After studying for pastoral ministry I realized I could best use my gifts and life experience as a counselor. A passion for the local church and for soul care come together in my special concerns for spiritual abuse, helping those who have been hurt by churches and religious organizations, as well as caring for pastors, missionaries, and ministry professionals. I also help adults struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, addiction, trauma, abuse, life and career stresses, and relationship conflicts.
I bring a naturally calming presence into each counseling session along with a holistic perspective that is rooted in a biblical worldview, empowered by the gospel story, and aided by integrative psychology. Additional life experiences that shape my counseling include therapy for childhood trauma, recovering from spiritual abuse, growth through 19 years of marriage, parenting a teenage daughter and son, and moving across the US seven times from the midwest to the west coast to the east coast and back. I am immensely grateful to my wife for supporting my love of reading and not complaining when my books made up 25% of the weight on those moving trucks.
When I am not meeting clients or spending time with my family and four dogs, chances are I am reading, writing, or indoor boulder climbing.
Educational and Professional Experience
Master of Arts in Counseling, Covenant Theological Seminary, 2014
Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Studies, Moody Bible Institute, 2008
9+ years experience in various capacities, including pastoral counselor, professional counselor, church-based counseling center, and acute-care psychiatric hospital.
LPCA, South Carolina 2020-2022
PLPC, Missouri 2014-2016
Writing
Follow me on Substack for regular writings on therapy, theology, spiritual abuse, and reformation.
Reconstructing with Jesus: The Gospel of John on Tearing Down and Rebuilding Faith, InterVarsity Press (forthcoming).
“Sheathing the Sword of Empire: A narrative, characterological reading of John 18:10-11 and 21:6-7,” Journal for the Study of Bible and Violence (forthcoming).
“Mary, Do You Know?” in The Way Back to Ourselves Literary Journal: In His Garden, edited by Tanner Olson, Kimberly Phinney, and Sarah Steele (Spring 2025).
“Questioning Character: Peter in the Gospel of John,” Cateclesia Forum (February 10, 2025).
Speaking
“The Word Made Victim: Meeting Jesus Anew in the Gospel of John,” message for the “Hope and Healing from Spiritual Abuse” conference, Evangel Church, November 8, 2025.
Panel speaker, “Spiritual Abuse Panel” (Part 2), Heal KC Network Gathering, September 25, 2025.
Panel speaker, “Spiritual Abuse Panel” (Part 1), Heal KC Network Gathering, June 17, 2025.
“Healing in Four Dimensions: Pastoral Care according to the Pastoral Gospel,” message for the “Preying on the Sheep Conference,” Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, May 8, 2025.
“Apologetics for the Abused,” podcast interview with Joshua Maule, The Bible and 40 Tabs Open, October 31, 2024.
“Sheathing the Sword of Empire: A symbolic, intertextual reading of John 18:10,” presented to the “Empire Colloquium,” Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, June 5, 2024.