slogan2

FAQ | Discovery Life Center PDF Print E-mail

Questions answered in this section


Counseling Needed?

When Do You Need Counseling?

Its about your desire to grow and change! Its about YOU!

Times of Psychological or Spiritual Distress
  • You have struggles to keep life in balance "What is growth?"
  • You have needs to overcome wounded-ness "I put it behind me" "time will heal"
  • You are holding grudges or becoming numb or apathetic
  • You have desire to change but lack a plan
  • Who am I? "Why did I do that?"

Times of Significant, Life Transition or Change
  • Death of a loved one " I cannot go on"
  • Marital discord " Its all his/her fault" "This is not what I signed up for"
  • Life threatening illness " How can I go on" How does this fit God's plan?"
  • Loss of Employment "What do I do now?" "I have responsibilities"
  • Divorce "Everything has changed" "What about the kids?"

Times When Circumstances are Out of Control
  • Struggling with family relationships "This is not the way it works on TV"
  • Spiritual Brokenness : Why Me? Why now?
  • Family Difficulties : Communication with children, communication with parents
  • Changing Responses to difficult people or circumstances
  • Are you discouraged? Feeling like dust in the wind?
  • My emotions are out of control. what do I do?

Times of Facing "Unfinished Business"
  • Exposure to Past Hurts which impact the present
  • Uncovering hidden anger which builds walls
  • Desire to find new answers "Where do I go?" , "I do not have the courage"
  • Wanting a new beginning, "What do I do?"
  • You are tired of being tired "I do not have the energy to change"


Is this for me? (The Purpose and Process of Counseling)

Purpose

No matter how devastating or horrible. No matter how much pain you are in. There is help and there is hope! Discovery Life Center wants to provide a safe place where you can explore the issues in your life. The goals of the client relationship is to empower the client promoting self understanding leading to accepting responsibility for change and freedom.

Process

The opportunity to grow and change begins with the first step, a telephone call to Discovery Life Center to set up an appointment. If you are hurting, you may not want to admit it but if you take the first bold step, your life journey will take you in a completely new direction. Once the appointment is set, arrive 15 minutes early to complete the initial paperwork.  Each therapist has a procedure they follow but the first session is an opportunity to explore the real issues and determine how they can be handled. Sometimes there are tests or questionnaire's to complete which will increase understanding of the issues. Discussion ensues to take the information collected and develop a plan of action. The therapy may include education, discussion, role playing, and homework.  Once a course of action is determined, the therapist encourages the client to act and then monitor progress. The healing process is sometimes uncomfortable or painful. Often for a wound to heal it needs to be cleaned. The cleaning, or changing of behavior is not easy but soon as healing continues the pain is reduced or eliminated. A transformation occurs and the client is ready to terminate the relationship. An aftercare plan will be developed for continued support and opportunities for further growth.


The 12 Steps

This is a journey of discovering our relationship with God and the yielding of our life to the work of the Holy Spirit, Gods Word and the twelve steps.The twelve steps are about individual life change leading to improved deeper more intimate relationships. In the first three steps we admit that our relationships are unmanageable and that we are not perfect, resulting in relationships that are not high quality and God honoring. we also acknowledge that Jesus is Lord over our lives. In steps four through nine we explore our areas of imperfection, work on resolving conflict and achieving greater intimacy in our relationships. In the final steps we seek to share our personal growth with others.

  1. We admitted we were powerless over our relationships with others, life circumstances and our patterns of behavior that are not God honoring. I know nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:18 )
  2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us and our relationships with God, ourselves, and others. For it is God, brothers, who is at work in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13 )
  3. Made a decision to turn our life and our will over to the care of God. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1 )
  4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. (Lamentations 3:40 )
  5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. Therefore confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. ( James 4:10 )
  6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10 )
  7. Humbly ask him to remove all our shortcomings. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9)
  8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and become willing to make amends to them all. Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31 )
  9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there in front of the alter. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24 )
  10. Continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promtly admit it. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful you don't fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12 )
  11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our concious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16 )
  12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1 )


Are you in Denial?

Denial has been defined as “a false system of beliefs that are not based in reality” and “a self-protecting behavior that keeps us from honestly facing the truth.”

Definition of DENIAL acrostic:
Don’t
Even
kNow
I
Am
Lying

As kids, we all learned various coping skills. They came in handy when we didn’t get the attention we wanted from our parents and others or, to block our pain and our fears.

For a time these coping systems worked. But as the years progressed they confused and clouded our view of the truth of our lives. As we grew, our perception of ourselves and our expectations of all those around us also grew. But because we retained our childish methods of coping, our perceptions of reality became increasingly more unrealistic and distorted.

Our coping skills grew into denial, and most of our relationships ended up broken or less fulfilling than they could have been. Did you ever deny that your parents had problems? Did you ever deny that you had problems? The truth is, we can all answer yes to these questions to some extent. But, for some of us, that denial turned to shame and guilt.

Denial is the “Pink Elephant” sitting in the middle of the living room. Everyone in the family sees it, but no one talks about it or acknowledges it in any way.

Do any of the following comments sound familiar to you?
  • Billy, if you don’t talk about it, it will go away.
  • Honey, let’s pretend that it didn’t really happen.
  • If I tell her that it hurts me when she says that, I’m afraid she will leave me.
  • He really doesn’t drink that much.It really doesn’t hurt when he does that; I’m fine!
  • I eat because you make me so mad!
  • If you didn’t nag me all the time, I wouldn’tLook honey, I have a tough job; I work hard.
  • I need a few drinks to relax.
  • It doesn’t mean that I have a problem.
Folks, that’s DENIAL!

As I said earlier, before we can take the first step of our recovery, we must first face and admit our denial. God says in Jeremiah 6:14 , “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there!”

Effects of Denial acrostic:
  • Disables our feelings
  • Energy lost
  • Negates growth
  • Isolates us from God
  • Alienates us from our relationships
  • Lengthens the pain


Contact Information

8660 Daniels Parkway

Fort Myers, FL 33912

239.689.6884

239.689.9005 fax

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

riversidecounselingcenter.org
 
Forgot Login? |  Create Account