Counseling 4 Hope

Celebration is a big part of the healing journey. Every step, no matter how small is a hard fought victory deserving of celebration. What step can you celebrate taking today?
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Pushing away from emotions is a common experience but your emotions have a purpose. Emotions are signals that can help us understand ourselves and the world around us if we are willing to honor and listen to them. Want to learn more? Click the link in our bio.
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We want healing to be linear and instant. We want the pain to end now and the insight to quickly be believed. It just doesn't work that way and I am not sure it would mean as much to us if it did. Some things need to take time and in the time deeper lasting change happens. So embrace the journey and process. Celebrate the steps forward. Be patient with yourself in the process. Want to learn more? Click the link in our bio .
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Needing to heal isn’t a sign of weakness or flaw but a sign of strength and courage. It takes immense courage to face your trauma and hurts and work through it. Want to learn more about us and how we can support you? Click the link in our bio.
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Needing to heal isn't a sign of weakness or flaw but a sign of strength and courage. It takes immense courage to face your trauma and hurts and work through it. Want to learn more about us and how we can support you? Click the link in our bio.
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When we begin to question negative beliefs, we start to see them for what they really are—stories we’ve internalized, not absolute truths. By recognizing that these beliefs don’t have real authority over us, we can start the process of changing them. It’s important to understand that just because a belief feels deeply rooted doesn’t mean it’s right. It’s simply been around long enough to feel like part of us.

To reclaim our power, we need to actively challenge these negative beliefs. Ask yourself: Where did this belief come from? Is it based on facts or on past experiences that no longer define me? What would happen if I chose to believe something different? By doing this, we can gradually weaken the hold these negative beliefs have on us and replace them with positive, empowering ones that truly reflect our worth and potential.

Remember, the length of time a belief has been with you doesn’t make it true. You have the power to rewrite the story and create new beliefs that support the person you are today and the person you aspire to be. The authority over your life lies with you, not with the outdated beliefs that no longer serve you. Want to learn more about us and how we can support you? Click the link in our bio to learn more. 🌱
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Healing from trauma is a journey that unfolds at its own pace, and it’s important to remember that this journey is unique for everyone. There’s no set timeline, no rush to "get over it." Instead, healing is about gradually rebuilding, rediscovering, and reclaiming parts of yourself that may have been lost or damaged along the way.

Being patient with yourself during this process is crucial. Some days will feel like progress, while others might feel like setbacks—but both are part of the healing journey. Healing isn’t about forgetting what happened or pretending everything is okay; it’s about learning to live with your experiences in a way that allows you to move forward, even if that means taking small steps.

Give yourself permission to feel what you need to feel, and allow yourself the time and space to heal at your own pace. Surround yourself with supportive people, seek help when you need it, and most importantly, be gentle with yourself. Healing is not a race to be won; it’s a process of becoming whole again. Want to learn more about us and how we can support you? Click the link in our bio to learn more. 🌱
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This happens to all of us. We want to have control over something that we don't and our brain gets busy trying to figure out how to make it happen. The problem is the brain gets stuck in a reoccuring loop because we don't have the power to solve this problem. It isn't in our control. When you notice this happening. Pause. Look around your room and notice where you are. Then ask yourself, what is in my control in this situation right now? There is always something inside your control but often that is not what we focus on.
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So many enter marriage with an expectation that their spouse will fix the wounds they’ve picked up in their childhood. The sad thing is that you often don’t realize this is your expectation and what ends up happening is your relationship and the conflict you have will reveal these wounds. If you have a good therapist who can help you identify these wounds either in pre-marital or early on, then you can grow together and become a healing place for each other. We specialize in helping you understand this dynamic so you can heal it. Looking for a counselor, click the link in our bio and schedule a phone consultation.
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Control feels safe so we try to control everything so we can feel safe. It's not controlling the out of control things that lead to safety but believing in our power of response. Shifting our focus to what we can control.
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The research on using your breath to calm the body and mind is staggering. You can use box breathing, triangle breathing, or the app on your watch. The important components of breathing are slow breaths in, slow holds, and firm slow exhales. The exhale is what brings the parasympathetic (calm) nervous system online. Try adding this to your day regularly and then do it whenever you feel stressed. Mastering breath is not just for those with anxiety but is crucial for overall stress management. What changes do you notice?
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People don't go to counseling because something is wrong with them. They go to counseling to unlearn that something is wrong with them. This is the message we all take away from hurt inside relationships. If your relationships with parents or siblings left you wondering what is wrong with you, then you've had your young brain formed around this concluding false belief. Yet it feels true and this reality creates a ton of symptoms: stress, nightmares, depression, anxiety, insecurity, perfectionism, people-pleasing, over-independence, fear of rejection, isolation, avoidance, overwhelm, etc. Live in Texas? Need a good Christian Trauma Counselor? Click the link in our bio to find out more.
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is super excited to make suite 215 her home! We love how our vision for the office came together. Check it out. Ruby is taking new clients in this beautiful new space. Live in Texas and looking for a great Christian Counselor? Click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consultation.
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If you focus on something outside your control, you probably will eventually begin to feel anxious because you don’t have any control or power to make something you want to happen. I encourage you to shift your focus to your response, action, choice, expectations, decisions, etc. Here you have power and control.
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Feeling stuck and overwhelmed? Not sure how to move forward? Click the link in our bio to find free resources on our website. Want to find out more about counseling, schedule a phone consultation.
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We offer both because we value both. We know many prefer the intimacy and confidentiality that the in-person experience provides. We also know that others prefer the convenience, choice, and comfort that video provides. There isn't one that is better than the other. Which one is right for you? Interested in learning more? Click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consultation.
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I (Aimee) want to affirm again my deep love for prayer and Bible Study. I know Ruby and Antoinette share my heart for those activities. Yet, counseling never needs to be limited to just those activities. Why? Because as counselors we are trained to use the proven evidence-based research to address the issues that bring in our clients. Evidence-based research is the faithful study of God's world. Prayer and Scripture alone won't help you understand your nervous system or teach you skills to calm your body. We have a Christian worldview, will use evidence-based treatments and may incorporate scripture and prayer as appropriate to help you meet your goals. Interested in learning more? Click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consultation.
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At Counseling for Hope, we each feel called and led by God into this profession. We see ourselves as vessels for God to use as He pushes back darkness and brings freedom to those broken by the world. If you are interested in learning more, click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consultation.
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A good counselor often functions like a mirror reflecting things you couldn't see about yourself. This helps you grow as you see yourself more clearly and have a choice now about change. Live in Texas and want to work with one of us? Click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consulation. Ruby and Antoinette are taking new clients.
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You don't choose your parents or the way they did or didn't meet your needs in childhood. You also don't choose the meaning your young brain made out of your early experiences or the protective strategies you developed as a result. You can choose what you do now. You can learn to understand the wound, have compassion for your younger self, grieve the experiences you had, and pursue healing now. Want help from trauma informed counselors? Click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consultation.
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If this has been your story, let me tell you that we want to be a place where you feel safe, seen, and heard. We want to help you find stability, help you process the deep hurt you've experienced, and see you grow in confidence, hope, and resilience. You have had enough peace robbed from you. Live in Texas and want to work with one of us? Click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consultation. Ruby and Antoinette are taking new clients.
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Healing complex trauma involves 3 stages: stabilization, processing, and integration. Many want to get to processing and rush past stabilization. Stabilization includes understanding your nervous system, learning to calm your body and have practical skills to naviage hard emotions, learning boundaries, and building a support system. It is only after this stabilization phase has actually created more stability in the life of the client that processing becomes highly effective. Looking for a trauma-informed counselor and live in Texas? