Showing titles in Counseling

We all want life change, but achieving it is hard. As Christians, we know we’ve got God’s help. Jesus has made it possible. The Holy Spirit even lives inside us! And yet, too many Christians are stuck in the mud when it comes to life change. What’s going on? Can things ever get better? Can my life ever turn the corner?

In Mind Over Explicit Matter, Dr. Trish Leigh offers a step-by-step program to end porn addiction and heal the brain. Dr. Leigh integrates the latest neuroscientific research with easy-to-use techniques and strategies to help conquer habits and change lives. Whether you are personally grappling with pornography addiction or seeking to support a loved one on their journey, this book is an indispensable companion for a healthier and more meaningful life.

For Christians, particularly those in vocational ministry, the stigma surrounding mental illness and mental health often creates an atmosphere of secrecy where the enemy's lies reign. Julie Busler understands the pain of mental illness and has learned that trials not only humanize us but increase our capacity to be used by God. In Joyful Sorrow, she invites us into her own journey where a mental breakdown took her from being a missionary to a suicidal patient. With vulnerability and grace, Julie demonstrates that even in the sorrow of mental illness, joy can coexist.

The Christian counselor or pastor plays an important role in helping people process the trauma they’ve experienced. Too often, a client leaves the counselor’s office with feelings of guilt and shame. They feel the heavy burden of what they did wrong. But somehow, they’ve missed the grace of God that makes things right again.

It is said that the true test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. As many as one in four girls and one in six boys experience sexual abuse during childhood, and it's estimated that as many as half of the incidents are never reported. This means that countless millions in our societies, both children and adults, carry this complex, often hidden pain. What does the path to healing look like for survivors? And how can ministry leaders, pastors, and counselors best help them as they walk this difficult road? Drawing on both his own experience and his wife's experience as survivors of childhood sexual abuse, minister and lecturer Tim Hein offers his expertise.

When suffering overwhelms us, it is easy to despair and even doubt God’s goodness. As the clouds of suffering roll in, we can lose sight of everything but our pain. In these moments, when the stars disappear, we must turn to Scripture to find assurance that God can and will carry us through. In this book, Mark Talbot recounts the suffering of some of the Bible’s greatest saints.

This one-of-a-kind resource provides pastors, church leaders, and nonprofessional counselors with everything they need to establish a program for lay counseling. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated in light of fresh research and outlines a practical training resource that can be used to train and equip lay counselors. Filled with useful forms and questionnaires, it also provides a helpful and comprehensive survey of the programs and resources that are currently available.

Our bodies are designed to heal. But while our skinned knees easily heal, it can sometimes feel like our emotional and relational wounds are left gaping open, broken beyond repair. If our bodies instinctively know how to heal physical injuries, could they also help us understand how to restore painful emotional and relational ruptures? Physician Jennie McLaurin and scientist Cymbeline T. Culiat present Designed to Heal: a fascinating look at how the restorative processes of the body can model patterns we may adapt to heal the acute and chronic wounds of our social bodies.

Many people are struggling with mental-health conditions, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and life in our image-conscious culture. But when it comes to helping, it can be tricky to know where to begin. This wise, compassionate, and practical book is written by Steve Midgley, psychiatrist and Executive Director of Biblical Counselling UK, and Helen Thorne, Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK. It will help listeners understand and respond with biblical wisdom to people who are struggling with their mental health.

Human beings are wired for connection. We long for deep relationships and real intimacy — both of which reflect our fundamental desire to be close to God. But all too often, whether because of our sin or our failures, we imagine that God prefers to keep his distance. In this book, Edward T. Welch shows us the purpose for which we were created: to be brought near to God as a kingdom of priests.

Life doesn't always go the way we hope it will. Whether it's singleness, childlessness, or some other big disappointment, it's hard to be content when life lets us down. Author Jennie Pollock knows what it's like to feel discontent. Drawing on encouragements from the Bible and the stories of others, this book helps listeners to trust in God's plan for their lives and enjoy true contentment through a genuine conviction that Jesus is better than even our most keenly felt hopes and longings for this life.

