Category: Relationships

People have various expectations for counseling. Sometimes they expect that after a couple of sessions their problems will be solved. Other times, they refuse to start counseling because they have been told to “suck it up” and “deal with it” when thinking about their struggles in life.

Even though counseling has been more widely accepted, we often still imagine it as it is on TV. You come in, lay down on a couch, and start talking about your problems. Meanwhile, the therapist sits there with clipboard in hand, nodding their head, and asking "how do you feel about that”? I often think of that scene from Freaky Friday where Anna has switched places with her mother, who is a shrink, and when she goes to mom’s work in her place, Anna is only supposed to ask, “And how does that make you feel?”. Now, don’t get me wrong, therapists DO ask that question…but that is not all we ask.

There are ...

Relationships can be difficult, especially if we invest a lot of our time and effort into them. When we do this, we create a vested interest and we want to see a return.  We were built for relationships (Genesis 2:18). God formed us in a way that we can have a singular relationship with a person or in a community where we can find support.  When it comes to relationships we are triadic beings: emotional, physical and spiritual.  While all three of these entities are not equally divided up, they do vary in percentages, as we need them to be at any particular moment in time. 

The first part of this triadic relationship pattern is our emotions. This seems to take a greater toll on us than we care to admit.   We will talk 24/7 if you let us but trying to get us to express our emotions in a careful and understanding way has us at a great disadvantage.  Men are at a greater disadvantage as we are usual ...