Trauma-Informed Counseling for Christians
We’ve been talking about trauma-informed therapy for deeper hurts that prayer, journaling, and talking to wise people haven’t resolved.
If you’ve decided to try talking to a professional counselor or therapist, you might be wondering where to start. If you’ve been following along, you know — I have ideas and opinions.
We’ll look at steps to take, where to look, and things to consider.
One of my core values is honesty. I don’t know how to say this gently. If you have the financial means or good insurance, finding a good therapist is going to be easier.
There are some lower cost options we’ll look at and some counselors will offer sliding scales, but it can be difficult.
Perhaps that is why step one is to offer your needs before the God who sees our needs, knows our hearts and can open doors that no one else can open.
Step One: Pray
We have come far enough that we know that healing of our body, mind, and soul ultimately involves God.
Who better to ask for guidance than the One who created us?
I will admit I didn’t always do this. I was once mad at God. I didn’t pray and chose a counselor who wasn’t Christian, on purpose.
But since my core beliefs and values are linked to God, Jesus, and Scripture…I didn’t do very well with some of her suggestions and perspectives.
And, like Jonah, it’s never good to run from God.
Also, if you are hurting and too tired to even pray, it’s okay to just say:
Lord, please help me find the right support. Thanks. Amen.
Step Two: Ask Trusted People
Ask some people you trust if they know any good counselors or therapists.
These might be friends, a nurse, or other professionals.
If you have been dealing with anxiety or depression, it is always wise to speak to your medical doctor and they often have referral advice.
Your pastor probably knows who the therapists are in the congregation.
Some churches have Parish Nurses who can be helpful with referrals.
You may not want to see a person who attends your church, but they might be able to give you names of others they trust.
And while you are asking, you don’t need to tell your whole story.
You could just mention you want to talk to someone about some issues that have come up.
If you are talking to a doctor or therapist about referrals, it may be appropriate to give more details, but you do not need to overshare to friends.
If someone gives you a name, you can look them up in the therapist directories below and also search their name online. It takes a lot for most people to write either a glowing or a truly bad review, so I pay attention to patterns.
You may have limited options due to Medicare or Medicaid — checking first with your insurance provider might be your best first step.
Alphabet Soup
Different states use different letters and titles, so you might wonder about the alphabet soup after someone’s name.
- Licensed Professional/Mental Health Counselors (LPC, LMHC, etc.) often provide talk therapy, trauma therapy and a variety of other approaches
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) focus on relationships/family systems (not necessarily IFS) but many also work with trauma
- Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) often work in hospitals, agencies, and community settings and may have strong understanding of support systems and resources.
- Psychologists (PhD or PsyD) may do testing and therapy
- Psychiatrists (MD or DO) primarily manage medications
The relationship, wisdom, trauma awareness and sense of safety often matter more than the exact letters.
Step Three: Therapist Directories
There are several online directories where you can search for a therapist in your area.
They have filters you can use to look for faith preference, insurance, treatment focus, and other preferences.
Most directories include a short profile where counselors describe their specialties, approach and a bit about themselves. Read through a few and notice who sounds like a good fit for you. Consider whether they work with the issues you are facing and whether their approach and personality seem comfortable to you.
Make sure they are accepting new patients.
I find the online directory from Psychology Today very user-friendly, and you can search for sliding scale providers and support groups. You can also search for specialties like trauma and PTSD, as well as types of therapy like EMDR and IFS (see previous article)
Psychology Today Therapist Locator
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
Put in your zip code and the filters will be on the upper right.
To find a Christian therapist, click Christian under Faith.
Another good resource is:
American Psychological Association
https://locator.apa.org/
The filters for this site are on the left.
I find their search for treatment methods and practice areas less helpful than the first site.
To find a Christian therapist, click Christian under Religion Specialization.
A specifically Christian network with professional therapists:
Focus on the Family Christian Counseling Network
https://www.christiancounselorsnetwork.com/
They also have a free consultation phone number listed.
Lower Cost Options
I don’t have experience with these, but I have noticed that there are some “membership” or lower cost pay by session options.
One you can search by faith preference is Open Path Collective.
Note that many practitioners here are interns, who will have licensed professional counselor (LPC) supervisors or may be social workers. While interns are still completing training, they receive supervision from licensed professionals and can be a helpful lower-cost option.
There are also some LPCs who only do online sessions, which can be more cost effective.
