I am excited to spend a whole year with you exploring freedom from religiosity, recovery from pain, understanding emotions and needs, self awareness and heart-based Christianity, living from the heart and much more!  I am doing this to provide more support for you throughout the year and more time to dig deeper, and to move at a slower, more thoughtful pace.  And this is much more affordable than a year of counseling!  This approach goes beyond the traditional counseling method and brings in community in a way that is natural and intentional versus a brief group counseling structure.  However, I am available for individual/couple sessions whenever you need additional support or if certain topics surface issues that need more focused attention from me.

Monthly topics:

The order and selection of each topic is purposefully arranged to guide your journey.  However, as this is the first year for this type of group I might make changes along the way.  This is an adventure for all of us!

June: Understanding Religiosity (In group discussion, OKC , Sunday, June 30th)
July: Surfacing the Heart (Austin, Sunday, July 28th)
August: The Blessing of being Ordinary and healing the Idealized Self-Image (needs) (OKC, August 25th)
September: Being Present
October: Styles of Relating
November: Recovery from Pain (Hurt, Fear, Anger)
December: Recovery from Pain (Shame and Guilt)
January: Vulnerability and Maturity
February: Marriage
March: Parenting
April: Self Awareness and Self Care
May: Relationship with God and year in review (with some special guests and super fun finishing touches!

*additional dates/times/location for group meet up to follow!

Each Month you will receive/participate in:
Weekly emails
Monthly video
Community journal
Bi-Monthly in person group (I will share and lead discussion rotating Austin and Oklahoma City locations).
Exposure to other counselors/experts/authors

Questions for Sarah:

So why are you doing this kind of community counseling format?

In almost every counseling session I hear comments like, “Outside of my sessions their isn’t much support for heart living”, “What does heart living look like in the real world”, and “I feel like I’m the only one going through issues”. These sorts of phrases stick with me and make me think.  I can relate too.  When Joshua and I were going through our early years of healing I remember thinking, “ We are learning this new language and this new way of being and seeing ourselves, others and God”.  It was hard to know how to describe our journey to friends and family.  And I often felt lonely as I daily implemented the things I was learning from counseling.  I’m doing this format to give participants more of my attention and to bring them into a community of support as well.

What are the benefits of the group community format opposed to individual counseling?

First of all, the community group does not function the same way a group therapy process group is run.  I love group therapy but I want to go beyond this approach to allow for a teaching element as well as the support of the group for feedback and care.  I want participants to share because we can all learn from each other, however, I never want anyone to feel pressured to share.  You are welcome to keep thoughts and feelings to yourself anytime!

I’m trying to decide if this counseling approach is a good fit for me, what are some signs that as a believer I’m not living from my heart?

Many of my Christian clients say that in addition to feelings of depression, grief, anger, or a specific crisis (job loss, break up, panic attacks, etc.) they also experience symptoms directly related to the Christianity they’ve always known.  Some of them feel enormous guilt and struggle with believing in grace.  Others report a loss of enjoyment in church and a lack of desire for prayer, worship or reading the Bible or other Christian books.  Many feel lifeless and have lost their passions and purpose while others have a hidden life outside of church.  I remember the day someone called me and nervously asked if I had heard of spiritual pain or abuse.  I was so excited to say yes and bring validation to what many Christians worry about admitting.

One way to know if you live from the heart is to ponder the question what do I trust? Do I trust in my own strategies?
Do I second guess myself when making decisions?
Do I overly trust my feelings to the point of procrastinating until something feels exactly right?
Do I trust in logic?
Obligation? What should I do?
Our mind kicks in to protect us when we feel unsafe, so it is understandable that many of us forgo the risk of trusting the heart (God in our hearts).  However, there is a way for God to heal us so that we can return to heart living!

What if my relationship with God is in a great place?  Will I still benefit from the group?

Yes! We all have our own journey with God and He reveals himself to us in different ways.  Sometimes through pain and sometimes in the gifts and blessings He gives us.  For some of my clients, trusting God comes rather easily, while others, God is just as unsafe or unpredictable as the human relationships they have encountered.  I recommend you celebrate the moments of this year together that come easily and press in to the concepts that are challenging!

What if I am unable to attend the group sessions or if I don’t live in Austin or Oklahoma City?

You can still participate in everything else and I know you will get a lot out of it!  Also, we can meet more often on an individual basis or talk by phone anytime you need more support.

The February and March topics pertain to marriage and parenting. I am currently single, should I still join?

During these two months I will offer some tools specific to marriage and parenting, however, if you are single I will structure it in a way to allow you to examine your own history regarding your parents and your upbringing, as well as prepare you for your future relationships.