I get questions about counseling in my inbox sometimes.
Here are some local Christian counseling recommendations and resources.
First of all, I recommend my friends at A New Day Counseling Center which is on the campus of Western Seminary. We have a team of counselors and psychologists that work with a variety of concerns and also accept different types of insurance.
We also have student interns that receive excellent supervision and can see folks for $20 a session.
Here are a few counselors and counseling clinics I recommend.
Feel free to recommend others below. Apologies to anyone I’ve left off.
For marriage counseling:
Jason Wilkinson at Wellspace Counseling. This is an interview I did with Jason.
Alan Rutherford sees individuals and couples. My wife and I enjoyed and benefited from a Marriage class Alan did for Imago Dei Community.
Roxie Sprick at Gresham Family Counseling.
In town, Nate Bagley and Bridge City Counseling
In Sandy/Gresham Dave and Hollis at River Ridge Counseling
On the west side, Aaron at Discover Counseling
In Clackamas, Cornerstone Clinical and Connie at Partners in Hope
In Springfield, Scott Waters at Veritas Community Counseling. Here is an interview on marriage counseling with Scott.
In Vancouver, Charis Counseling and Fir Crest Behavioral Health.
Julia Garrison at Garrison Counseling Services. This is an interview I did with Julia.
In Battleground, Parkway Counseling.
When looking for a counselor, I recommend reading the info and bios at the counseling center’s website for the areas they specialize in, their experience, their description of their approach to counseling, and see if it resonates with you. You can also call their office usually to ask questions to help you decide.
These days many counselors do telehealth (online video) sessions so you can meet with counselors who are not in your immediate area or city. You will need to schedule with a counselor who is licensed in the state you live in.
Some folks ask me if there are counselors I recommend at Kaiser. Since I don’t work in the mental health department there I recommend folks with KP insurance make an intake appointment and ask to be assigned to a Christian counselor. Sometimes, KP members are able to get an external referral to clinics outside the KP offices. I think clinics like Western Psychological Services may take these referrals and you might be able to find a Christian provider there.
Briefly, I’ll say here, if you are a Christian you don’t always have to have a Christian counselor to benefit from counseling. I’ll probably blog more about why that’s true here. If you’ve found that to be true for you, I invite you to comment about your experience in the comments.
I often recommend support groups, they can be extremely helpful in recovery, healing, and making difficult changes.
Divorce Care has a website with good information and several support groups locally and nationally. It is also helpful for couples and families that are going through a separation.
Celebrate Recovery also has several groups that meet at churches in the area. It is helpful for a variety of issues.
Refuge at Imago Dei Community in Portland meets on Mon evenings. Their website also has a list of Christian counselors.
Pure Life Alliance has groups for men and women struggling with porn and sexual addiction. They also offer groups for spouses and significant others that have been hurt by their partner’s struggle.
Here’s a website I recommend frequently as well
Cloudtownsend.com – I recommend their books on Boundaries all the time, their video advice channels cover many topics related to relationships, emotional health, etc. They also have Q&A replies to many questions related to mental health. I really appreciate their perspectives on integrating faith and psychology.