Ask the Christian Counselor

Counselor Michael Gembola explores decision-making anxiety and points to the peace that comes from knowing God as your refuge and ever-present help in trouble. Do you get anxious when you have to make a decision? Do you overthink, overtalk, and overanalyze? When anxiety surrounds every decision, the result can be decision-making paralysis. Learning to trust God, even when the path is not clear, will give you courage to move forward one step at a time. Anxious with Decisions will help you see that God offers you something better than certainty and the absence of risk when you're faced with decisions both big and small. He promises to be with you. And when you allow the Good Shepherd to lead, you will find that he uses times of decision-making to make you more peaceful and become a better steward of the opportunities in front of you. Michael Gembola, MAR, MAC, is an ordained minister and licensed professional counselor. He serves as executive director of Blue Ridge Christian Counseling in southwest VA and has taught counseling as an adjunct professor at several seminaries. He is the author of After an Affair: Pursuing Restoration, Anxious about Decisions, and several articles on counseling. He and his wife, Kelly, live in Roanoke, VA with their two sons and daughter.

Counselor Jim Newheiser helps readers learn to use biblical wisdom when setting boundaries within their relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and churches. The inability to say "no" can result in overcommitment, leaving us exhausted and even bitter toward those who make demands on our time and energy. Similarly, compromising our beliefs to keep a relationship can draw us away from who God has made us to be and what he has called us to do. In both cases, we need to be able to set wise boundaries, prioritizing pleasing God rather than pleasing others or even ourselves. In Do I Need Boundaries? counselor Jim Newheiser offers practical advice for setting appropriate boundaries in our relationships and uses real-life scenarios to teach how to manage difficult situations. He highlights how our struggles to set boundaries are often due to having the wrong motives and offers a Christ-centered alternative to popular cultural solutions. • Offers biblical principles for setting boundaries with time, money, and emotional resources in a variety of circumstances and situations. • Learn how to address heart issues that lead to overcommitment and people-pleasing. • Part of theAsk the Christian Counselor series, walking readers through their deepest and most profound questions. Jim Newheiser, MA, DMin, is Director of the Christian Counseling program and Professor of Christian Counseling and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC. He is the executive director of The Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship (IBCD), a fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC), and a council member of the Biblical Counseling Coalition (BCC). He is the author of several books, including Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage and the minibooks How to Love Difficult Parents and Financial Crisis. Jim and his wife, Caroline, have three grown children.

Edward T. Welch helps readers explore how God's Word speaks to finding wisdom, rest, and hope in Jesus following a psychiatric diagnosis. What do you do when you recognize yourself or someone you love in descriptions like "OCD," "bipolar disorder," "PTSD," or "narcissism"? A psychiatric diagnosis can be a heavy burden-for you or someone you love. The DSM can give you a detailed description, but what next? These struggles can be life-dominating. But we know this: God is not silent when his people struggle. What does God say? I Have a Psychiatric Diagnosis guides readers in listening to God, who has compassion for those who are struggling in these painful ways. Listening to God through the Bible reshapes psychological descriptions and functions as a corrective lens that opens our eyes. • Practical, accessible, and concise guidance on moving forward after a psychiatric diagnosis, written by an experienced counselor and best-selling author. • Part of the Ask the Christian Counselor series, walking readers through their deepest and most profound questions. • Gives readers the tools to understand the struggles that come with a psychiatric diagnosis and how the gospel brings hope and healing to the problem they are facing. • Compact format goes deeper than New Growth Press's popular minibooks without overwhelming the reader. Edward T. Welch, MDiv, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). Ed has been counseling for over forty years and has written extensively on the topics of depression, fear, and addictions. His biblical counseling books include Shame Interrupted, When People Are Big and God Is Small, Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness, Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest, A Small Book about a Big Problem, A Small Book for the Anxious Heart, A Small Book about Why We Hide, and I Have a Psychiatric Diagnosis.

Counselor and trauma expert Curtis Solomon helps those who have suffered the disorienting effects of a traumatic experience to reorient their lives to the path God has for them. Anyone who experiences a traumatic event feels confused, lost, out of control, unsure, and unsteady-disoriented. This kind of suffering leaves marks, sometimes on the body, always on the soul, and sometimes both. In I Have PTSD, Curtis Solomon helps both those who have suffered trauma, as well as their loved ones, to understand the physical, emotional, and spiritual effects of trauma, while offering gospel hope and practical ways to make that hope real in their lives. Trauma can come into our lives through any number of circumstances, but those circumstances do not derail the plans of God nor determine the trajectory for the rest of your life. God can and does utilize the most horrific suffering imaginable to accomplish his great plans for his people. Curtis Solomon, PhD, serves as the Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition and Program Coordinator for Biblical Counseling at Boyce College. He holds a BA from The Master's University, an MDiv, ThM, and PhD from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of Redeem Your Marriage: Hope for Husbands Who Have Hurt through Pornography and I Have PTSD: Reorienting after Trauma. He and his wife Jenny cofounded Solomon SoulCare. The Solomons and their two delightful sons live in Kentucky.

