“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

This verse is meaningful to me in my life personally and in my work. I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and a pastor. This verse keeps me focused in all areas of life; it teaches us we don’t have the strength to weather the challenges of life alone and we thus need the presence and power of God in our lives. My goal is to bring the best of mental health resources and biblical faith together to minister to the needs of people.

Everybody has at times significant stress and difficulties as we experience both physical and emotional health needs. We may at times get depressed, sad, anxious, or angry when we experience traumatic event(s) that are outside the realm of our normal experiences and control. They rock our world and sometimes overwhelm our coping resources.    

Over the 35 years of my professional ministry and work I have walked with people through their tough times. I have seen the stress of life from many perspectives. Like everyone, I have also faced difficult and even traumatic events myself. As a pastor I have seen the stress and difficulty of life in Christian families and individuals. As an emergency services chaplain I have walked with people in emotional trauma, and as a mental health counselor I see people with diverse needs.

I spent several years in the military, first in the Marine Corps, then after college, an officer in the Air Force. Then I spent some yeas in law enforcement on a small-town police department and later as a chaplain for both law enforcement and the fire service. I have also served as senior pastor in churches. After the Air Force, I went to seminary and graduated with a Master of Divinity (MDiv). Since that time, I went on to get a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) and a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling.

Today I serve as the disaster mental health consultant for the International Federation of Chaplains (IFOC) and am a member of the New Mexico Crisis Support Team which travels the state doing crisis interventions with agencies, companies and individuals who have experienced traumatic experiences. I am also an approved instructor with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation and teach courses on emotional trauma.

Some of the issues I work with client on are:

·      Stress

·      Emotional trauma in individuals, groups, and families

·      PTSD

·      Grief, including complicated grief

·      Domestic violence (survivors and abusers)

·      Anxiety and depression

·      Various mental health diagnoses

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