Holding the Tension of Grief and Gratitude During the Holidays

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Today's guest post is from Dr. Renee Davis, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and owner of Spark Change Wellness Center. She is licensed to provide care in the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. She has the pleasure of serving school-aged children, adolescents, young adults and their families. She also teaches graduate level courses for counseling students at McDaniel College. Raised on the east coast, Renee is proud to call Maryland her home. She enjoys exploring new cuisines, staying active in the gym, and building community through her church. I remember growing up thinking that the unofficial start date to begin ...

3 Ways the Pandemic and the Transition Back to “Normal” May Affect Your Teen

Michelle has been on staff with Heart Song Counseling for over 8 years. Prior to moving to the Tampa Bay area, she served as a counselor for Heart Song in Washington, D.C. She received her B.A. in Speech and Communication Studies at Clemson University and her M. Div in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. In her spare time, she enjoys running, spending long days at the beach and Clemson football. It’s no secret that the pandemic has impacted our teens in a myriad of ways over the last year. Some teens found themselves back in school full throttle, others ...

Suffering, Part III: Deliverance from Suffering is Not One-Size-Fits-All

Dave Shive lives in Catonsville, MD, and has been married to Kathy for 52 years. They have 3 married children and 11 grandchildren. Dave writes, not as a clinician or therapist, but as a pastor. His thoughts on suffering emerge from his study of the Bible, reading widely, pastoral counseling, and personal experience. This is Part III of a multi-part series on suffering. Have you ever felt like you aren't "getting over" your suffering as fast as someone else? Have you ever felt pressured to move on in your grief by those around you and you just weren't ready yet or ...

Grief & Loss: What to Say & What Not to Say to a Grieving Loved One

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Today's guest post is written by Steve Green, a Biblical Counselor with over 20 years of experience in counseling many different issues in the pastoral context including marriage, parenting, substance abuse, anger and sexual issues. From his home in Newberg he works with churches from Vancouver, WA to Eugene, OR. Steve lost his first wife, Ann, in June 2012. They had shared 30 years and were parents of 5 adult children together. God has blessed Steve with his new wife, Laura, who also lost her first husband mere weeks prior to Ann’s death. They are now blending their families and ...

Seasons of Waiting: Walking by Faith When Dreams are Delayed [Book Review]

Have you ever had to wait for something you really wanted? Maybe you were waiting to hear back about a college acceptance letter, a new job that could change the direction of your career or whether the offer you put on the house of your dreams was accepted? Perhaps you’re in a season of waiting for “the one” God has for you, or perhaps you’re still waiting to get pregnant or adopt a child. As believers it can be a struggle to trust God in the waiting for something we so desire. We know that God isn’t keeping us waiting ...

Do I Really Need Counseling to Grieve Well?

Today's guest post is written by licensed biblical counselor, Jessica McDaniel of the Austin Stone Counseling Center in Austin, TX. Jessica has pursued specialized training in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders as well as working with couples through EFT and Gottman seminars.  She also specializes in Pregnancy and Postpartum trauma, grief, and loss (including miscarriage, stillbirth, terminal diagnoses, neonatal loss, birth or NICU trauma and pregnancy after loss) and runs a free support group for parents of loss through the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Other areas of experience include marital conflict, transitions in parenting, infertility, postpartum depression or anxiety, self-worth and identity, trauma, anxiety, co-dependency, sexual ...