Counselor Camille Cates points women who may be facing hurt, confusion, and unanswered questions after an abortion to finding grace and mercy in God's love. Even though each woman's story is different, the challenges that follow an abortion can be similar. How can you find healing and renewal for where you are now? How do you process the variety of emotions you may be experiencing, such as anger, grief, or perhaps numbness? Camille Cates has spent many years counseling women, helping them to answer those questions. In Moving Forward after Abortion, she helps you to see that God is forgiving, gracious, merciful, and loving, and offers comfort to those who come to him to experience restoration instead of brokenness. Reflecting on an abortion story can be intimidating, but you do not have to do it alone. God is near-and plans to use your story for good. Camille Cates is a biblical counselor and a public speaker with a passion for ministering to women in crisis. She has written and spoken extensively on the topics of pregnancy care ministry, post-abortion trauma counseling, sexual abuse, and God's design for sex and sexuality. She is the author of Moving Forward after Abortion and the minibook Pregnancy Crisis: This Wasn't the Plan. Camille and her husband, Troy, have three adult children and reside in the metro Cincinnati, OH area.

Ste Casey addresses the disappointment that comes when life seems to go from bad to worse despite our fervent prayers for change. When pain and disappointment shrink our world to the size of what's troubling us, we can easily miss what's right in front of us-our God and his daily grace. Pastor and counselor Ste Casey reminds readers that although our worries, fears, and suffering can fill our mind's eye, the truth is that God is still watching, keeping, caring, hearing, and speaking to us. I Prayed and Nothing Changed will challenge you to be honest as you talk to God about your struggles in our messed-up world. Casey points readers to see all that God is doing, even when he seems distant, and encourages readers with specific ways we can see God at work in the silence. • Practical, accessible, spiritual guidance on disappointment with prayer written by a pastor and experienced counselor. • Part of theAsk the Christian Counselor series, walking readers through their deepest and most profound questions. • Gives readers the tools to understand their struggle with waiting on change and how the gospel brings hope and healing. • Compact format goes deeper than New Growth Press's popular minibooks without overwhelming the reader. Ste Casey is the pastor of Speke Baptist Church, Liverpool, UK, serves on the Executive Committee of Biblical Counselling UK, and leads the Certificate Course in Liverpool together with his wife, Jane. He and his wife have six daughters and live in Central Speke.

Camille Cates provides a compassionate guide to help survivors of sexual trauma find comfort, hope, healing, and renewal through faith in Christ. It is estimated that one out of three women and one in six men experience sexual abuse or assault by age eighteen, not including adult victims. If you are suffering from the disorienting and long-lasting effects of sexual trauma, you are not alone. The journey toward healing and renewal begins with seeking God, who not only sees your past and present suffering but also holds your future. After Sexual Trauma combines biblical insights with Cates's personal and counseling experience to offer a message of hope. Each chapter addresses common questions and struggles faced by those who have experienced sexual trauma, including understanding the initial shock and confusion, addressing self-blame, understanding how God views victims, discussing the physical, mental, and emotional effects, and finding healing and wholeness. • Encourages survivors to draw near to God through the reading of his Word, prayer, and fellowship with Christians who have a shared experience. • Helpful for friends and family of survivors who want to better understand what their loved one has experienced and how to help them. • Part of the Ask the Christian Counselor series, walking listeners through their deepest and most profound questions. Camille Cates is a biblical counselor and a public speaker with a passion for ministering to women in crisis. She has written and spoken extensively on the topics of pregnancy care ministry, post-abortion trauma counseling, God's design for sex and sexuality, and sexual abuse. She is the author of Moving Forward after Abortion and the minibook Pregnancy Crisis. Camille and her husband, Troy, have three adult children and reside in the metro Cincinnati, OH, area.