In previous articles we have discussed why therapy might be necessary. You can always start looking for help within the church — trauma-informed pastors and pastoral counselors can also be helpful.
Why a Christian Therapist?
If I were talking to you and knew you had experienced —
- traumatic events as a child or adult
- that still affect your thoughts and emotions
- and knew that your Christian faith is an integral part of your life
- and thought you were open to my advice —
I would suggest you see a licensed professional counselor (LPC) who is also Christian and specializes in trauma.
Why an LPC or LMHC? They are well-trained, master’s-level educated, and usually well versed in various therapy approaches, and are hopefully trauma-informed.
Why Christian? If your love for Jesus and the truth of Scripture are central to your life, yet you still struggle between what you know and how you want to live, this may be your best option.
The therapist part understands emotional wounds, patterns, and trauma. The Christian part understands how deeply your faith matters to your healing and daily life.
The therapist and you together can work to get you closer to feeling whole and integrated.
Will your therapist pray for you? Some do, some don’t. Will they agree with every doctrinal or theological conviction you hold? Probably not. You are not coming for them for direct spiritual advice. They are not your pastor or spiritual director. But they should understand how important your faith is to your body, mind, and spirit and help you within your spiritual view of life.
Step Four: Make the Call
Now that you’ve picked a therapist or two that might work for you and your situation, it’s time to make a phone call or email for first contact.
Counselors often offer a brief phone consultation or first contact conversation. This is not the time to tell your whole story, or even most of it.
Things to cover include insurance or fees, in-person or online visits, and any basic questions you have. It is time to get a feel for each other. You might also ask whether they have experience working with the concerns you are bringing and how they typically approach counseling.
It is okay to interview more than one counselor and to choose the one that seems to fit you best.
Consider your decision before the One who wants your healing more than you do.
Understand that sometimes healing comes through the therapeutic relationship as well as through an altar prayer.
Step Five: First Visit
Use your first visit to get to know your counselor. Ask questions. Answer questions.
Hopefully your counselor will have read all the paperwork you filled out and will have a good idea of your overall story already.
I was going to say don’t do what I did, which is to tell your whole life story in one breath…but it actually worked out for me.
Before I met the therapist I have now, I contacted his partner. I know now that he is a quieter guy and my high-speed verbal history helped him see that his partner would be a better fit for my personality and needs.
He referred me to his partner, possibly because of an insurance issue. At that time I was a little baffled. However, he was right, and I’m grateful for it now.
Don’t be afraid of being referred or of feeling like this counselor might not be the best for you.
Remember, you are not making a lifelong commitment after one session. You are simply taking the next step.
It’s Not Forever
Counseling may be for a short time as you learn some skills and techniques — while you see some connections to your past, and find more integration and less reactivity.
You and your therapist can always discuss time limits, how many sessions, how it is going, what they are seeing, what you are feeling.
If after some time you consistently feel dismissed, shamed, spiritually manipulated, unsafe, or unable to build trust, it may be appropriate to look for another counselor.
Why have you heard me say in several articles don’t be afraid to leave?
It is difficult as a hurting individual to believe in yourself and to care for yourself enough to realize that you are not always the problem.
You’ve probably believed this for a long time.
It may not be that you’ve found an inept counselor — they may not be the right one for you.
It may be that your issues are not something they excel at.
Therapists are only human and often become helpers because they themselves have issues in their past they have worked on and want to help others.
They’ve been educated and have gone through their own therapy, but they are still in process just as you are.
Believe it or not, I had a counselor who could not deal with sexual abuse.
He would always say, “Let’s talk about your mother.”
I’d think, Let’s talk about the [deleted] sexual abusing step-father first…
I could not figure him out, except he had two young daughters.
Was it too hard for him to think about someone abusing them?
So, as hurting as I was — and it took me much too long — I had to admit that it wasn’t working for me.
And I moved on.
But never alone. My God never leaves me nor forsakes me.
I had learned some skills, was less depressed and more capable.
When the time was right, God opened the door to the right helper.
He is the Good Shepherd. I am the sheep of His pasture.
I am safe in His leading and guiding.
Don’t be afraid to look for help. You are not alone.
If you are in immediate crisis, feel unsafe, or are having thoughts of harming yourself, please reach out for immediate support. In the United States, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or contact emergency services.
If you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to comment below. Comments are moderated for safety and respect, but I’ll read each one
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