Individual Counseling

Adolescents and Teens

Navigating puberty, peer struggles, school, and family dynamics can be challenging. It can be much more so if anxiety, depression, self-harming behaviors, and/or suicidal ideation are taking place, too. At times it can be hard for your teen to know who to talk to and how to manage their difficult thoughts and emotions. It can be beneficial for your teen to talk to a professional, trusted adult to wade through these topics more effectively.

Adults

Adulthood comes with it’s own set of challenges. Whether you are struggling with anxiety, depression, past issues/traumas, self-esteem, stage of life issues, or relationship dynamics, having a therapist to walk you through your thought processes and emotional responses can help those challenges not seem so overwhelming.

Christian Pre-marital Counseling

In the Christian faith, saying “I do” is a covenant between you, God and your spouse. It is not to be taken lightly and not to be broken. I offer Christian pre-marital counseling as a 6-session package to walk through the major friction points that can lead to marital distress if not discussed and processed.

The sessions include:

  1. Intake information (the couple’s history together), the purpose of marriage, and God’s design for marriage.
  2. The couple’s history and real-life examples of marriage (parents, relatives, etc) and personal expectations of roles.
  3. Sex and intimacy.
  4. Boundary setting to safeguard the marriage.
  5. Parenting views, methods, and expectations.
  6. Future planning/dreaming and goal setting.

*Please note, insurance does not cover pre-marital counseling. The 6-session package is $125.00 for each session due at the beginning of each meeting or $700 if paid in full at the first of the six sessions.

Marriage Counseling

Marriage takes effort, dedication, love, and respect. As life progresses, sometimes the priority of your spouse can get shifted and pushed down. Whether you and your spouse are currently struggling with communication issues, conflict management difficulties, infidelity, or differing expectations, I want your marriage to succeed. Having a neutral third party can help to diffuse and navigate the tough topics.

Parent Education

All children and families are unique but one aspect everyone can agree on is that we want our children to become successful adults. As parents, we even get to define what “successful” looks like based on our views, beliefs, and interests. Success for one family may be focused on the development of character and morals. In another family, success may be through academics and career choices. Or athletic achievement. Or fine arts. The definitions of success can be as different as the parents defining it. Parenting takes intention and consistency to help our children become their best.

Parent education services will discuss and problem-solve your parenting strategies, identify age/development level-based expectations, and integrate appropriate rewards and consequences for your child.

This is a service for parents struggling to agree on parenting strategies, parents who have a difficult child and are seeking guidance, and/or parents who are working to co-parent following a separation or divorce.

*Parent education is for parents only. The children are not to come to the sessions. This allows parents to talk freely without concern that the child gets in the middle of disagreements or unnecessarily gets their self-esteem and feelings hurt.

Family Counseling

Difficult life events can lead to a family’s need to heal together. These events can include but are not limited to:

  • Illness of a family member.
  • Sudden or traumatic death in the family.
  • Transition from a move.
  • Loss of a pet.
  • Fire or natural disaster of the home.
  • A home invasion.

*When calling for an appointment, we can discuss the appropriateness of family therapy versus individual therapy.

Public Speaking

Mental health is a universal issue. Call or email if you would like me to speak at your event, conference, meeting, or class.

Topics include:

  • The process of thoughts leading to your emotions.
  • Anxiety and depression.
  • Self-harming behavior versus suicidal thoughts.
  • Christian parenting topics.
  • Self-worth and teen girls.
  • Self-worth and women.
  • Christian marriage.

*Prices will vary depending on the desired length of the talk and travel time. Please call 319-242-7133 or email office@melissagendreaupllc.com to discuss specifics.