As a Christian counseling practice, Tapestry Counseling exists as a partner to the local church. We provide professional counseling for individuals, couples, families, and teens, and provide support to local pastors. We can help when a situation moves beyond the scope of pastoral care, consult with pastors around referrals, and provide training and resources for churches. Our goal isn’t to replace what the church does - it’s to come alongside it.
Common counseling questions pastors ask:
When do I refer someone to a counselor?
Pastoral counseling plays an important role in shepherding a congregation towards Christlikeness and addressing the struggles associated with living in a fallen world. However, problems can arise when this role becomes stressed beyond what it can handle.
Counselors are bound by HIPPA thus confidentiality is enforced by the legal system. This may result in church members feeling they can be more honest and open in a counseling setting.
Most pastors and church leaders are overworked and exhausted. While pastors are often required to wear many hats, they have their own natural limits. Christian counselors can serve to help bear the load and help maintain a standard of care by preventing pastoral burnout.
5 Signs It May Be Time to Refer to a Professional Counselor
1. The problem is persistent or worsening.
2. It significantly interferes with daily functioning.
3. There is significant trauma or abuse.
4. Safety concerns are present.
5. The pastor feels out of depth or emotionally overextended.
When do I seek counseling myself?
Healthy pastors help build healthy churches. We provide a confidential place for pastors and ministry families to receive care.
Just as you watch for persistent or worsening symptoms within your congregation, it is helpful to take time to evaluate your own wellbeing.
How does clinical counseling integrate with Christianity?
At Tapestry Counseling, our mission is to provide competent care from a Christ-centered perspective. That is to say, we integrate a biblical worldview with the latest innovations in neuroscience.
We do not seek to replace pastoral care but supplement it. We integrate faith development, prayer, spiritual disciplines to address the root issues facing the client.
What is a biblical perspective on Trauma?
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). In this world, we will have trouble (trauma), but Jesus overcomes it all. Trauma is the natural consequence of living in a fallen world, but with the inauguration of the New Covenant in Jesus, we can overcome.
What does self-care look like in the Christian context?
From the framework of Interpersonal Neurobiology, integration is the basis of wellbeing: that is,being “distinct, but linked.” This fits our biblical worldview, which is to say that Christians are one member of a whole body. We are individual human beings (distinct) and yet we cannot separate ourselves from the body (linked). Therefore, self-care must be considered in that context. Each person must take care of themselves, but not at the expense of the whole body. Conversely, we must consider the needs of our community, but not to the detriment of ourselves. We must be lived balanced, integrated lives.
What is the relationship between spiritual warfare, mental health and psychopathological disorders?
In his book Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization, and Deliverance, Karl Payne suggests that all maladies can be understood through an integration of physical, psychological, and spiritual contexts. While it would be extreme to suggest that all psychological disorders are the result of a demon, it is equally reckless to suggest that demonic influence should not, at the very least, be considered to exacerbate symptoms. Tapestry Counseling seeks to find a balance between the physical, psychological, and spiritual components of mental health and distress, treating the whole person.