requests for counseling or spiritual direction. The services are available for church members and non-members alike.

Pastoral Counseling draws on spiritual and psychological insights and is designed to help individuals, families and couples find solutions and coping skills for personal, ethical, and spiritual struggles.

Spiritual Direction draws on faith and spiritual insights. The spiritual director listens with intensity, asks deep questions, and offers honest and gracious reflection. The presence of God is openly acknowledged in all conversations.

Pastoral Counseling

Some of the issues approached in pastoral counseling:

Loneliness

Guilt

Marriage problems

Grief and mourning

Depression

Coping with difficult people

Exhaustion

Panic attacks

Addictions

Parenting challenges

Sadness

Anxiety and worry

Divorce

Health problems

End of life decisions

Obsessive thoughts

Phobias

Job difficulties

Financial stress

Retirement

Relocation

Eating disorders

Ethical decisions

Uncontrollable emotions

Abuse

Mental illness

Sexual confusions

Dementia

Moral dilemmas

Personality disorders

Spiritual Direction

Some questions asked in spiritual direction:

Who has God designed me to be?

What inner resistance is blocking me from this future?

What passions and fires resided persistently in my heart?

What fears operate and influence my life?

How nourished is my soul? What feeds my soul?

How healthy are my relationships?

How healthy is my solitude?

What gives me joy?

How much joy is present in my life?

What letting go do I need to do?

What compromises have I made for others? Should I have?

What exercises of gratitude do I have? Should I have?

How do my wounds shape my being and my becoming?

Do I feel absolutely loved by God?

Do I take delight in myself? In others? In God?

Am I mature and responsible?

What is the next growth step in my personal development?

In all the chaos of my life, what is the one essential thing for me?

Am I living my life fully in the present moment?

What type of spirituality is most fruitful for me?

What are the elements of my current spirituality?

How comfortable am I with religion? Why?

What redemptive work lies ahead for me?

What wrongs, failures and brokenness do I need to make right?

When do I feel powerless? How can I tap into power?

What is my heart telling me? My mind?

What is the purpose of my life?

How do I sense that God loves me?

Am I restless? Apathetic? Why?

How do I relate to ordinary things in life?

Those who wish to make appointments for counseling or spiritual direction should contact the pastor directly:

328-1414 or 898-3148

There is no fee assessed to participants. Pastoral services are provided as a ministry of Grace United Methodist Church. Contributions to the church, however, are always welcome.

The pastor will occasionally refer people to other professionals for assistance outside the scope of pastoral counseling.

Pastoral counseling usually takes between one and eight sessions. The number and frequency of sessions for spiritual direction varies.

All conversations in counseling or spiritual direction are held in strictest confidence by the pastor.

In counseling and spiritual direction, all judgmental thinking on the part of the pastor yields to grace. The pastor never uses these occasions to practice religious or doctrinal persuasion. The values and gifts offered in the pastoral relationship are honesty and unconditional acceptance.