Petya Lalane Ph.D · Licensed Clinical Christian Counselor 

 

Services

Integrated Marriage and Family Therapy

The family is a divine institution created for God’s purpose (Gen 2:22 , Isaiah 49:15) , so therefore, Christian Clinical Family Counseling will always focus on the higher purpose of the plan of God. The goal of the therapy is to help every couple to come to an understanding of  how to live a Christ-centered life through empowering each other in love and acceptance, so they can experience a fulfilled life.

Divorce is a messy process and always comes at an excruciating price. Dealing with the emotional pain, anger, anxiety, grief, and depression during this process on your own is not easy. Even if you’re escaping a terrible situation, the effects of divorce can be devastating. Divorce leaves many deep emotional wounds that can easily affect your physical health as well. I am here to walk you through the stages and offer healing to your emotional wounds and restore hope in your life!

The purpose of Christian pre-marriage counseling is to discover God’s purpose and plan for your marriage and build realistic expectations of each other. Together we will cover the “big 5”: 1. Marital Expectations 2. Communication 3. Conflict Resolution 4. Finance, and 5. Sexual Intimacy as well as what God’s Word says about marriage.

Lack of Self Esteem, Self Value, Self Respect: Most of the time poor, self-destructive decisions are made as a result of lack of self-esteem. Healing the inner person and gaining understanding about your identity will bring long lasting balance and peace. Compensate your weaknesses by capitalizing on your strengths. Let’s find those strengths and learn to exploit them for the purpose of fulfillment. The bottom line of positive and stable self-esteem is when you can say: “I accept the value that God has placed on me.” Then you can cooperate with God to develop the best possible “you” in this world.

Temperament therapy is the Biblical approach to behavioral change. Understanding the inner man and applying that knowledge can bring balance in all three areas of the human soul: mind, will, and emotions. By bringing balance into these three areas of the temperament, the foundation is laid to bring wholeness and restoration to the whole person: spirit, soul, and body. Temperament Therapy identifies these needs and helps to balance them and release inner stress. This helps individuals to find peace with themselves, the environment and God.

Codependency can be described as an addiction to people, behaviors or things. There is a strong sense that something is missing in someone’s life, and the codependent person struggles to fill that emotional hole or emptiness within themselves with another person, substance (chemicals, food, or alcohol) or unhealthy behaviors. When a codependent person discontinues their relationship with one troubled person, they frequently find another troubled person and repeat the codependent behavior in the new relationship. Who are those affected by codependency?

  • Adult children of alcoholics
  • Recovering alcoholics and addicts
  • People in relationships with emotionally or mentally disturbed persons
  • People in relationships with chronically ill people
  • Parents of children with behavioral problems
  • People in relationship with irresponsible people

You can be free from patterns of behavior of codependency and develop a fruitful and accomplished lifestyle.  

Depression and discouragement are two of the most common emotional problems that people experience. Out of sense of hopelessness, failure, or inadequacy (even caused by small things), you may begin to dislike yourself. The most common symptoms of depression include: the physical- trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, weight loss, loss of interest in sex, complaints about the body, loss of energy; mental matters- problems with concentration, poor memory, trouble making decisions, excessive self-criticism, thoughts of death or suicide; emotions- hopelessness, guilt, irritability, crying, fear, gloominess (sometimes covered up with the opposite behavior as giddy, inappropriate laughing or being very quiet and sweet); activity- slowing down, withdrawal from social contacts, deterioration of work and personal appearance. Revealing the roots of depression and dealing with the wrong patterns and habits can bring long lasting results and changes, not only in one person’s life but in the whole family. 

Stress, which is experienced as fear, anxiety, worry and tension, is one of the most destructive forces a person can face. When under stress, you are concerned or troubled with distressing thoughts of real or imagined problems. Learning to release and rely on the Lord for guidance and resolution of your problems can launch you in a place of peace and fulfillment.

“A man without a vision is a man without a future. A man without a future will always return to his past.”  Solomon, in his wisdom and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote in Proverbs 29:18 “where there is no vision the people perish”  The NKJ translates it, “Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint…” Meaning,  if people don’t know what to do, they don’t do anything or they do their own thing that leads to an empty, pointless life given into sinful destructive behavior.

Discovering your purpose and identity will launch you into a life of powerful fulfillment.  I can help you to discover your purpose in this season, walk you through the process of setting goals, recognize what is holding you back, and develop a strategy to overcome. Finding fulfillment in life will  take you to a place of happiness!

Is anger sinful? What does it mean to “be angry and do not sin?” Anger is a normal human emotion, a healthy one when it is expressed appropriately. Recognizing the triggers and taking healthy action to deal with a situation in a positive way is anger management. Bottling up the anger is not healthy and often leads to depression. Anger is a normal human emotion, a healthy one when it is expressed appropriately.