Counselor Brad Hambrick provides a guided process to being honest with God about your pain to restore and deepen your relationship with him. No one gets mad at God for something small. When we're angry with God, it is because we've faced something immensely hard. Anger is an often-overlooked part of grieving, and as such, is an appropriate response to profoundly painful events. While we are often prone to interpret our anger about intense suffering as being at God, this book is an invitation to process these intense emotions with God as a source of comfort, who is sturdy enough to support these turbulent emotions. Angry with God patiently walks you through the process of being honest with God (and others) about your pain. You will learn how to articulate your pain, alleviate the effects of this pain, contextualize your experience in light of the gospel, and begin to hope again. • Practical, accessible, and concise guidance for your struggle with deep grief that is accompanied with anger and confusion. • Part of the Ask the Christian Counselor series, walking readers through their deepest and most profound questions. • Gives readers the tools to understand their struggle with anger and grief and how the gospel brings hope and healing. • Compact format goes deeper than New Growth Press's popular minibooks without overwhelming the reader. Brad Hambrick, ThM, EdD, serves as the Pastor of Counseling at The Summit Church in Durham, NC. He also serves as Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a council member of the Biblical Counseling Coalition, and has authored several books including God's Attributes: Rest for Life Struggles, Making Sense of Forgiveness, and Angry with God, and served as general editor for the Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused curriculum.

Counselor and pastor Robert D. Jones shares wise and biblical next steps in the aftermath of infidelity. How should you respond to the devastating disappointments that adultery and other forms of betrayal have brought into your marriage? It's natural to feel a wide range of emotions, including anger, confusion, grief, sadness, jealousy, anxiety, embarrassment, and regret. The consequences of your spouse's sin cast wide effects on your relationship, family, and future. Counselor Robert D. Jones has walked with many couples in your situation and provides ten steps for moving forward from this betrayal with God-given hope. My Spouse Was Unfaithful provides biblical principles for handling this betrayal and confronting your spouse, and it offers a guide for working through a potential repentance and restoration process. While God doesn't promise restoration with your spouse, he does promise to be with you and help you-whether your spouse chooses to repent or not. God can use this experience to draw you closer to him and bring greater good to your life. • Practical, accessible, spiritual guidance on how to move forward from your spouse's betrayal with God-given hope • Part of theAsk the Christian Counselor series, walking readers through their deepest and most profound questions • Gives readers guidance in understanding their suffering and temptations so they can learn to lament and guard against bitterness, vengeance, and rash decisions • Compact format goes deeper than New Growth Press's popular minibooks without overwhelming the reader Robert D. Jones, DTheol, DMin, serves as a biblical counseling professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, having previously served as a pastor in West Virginia and North Carolina, as well as a professor at Southeastern Seminary. Bob has written several books, including My Spouse Was Unfaithful, Uprooting Anger, Pursuing Peace, Anger: Calming Your Heart, and The Gospel for Disordered Lives (coauthored). His minibook titles include Restoring Your Broken Marriage, Single Parents, Freedom from Resentment, When Trouble Shows Up, Contentment, and Do I Need Counseling?

Bestselling author and counselor Edward T. Welch walks readers through the difficult task of coming alongside grieving people with genuine compassion and humility. When someone is grieving, it can be hard to know what to say or do. We want to be helpful, not hurtful, but it's easy to go wrong. The good news is that we can learn to approach those who are grieving with the same compassion that Jesus shows us when we are grieving. It starts with humility and listening well and expands into practical support as the Spirit leads us. In Someone I Know Is Grieving, Edward T. Welch leans on his many years of counseling grieving people to help readers learn from their compassionate Savior how to respond to people's sadness and hard times without advice or trying to "fix it," but to instead hear their story, learn from others' experiences, and depend on the Spirit for wisdom for what to say and do. Edward T. Welch, MDiv, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). Ed has been counseling for over forty years and has written extensively on the topics of depression, fear, and addictions. His biblical counseling books include Shame Interrupted, When People Are Big and God Is Small, Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness, Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest, A Small Book about a Big Problem, A Small Book for the Anxious Heart, A Small Book about Why We Hide, I Have a Psychiatric Diagnosis, and Someone I Know Is Grieving.

Best-selling author and longtime FamilyLife Today cohost Bob Lepine helps you work through the challenges that emerge in every marriage, causing couples to become isolated and alienated. All marriages face seasons of distress and frustration-times when, thanks to a variety of factors, you don't feel as close as you once were. Lepine helps you make the adjustments necessary to build the kind of marriage God intends for you to have and encourages you back on the path to oneness. Build a Stronger Marriage maps out this path to oneness by first helping you and your spouse uncover how your motivations and expectations about marriage, childhood hardship, or family of origin issues, guilt, shame, or unaddressed relational wounds can impact a marriage relationship. You will be able to trade blame, dissatisfaction, and disappointment for a stronger, richer, and more rewarding relationship. Bob Lepine is the longtime cohost of Family Life Today. He serves as the teaching pastor at Redeemer Community Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is the author of Love Like You Mean It: The Heart of a Marriage That Honors God, The Christian Husband, and Build a Stronger Marriage. Bob and his wife, Mary Ann have five children and ten grandchildren.