Children and Youth Sunday School
and Adult Bible Fellowship
What is a Licensed Professional Counselor?
A licensed professional counselor is a mental health professional who is highly trained to help people negotiate various emotional concerns. They hold a Masters degree in Counseling or a closely related field. To become licensed as a professional counselor in the state of North Carolina, one must have graduated from an accredited program that required specific coursework and an internship. Furthermore, they must have completed a set number of supervised counseling hours, passed the National Counselors' Exam, and they must agree to abide by a code of ethics.
Will my words and situation be kept confidential if I come to counseling?
All communication between the client and his/her counselor is confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside of the Hope Counseling Center, except where disclosure is required by law or by the ethics of the counseling profession (i.e. abuse of a child, elderly, or disabled person; potential harm or threat to self or others; child custody cases that go before a court of law; and specific information subpoenaed by a court of law). The client may release his/her rights to confidentiality when in the best interest of progress in therapy.
What can I expect from my counseling experience at Hope?
Our belief is that God created us for relationship. It is in relationship that we are wounded, and it is in relationship that we find community and healing. Your experience at Hope will be the process of developing a relationship of trust and vulnerability with your counselor through confidential sessions dealing with your heart, history, situation, and desire. Sessions last for 50 minutes and are provided on a weekly basis. The length of your counseling experience will vary depending on your personal story, and your needs.
How can I get the most out of my time in counseling?
Counseling, like many other aspects of life, very much depends on what you put into it. Coming to counseling is in itself a tremendous step of courage, and your commitment to remaining honest, open, and willing to do the work will enhance your experience. Getting the most out of counseling involves your heart, your mind, and your commitment to seeing it through. We strongly suggest that you do a few things personally that will help you get the most out of your counseling experience. The first would be to engage as openly and honestly as possible, this is a process but the more willing you are to share exactly what is going on in your heart and mind the better equipped your counselor will be to help you move forward. Secondly, become a student of your own soul, read books that will help you to get a grasp on the issue or difficulty you are struggling with, your counselor can help guide you in what material would be good to read. Another helpful practice is to journal and think about the things that are happening in your heart in relation to your counseling experience. It may not always be practical but setting aside time each week outside of your counseling hour to make notes, journal thoughts and prayers, and meditate on what is being brought up in counseling is a wonderful way to enhance your experience of counseling. Lastly, if you can begin to put into practice the things that you are learning about during your counseling sessions you will find the process of healing and change to be exciting and rewarding.