As we continue to monitor the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, we wanted to share the actions we are taking at Renewal Christian Counseling Center to maintain a safe and clean environment for you, our employees, and the communities we serve to reduce the spread of the virus. The Center for Disease Control, World Health Organization, and state and local health department … Read More
Who to trust in Mental Health?
How does one know who to trust when looking for a mental health provider? Anyone can hang out a shingle and start a practice, but that does not mean that they are the agency for you. Why do so many hospitals, Primary Doctors, Pastors, and School Principles and Teachers send their people to Renewal Counseling? How has Renewal gained the … Read More
Let it go… through trauma releasing.
We have all heard the cliche, “let it go.” We now, also, have the Disney songto go with it, but what does that actually mean and how does it work? So many of our struggles are not rooted in our current circumstances, but in the traumas that these circumstances remind us of. The human brain is both blessed and cursed with … Read More
Coping with the Holiday Blues?
The holidays are great and joyful times for most, but are miserable and depressing for many others too! The holidays are a reminder of what we have, but also a reminder of what we do not have, which for some can lead to increased feelings of loneliness and depression. Let’s together be mindful of those that are hurting during this … Read More
Does your loved one have AD(H)D?
Attention Deficit Disorder is both over-diagnosed and under-diagnosed, today. Some oversimplify the problem and just think “those kids just need more discipline.” Or some are so opposed to using medications that they do not get the testing at all or find out that there are many other ways to treat ADD other than medications. What many do not know, is … Read More
Strength in Authentic Community
One of the common characteristics of an addicts are they tend to be isolated. Before I continue let me clarify the difference between being isolated and being alone, despite the fact that these two words can sometime mistakenly be used synonymously. Being alone is physically being separated from others. Being isolated is not being connected with others emotionally regardless of … Read More
Are You Spending $13 Billion Dollars a Year on Pornography?
One of the central beliefs of men struggling with pornography is that they think they are alone. It is this feeling of being the only one that struggles and no one would understand that isolates them from other people, and more importantly it isolates them from getting the help they need to break free from pornography’s grip. They may feel … Read More
Our Culture’s Double Standard on Sex
As I mentioned in a previous blog, sex addiction is on the rise at an alarming rate and you only need to watch the evening news for a few nights before that becomes evident. But what might not be so evident is why sex addiction is on the rise. I’d like to touch on two recent news stories to help … Read More
Are You Addicted? You Might Be Surprised
According to dictionary.com, addiction is defined as the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, such as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. When most people think of an addict images of the crazed junky on the evening news, or perhaps the bum with … Read More
Benefits of Having a Nurse Practitioner
The health care field like so many others service areas, has become more and more pressured to push clients through an assembly line type structure to meet productivity measures, but often leaves patient care to be less than desired. In mental health we see this same dynamic playing out! Psychiatrists often spend less than a half hour to get to … Read More
Child-Centered Play Therapy
One of the first questions I generally get asked when parents bring their children in for therapy is, So, what do you actually do with them? or What is the point of just playing with my child? In any type of therapeutic relationship, one of the first steps is to connect on the client’s level. In the case of children, … Read More
Medicine & Faith by Thomas Graves, MD
When students first enter medical school they are filled with wonder and awe. The human body is so complex. The task of mapping out our entire anatomy from muscles and bones to microscopic cells is daunting. And yet, over the course of four years students master a working knowledge of the body and they begin to grasp how injury and … Read More