Have you had the experience of looking at a picture of yourself from several years back and being shocked by how young you looked? I look at pictures of me and my friends from our college years now and think, “look at those little freshmen babies... I feel old now”. I said last week that counseling can act like a mirror that helps you to see yourself more clearly. I talked about how pointing out relational blind spots is one way that can be true, but that's not the only way.

“I can't see my face. You can. I need somebody who holds a mirror up to me and that allows me to see.” This is a partial quote from a great video by Dan Allender. Of course, when he talks about not being able to see our own faces he means more than just physically. This is one of the tricky things about growth -- as the person trying to change we don't always have the full perspective. This is one of the ways I believe counseling can be a big help. A counselor can be someone

“So... why do people come to you for counseling?” This question came up as I was talking with a friend the other day. He wasn't simply asking about what kinds of issues I deal with most often, but really asking... why? Why do people come to counseling to deal with those issues? What is the benefit of counseling? What's the purpose? I had to think for a moment before responding. Just explaining the rationale for my life's calling, no big deal. I hope what came out made sense i

Last week I talked about how I benefit from couples counseling right along with my clients as I'm reminded of important relationship principles, and as my appreciation for my own marriage grows. But this phenomenon is not limited to couples counseling. Being a counselor provides constant opportunity and motivation to pursue my own personal growth in several ways. First of all, as a counselor, dealing with my own issues is a prerequisite to being able to offer good care. This