Are you lonely? You're in good company! For many, lonely feelings come and go. For others, loneliness is ongoing and agonizing. Yet no matter what category you're in, there is hope. You're not alone. In this short, practical book, biblical counselor Lou Priolo helps you to assess your own experience, get to the root of your loneliness, and do some rethinking on this topic—because the way you think about being alone affects the way you feel about being alone.

Fear, anxiety, and the critical voices in your head can be overwhelming—even if you believe Christ died to free you from those things. When J. D. Peabody found himself in a mental and emotional meltdown, he reached for the armor of God. In the process, he discovered God’s protection and grace were far greater than he had previously imagined. Perfectly Suited explores the armor of God through the lens of personal struggle, showing how the ancient metaphor for God’s care is powerful for his embattled children in every generation.

We are complex beings - comprised of a mind, body, and soul. Not fixed, ever evolving and always becoming. And yet we often ignore or misplace the critical element of spirit, filled with grace, which we desperately need in order to establish the truth of our identity. Through this intimate experience of self-discovery, you will learn how to identify the voids and deep desires of your wholeness and alignment. Your eyes will be opened to the secret journey of a woman living in a culture fixated on exterior affirmations, expectations, and justifications.

Questioning our faith and spiritual beliefs, while leaving the familiarity of our religious homeland, can be excruciatingly painful. Loneliness, isolation, and fear of rejection - from God and others - can give rise to shame, guilt, anger, and sadness. In Religious Refugees, therapist and ordained pastor Mark Karris explores this disorienting faith shift through the lens of cutting-edge psychological research, theology, philosophy, and, most importantly, the real world experiences of those who are going through - and have gone through - this arduous and confusing journey.

Review "This is a great little book on the place of Lament in the life of a believer, as well as how God uses the difficult times in our lives. Much more than a simple grin and bear it theology, it gets into the nitty gritty and shows that there will be times that we feel that we are almost completely pressed out, and that isn't all bad if we handle it well." - Rocky Woolery "Chapter 6 alone makes the book worth purchasing." - Alistair "I found this to be a very readable and helpful analysis of Psalm 88. Those who in their own life can relate to Heman's words should find help and comfort/...

In Companions in the Darkness, Diana Gruver looks back into church history and finds depression in the lives of some of our most beloved saints, including Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Without trying to diagnose these figures from a distance, Gruver tells their stories in fresh ways, taking from each a particular lesson that can encourage or guide those who suffer today. Drawing on her own experience with depression, Gruver offers a wealth of practical wisdom both for those in the darkness and those who care for them.

Drawn from the personal experience of the authors and current research, The Heart of Recovery calls us to set aside judgment and mend recovering addicts and their families with the stuff God uses to heal: compassion and community. It's a call to serve the ones who cannot repay, to forgive 70 times 7, to fling the door wide open to the prodigal, and to remember the purpose of grace. A supportive community - family, friends, the church, and more - encourages and sustains long-term recovery. Through compassion, we bring hope for healing.

You've lost someone you love. Your heart is broken. Now you're facing a holiday or special occasion. What are you going to do? How do you handle this? Best-selling author, hospice chaplain, and grief counselor Gary Roe has given you a grief survival kit designed for the holidays. Speaking from both personal and professional grief experiences, he will empower you to navigate special days and seasons with new confidence.

Bob & Laura were two lives broken and shattered by uncontrollable circumstances and their own bad choices. Their lives were interrupted by Jesus Christ, whose powerful love transformed their destructive path into one filled with happiness, peace, joy, and love. Bob & Laura's story of God's intervention in their decaying marriage will ignite your faith in Him. Travel with them on their journey of radical transformation and you won't be disappointed! You will be challenged to step out in faith, trust God with all you have, and radically serve Him!