Counseling

 

Last Updated on August 18, 2024 by Rocklyn Clarke

This page lists some of the counseling / therapeutic resources that our members may wish to consider.
 

Introduction

The pastoral staff at Life Church provide traditional pastoral care but, from time to time, members may also benefit from seeing a licensed counselor or a licensed therapist. The resources that appear here were added because they were recommended to us by people we trust. Nevertheless, we are not providing a blanket endorsement of these resources for public use. These resources are intended for our members and we are asking them to abide by the following guidelines in using them:
  • Please let the pastoral staff know if you have questions about how to choose one of these resources.
  • Please keep the pastoral staff informed about your experiences with using these resources.

This allows us to “prune” this page by recognizing those resources that are helpful and removing resources that our members do not find helpful.

Providers

Unfortunately we do not have the resources to keep checking this list regularly. As a result, some of these links may be out of date.

  • Ashmont Counseling (617-282-6700 – Christian counseling available)
    • Ashmont Counseling Associates, LLC (ACA) was founded by Martin  Pierre, Ph.D. and Dennis Tyrell, Ph.D. to provide culturally sensitive treatment to individuals, families and organizations.  With over twenty five  years of collective experience, Drs Pierre and Tyrell have worked diligently to provide services in communities that have traditionally been underserved.
  • Boston University Danielsen Institute, (617-353-3047)
    • They service clergy and congregations.
  • Esther’s Way – Spiritual Direction with Dr. ABC
  • Garcia, Claudia LICSW 
    • “Your Ally in Healing and Growth”
    • “Social Work isn’t just my profession; it’s my life’s mission. Every client I serve ignites my passion and fuels my purpose.”
  • Dr. Marshaun Glover (marshaun@drmglover.com)
    • Dr. Glover is a licensed psychologist in Boston, Massachusetts with over 11 years experience working and studying in the field of mental health. He uses strategies that focus on changes to the beliefs that contribute to the challenges we face. Dr. Glover uses cognitive-behavioral therapy in a structured and dynamic way that welcomes feedback about how people are experiencing the process of healing. Although his phone number is available on his web site, email is the best way to reach him.
  • New LIfe Counseling and Wellness Center (781-986-4800)
    • We are a multicultural organization that promotes the well-being of individuals, children, youths and families through high quality mental health and social services that are culturally competent such as counseling, support groups, advocacy, and education.
  • Trinity Boston Counseling Center (617-849-9809 – video therapy available)
    • Trinity Boston Counseling Center (TBCC) provides mental health and wellness services to youth workers essential to the health and wellness of youth of color in Boston.
  • Tyre, Khalilah Imani – (617-575-9084 – ktyretherapy@gmail.com)

Specialized Topics

Abuse

Divorce

When abuse takes place in a marriage, divorce becomes a legitimate consideration. For more understanding about this, see the “Divorce” section below.

Deliverance

See Spiritual Warfare & Deliverance below.

Divorce

Divorce is a difficult topic:

    • Divorce is the failure of a marriage.
    • Since marriage involves 2 people, divorce involves at least 2 perspectives on what went wrong.
    • These 2 perspectives often differ.

All of us are affected by divorce:

    • Some of our members have been divorced.
    • Many of us have friends or family members who have been divorced.

At Life Church we want to:

    • Help everyone understand what the Bible actually teaches about divorce.
    • Help those who are considering divorce to act biblically.
    • Help those who have been divorced against their will to find comfort and healing.

Because divorce is such a painful and complex topic, we will not attempt to lay out a detailed divorce policy here. Instead, we invite you to explore the biblical teaching on divorce along with its historical and cultural context and then discuss your personal situation with our pastoral leadership.

For the time being, our best resources on this topic are in our discipleship teaching on the passage in the Gospel of Matthew where we’ve provided significant resources to help you understand what scripture teaches on this subject.

This lesson includes references to related passages, and links to help videos that explain the historical context. You will also find links to some books that provide an excellent treatment of the subject.

Marriage Counseling

Life Church provides counseling to support marriages. The goal of this counseling is to help couples build healthy and successful marriages as they follow Jesus together. Please note that we are not licensed therapists and we will, from time to time, recommend professional counselors who can provide more focused attention.

    • In keeping with our general marriage policy, the marriage partners we counsel must be of opposite gender. The laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or any other state notwithstanding, we will only provide marriage counseling for couples consisting of a man and a woman.
    • Both partners must demonstrate their commitment to following Jesus Christ in a publicly verifiable way.
    • Although some exceptions are possible, both partners should be under the pastoral care of the Life Church pastoral staff. This will normally mean that they are current members or in the process of becoming members of Life Church. This allows multiple members of the congregation to have a chance to get to know them and gives the pastoral leadership a better basis for understanding the couple by observing their interactions with others.

Here are some marriage resources:

 

Affairs

See “Restoration” below:

Parenting

  • Fathers’ Uplift – Fathers’ Uplift is the country’s first mental health and substance abuse treatment facility for fathers and families. Fathers’ UpLift provides mental health counseling, coaching, and advocacy to assist fathers with overcoming barriers (racism, emotional, traumatic, and addiction-based barriers) that prevent them from remaining engaged in their children’s lives.

Personality (under construction)

Pre-marital Counseling

In order to promote healthy, successful marriages Life Church provides extensive pre-marital counseling (currently a 12-week program). Successful completion of the pre-marital counseling program is mandatory for couples who wish to be married by Life Church pastoral staff members. Those who wish to participate must meet the following criteria:

    • In keeping with our marriage support criteria above, they must be of opposite gender. The laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or any other state notwithstanding, we will only provide pre-marital counseling for couple consisting of a man and a woman.
    • Both partners must demonstrate their commitment to following Jesus Christ in a publicly verifiable way.
    • Although some exceptions are possible, both partners should be under the pastoral care of the Life Church pastoral staff. This will normally mean that they are current members or in the process of becoming members of Life Church. Ideally, they should have been with us for at least a year. This allows multiple members of the congregation to have a chance to get to know them and gives the pastoral leadership a better basis for understanding the couple by observing their interactions with others.
    • If either of the parties seeking to marry has been divorced, we may or may not be able to provide pre-marital counseling. Our ability to provide pre-marital counseling will ultimately be determined on an individual basis through meeting with a member of the pastoral staff.

Restoration

Sinful behavior has the potential to disrupt your relationship with your Christian family. Jesus teaches that, when this happens, that relationship needs to be restored to health (Matthew 18:15-20). This will often take place when you simply apologize and demonstrate your commitment to change – especially if the behavior is comparatively minor and/or not broadly known. There are other times however when a more formal process is called for. Here are some resources related to the restoration process:

Sanctification (under construction)

God’s plan is for believers to grow in grace and character:

Spiritual Warfare & Deliverance

Trauma

  • Can We Talk? – Can we talk gives participants an opportunity to gather in community to share stories, thoughts, and feelings about whatever you are going through. 
 
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