Do you wonder where God is?
Life isn’t supposed to be this way. The hurt, the broken relationships, the constant challenges. Is God paying attention?
- Do you love God, but are unclear how that impacts your current struggles?
- Do you read the Bible, but have no idea how that relates to your daily life?
- Are you scared to reveal what you struggle with because you worry others will judge you?
It’s not a secret that life isn’t easy. Often times as Christians, we don’t share our deepest pains with anyone. Then we feel isolated, lonely, and despair. We worry people will think we don’t have enough faith, or are a “bad Christian”. We work harder to do the “right” things, but yet, we are still fumbling, hurting and alone.
All Christians Face Trials
We live in a broken, fallen world, and none of us are exempt from life’s pains. Until Jesus comes back, we will continue to navigate the hurts life throws at us. However, God didn’t intend for us to do this alone. We have the Holy Spirit – and one another.
Examples of hardship are all throughout the Bible. Just look at David in Psalms –Saul is trying to kill him, he commits adultery with Bathsheba, then has her husband killed – and yet, he is called a man after God’s own heart. Your pains, wounds, and bad choices don’t make you “too far gone”. Just look at what God did with David!
What Is Christian Counseling?
We believe God made us to know Him, love Him, and love others. Here at Lime Tree Counseling, we want you to live a fulfilling, purposeful, and joyful life. Our approach to counseling is the same. Whether our client requests Christian Counseling or not, we create a personalized therapy plan to address individual concerns and achieve specific goals.
When a client asks to incorporate their faith into therapy sessions, we make sure to define the problem and goals through a Biblical lens, and we rely upon the client’s relationship with God as a means for both change and building safety, knowing the client is loved and valued.
There are many different ideas of what defines Christian counseling, as well as the methods or perspectives that should be utilized with clients. At Lime Tree Counseling, every therapist on our team is a Christian, meaning we love Jesus and follow the Bible. The way we see the world is through this Christian perspective. While we value the Bible as the ultimate authority, we also believe God gave us science, psychology, and evidenced-based practices to make it possible for us to heal and draw closer to Him. Our goal is to use the wisdom God offers us (Proverbs 2) and the tools of psychology to apply and understand the Bible’s teachings to everyday, real life.
We will help you learn new skills to change false thoughts and your behavior. With the help of a safe relationship with your therapist, you can take small risks to learn to reconnect to the people in your life that matter most. You will experience new levels of healthy relationships, and experience joy again, or maybe for the first time. You will also start to feel positive changes in your faith!
To learn more about Christian counseling with us, you can reach out to our team to ask any questions or schedule a consultation or therapy session. If visiting us in our office doesn’t fit your schedule or requires too much travel, we hope you’ll consider online telehealth therapy sessions that are available for anyone in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Colorado.
Common Concerns about Christian Counseling
As with any type of therapy, different therapists will have various approaches, and they will fit some clients better than others. We understand that. If you come see us for Christian Counseling, we want you to know up front that the following things will not happen:
- We will not tell you that your anxiety or depression is a result of a lack of faith on your part.
- We will not share any information about your faith or spirituality with anyone in your church or anyone else at all. Working with a professional therapist gives you an objective person to provide unbiased feedback. You need someone unconnected from your life to be able to have that perspective. Also, professional therapists are required by law to keep your sessions confidential. Professional counselors are only required to share your information if you are a danger to yourself or someone else, or have information about child abuse. Otherwise, the law protects you and your story stays private between you and your therapist. We will share information about your counseling with your pastor if you choose and give us permission.
- We will not tell you to “Let go and let God.” This is over simplistic and ignores the fact that God wants us to participate in our own growth.
- We don’t like divorce and certainly want to see couples stay married; however, we do believe certain situations call for divorce and that God values both spouses’ safety and sanity more than a couple staying married in those circumstances. We will cover this topic or need on an individual couple basis with the help of resources to aid us in this path of healing.
- We will never tell a woman in an abusive marriage she needs to submit more to her husband. This is not biblical or helpful. God does not accept abusive behavior and does not want us to allow it to continue. This includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.
What if I was Hurt By My Church?
We realize that, in our broken world, painful things happen even in our churches. If you experienced hurt from a church, we understand. We welcome the opportunity to work with you, to help you untangle truth from lies, and to find healing to move forward.
We’ll talk about topics like forgiving for your own well-being and how it compares to reconciliation.
As Christians we talk a lot about forgiveness. The truth is, forgiveness and reconciliation are two very different things. Reconciliation means that you chose to repair the relationship. It might not be the same, but you chose to continue to spend time with, share with, and be available to the person who hurt you. You repair the damage.
Using this approach we’ll work on defining terms like this and helping you heal from the hurt and trauma caused by your experience at your church.
Please contact Lime Tree Counseling to schedule an appointment or a free consultation. We will get back to you as soon as possible and get you scheduled. In our Ambler, PA office, we serve all of Montgomery County, and our therapists are happy to offer online counseling sessions for residents of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Colorado.
Further Reading On Christian Counseling
Read more about Christian Counseling in our blog posts:
Debunking 5 Myths about “Negative” Emotions (Here are the Facts Instead!)
By Brooke Stoltzfus, LSW If you’re familiar with the Enneagram, you might be aware that the particular “Type 7” supposedly does not do well with experiencing negative emotions. Examples of negative emotions can include sadness, disappointment, hurt, guilt,...
5 Myths that Stop Christians from Getting the Emotional Help They Need
By Lauren Thomas, MA, LPC We have come a long way in reducing stigma around mental health and seeking help from professionals, but in some circles, debate about the efficacy of therapy to treat various problems still exists. If you’re a Christian and on the fence...
7 reasons wrestling with your faith while in counseling can be helpful
By Alana Gregg, MS Our faith and what we believe about God can be a touchy subject. People come into my office from all different places regarding their faith. Some people have had bad experiences with church that have turned them off completely. Some people have...
Additional Counseling Services at
Lime Tree Counseling
In addition to Christian Counseling, we also provide a range of therapy solutions, including:
Trauma & PTSD Treatment
We also specialize in trauma and PTSD therapy. Sometimes one partner’s trauma background effects the relationship. In these cases, the one partner will find it helpful to do some trauma counseling before couples therapy…Learn more
Anxiety Therapy
Anxiety can be overwhelming. Whether it’s a constant worrying or more intense panic attacks, no one should endure regular anxiety. If you or your spouse struggles in this area, please consider anxiety treatment…Learn more
Online Counseling
Life gets busy, and maybe coming into the office is not doable. Or perhaps you live in a remote area, and don’t have access to quality mental health care. We offer online counseling services to those residing in Pennsylvania…Learn more
Get Started With Therapy Today!
Please contact Lime Tree Counseling to schedule an appointment or a free consultation. We will get back to you as soon as possible and get you scheduled. In our Ambler, PA office, we serve all of Montgomery County, and our therapists are happy to offer online counseling sessions for residents of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Colorado.