Like any other counseling, the answer is as soon as you suspect you need it. So many people wait too long to reach out for help. They finally give in when it has reached a crisis point. This hesitation only adds to their suffering and pain. For men especially, it can be difficult to admit that they need help. Ego and pride can get in the way as our patriarchal society has encouraged them to believe they should always handle their problems by themselves. Fortunately, this is changing. Nevertheless, we counselors are used to this, and initial denial is even a fairly normal human reaction. Still, preventive maintenance is the best policy. Reach out when your depression, anxiety, relationship issues, family concerns, career worries, or spiritual path dilemmas last more than a day or a week. Everyone has normal ups and downs, but when they become deep, intense, or persistent, don’t hesitate to get help immediately.
People might ask, “Why go to a spiritual counselor?” It’s a good question and deserves a good answer. To begin with, spiritual counseling is not the same as Christian Counseling. Christian Counselors certainly provide spiritual support, but their focus is primarily Bible-based and Christ-centered. Spiritual Counselors offer a much broader and more diverse methodology. We certainly honor Jesus and the Bible, but we are more pluralistic and universalist in scope. We will bring in many more spiritual tools that may include Buddhist, Native American, Islamic, Sufi, Judaic, Hindu, Shamanic, and Neopagan traditions, as well as Hypnosis, Meditation, Astrology, Affirmations, Readings, Reiki Healing, Energy Balancing, Sound Healing, Crystal Healing, and so on.
It is essential to add that spiritual counselors work with the same human problems as more traditional counselors, as noted in the list above (depression, anxiety, relationships, etc.). We also work with all age groups: children, teens, adults, and seniors. For example, in my practice, we work with all those counseling issues, but we also specialize in parenting consultation, trauma work (domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse, and abuse history), addictions, and grief work. We should note that we never impose our spiritual beliefs or practices on anyone who wishes to receive a more traditional counseling experience. So, you can see that Spiritual Counselors represent a broad spectrum of counseling skills and perspectives.
Most importantly, spiritual counseling works. That is why we went into the field in the first place. In our opinion, it adds another, more profound, and effective layer of transformation beyond traditional therapies.
Why hesitate? Reach out and get the help you need from a qualified Spiritual Counselor today.
Blessings,
Tom
Rev. Dr. Tom Norris