Welcome BACK!
Hi friend,
Welcome (back) to the RLC blog- as it has been a while since I (Rachel) have written here, I wanted to give a brief overview of where we have been and where we are going with the hope that you will join along! You have a story that is unique to you. My hope and prayer is that as your story intersects with ours here at RLC –whether as a client, loved one, therapist, pastor, church staff, ministry leader, or other helper— you will be loved, seen, heard, and known as we help equip you with holistic mental health resources for yourself or someone you are serving.
Opening my practice Re-Viving Lives Counseling in 2019 and every step along the way has been an ongoing faith journey as a therapist navigating private practice life (some of it during covid days!) while at the same time I also navigated some unique personal sufferings with hidden chronic health conditions, OCD, seasons of singleness, and seasons of loss. In the process of partnering with Jesus and clients to revive clients’ lives, along the way, I experienced reviving and healing as well. Specifically, my ongoing personal healing journey with chronic health conditions, OCD, my own counseling, and exploring functional psychiatry furthered a passion about helping the WHOLE person—mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. My mission is to be a part of Re-Viving every part of a client’s life even as Jesus is in the process of doing with mine. Sitting with my clients continues to be a gift where I learn so much!
From my own personal experiences and over time as I have sat with clients through the years and heard stories of their experiences with receiving care in other contexts outside of my office (community, church, family, etc.), I began to realize that I had a special passion to reach not only the suffering but those who are trying to help them. Sometimes those who are trying to help them are unintentionally (and unfortunately sometimes intentionally) a part of their suffering. I especially have a heart for reaching the “shepherds”— those in church contexts that are often zealous for sharing the truth of Scripture to those in their care.
Out of these various personal and professional experiences, RLC has become a practice that is a “Venn diagram” where mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health intersects as RLC seeks to holistically serve others and to be a bridge between mental health and faith contexts and also between the sufferer and the helper as I myself am both.
In addition to counseling services that I provide to girls and women 11 + (counseling services here), RLC is in the process of expanding our influence to reach those who may not become clients but could also use tools and encouragement for themselves or for someone that they are serving. At RLC, we are passionate about partnering with and equipping churches and ministries to be able to navigate specific mental health and spiritual topics with wisdom, compassion, and Biblical understanding. (It is worth mentioning upfront that as a therapist I embody a safe space where you can be wherever you are spiritually, even if that is with hurt, anger, questions, and doubts. Along these lines, if church hurt or spiritual abuse is a part of your story at all, I’m so sorry. Please know within our blog and other content that these and other topics will be tenderly addressed and Scripture will be tenderly used. You are welcome here no matter where you are spiritually.)
As the RLC blog “restarts,” you can expect compassionate, educated, and Biblical content around topics like anxiety, OCD (and various types of OCD like religious OCD), emotional support for chronic health conditions, grief, depression, church hurt, relationships, singleness, pornography, as well as how the Gospel applies to our suffering to name a few. RLC has unique stories and experiences both personally and professionally that will be drawn from in upcoming blog posts. (If you want to learn more about either of us and our roles at RLC, head over to the “about” page (here) Each blog post will strive to include a “next step,” recommended resources, and reflection questions for you as a sufferer or a helper (or both!). Our hope at RLC is that these blog posts will practically help bridge the sufferer and the helper to “see” each other and to more effectively interact with each other around sensitive topics while also creating a bridge between mental health and faith circles.
Please also consider following along with us on our social media as we also create content and videos on these topics there. (And if there is a topic you have feedback on or want to see more content of, we would welcome your comments!
Our goal is to embody safety through our resources as you come “home” to the truth that you are God’s Beloved. So grab a cup of your favorite drink and let’s start diving into these topics as we together build bridges. We are delighted that you are here!
On the Bridge:
Grab a cup of your favorite drink and get ready for personal reflection or gracious conversation! This can be done in a personal or group context. At the end of each blog, there will be a few questions for reflection designed to help you grow as a sufferer or helper as well as to “build bridges” between the two groups around a topic. I invite you to use these questions in a way that works for you whether that be for personal reflection or gracious conversation with other sufferers or helpers (or both!). Consider others in your life that may need to be educated on a topic and consider ways that you too may also be called to be a “bridge-builder.”
1) Have you ever considered holistic care (mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual) for something that you or someone you care about is suffering from? Why or why not?
2) What are experiences you have had as a sufferer or as a helper around a topic of suffering, that upon reflection, you realize may need more holistic care (mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual)?
3) Why is it important for a helper to start where someone is spiritually and to approach the use of Scripture with sensitivity?
4) Have you experienced or seen a need for a “bridge” in your life between a sufferer and helper or between mental health and faith around specific sensitive topics? What would you want the “other” to know on that topic?