Grief Counseling
Grief is the we are in when we have lost a loved one. The pain of grief can be overwhelming. Life is full of other painful losses that must be grieved, but many of us have found that our culture does not acknowledge, welcome or talk about grief and its impact. I seek to offer the support you need to help you progress through the path of grief and mourning – a process where grief is expressed. I will help you process the emotions that come with grief with a greater sense of comfort and hope.
Pre-marital Coaching & Marriage Preparation
For a couple contemplating or engaged to be married, premarital counseling is highly recommended. Marriage starts as an event but it is a life-long commitment, that couples need to be sure they understand before they enter it. No marriage is perfect, as we all know. However, it is precisely because we believe the Scriptures teach that marriage is an institution established by God, and is a life-time commitment, that we require certain things from each couple before they enter a covenant of marriage. My mission is not to produce a perfectly married couple, but rather to help a couple establish a biblical understanding and foundation for their marriage. Through a series of teachings and questions, I aim to help prepare couples, in a preventative way to plan for and address issues that cause conflicts in a marriage. There are many difficulties that couples face when making the transition from a single lifestyle to a married lifestyle where two people merge their personalities, habits and families of origin. This preparation helps them understand themselves, each other so they can take the marriage journey together, secure and fulfilled as a couple and individually.
Relationships
There is no hurt quite like the pain that can occur in intimate relationships. Do you ever feel a “break” in emotional connection I will help you recognize the unmet needs, to resolve the conflicts within and with each other so you can reestablish harmonious relationships.
Conflict Resolution
All relational problems are either perpetual problems or solvable problems and each conflict will fall in one of the two categories. However, 69% of problems are perpetual. I help individuals develop skills to solve the solvable problems by learning and applying these five steps:
- Avoiding harsh start-ups
- Using repair attempts correctly
- Avoiding flooding
- Learning to compromise
- Increasing tolerance
It is important to recognize the difference between solvable problems and perpetual problems. Perpetual problems are those that continue to arise over time and may result in a gridlock and people may find themselves unable to resolve these problems however, the good news is, these problems do not have to be resolved for a relationship to thrive!
Mandated and Court Ordered Co-Parenting Education Seminar & Class
I teach a mandated co-parenting class for individuals involved in contested child custody, support and visitation through the Loudoun County Court’s Parent Education Seminar Program. I help parents to focus on the responsibilities of effective and purposeful parenting while living in separate households. The class assists parents understand the effects of separation or divorce on their children and the importance of supporting their children emotionally and financially and a variety of conflict solving options.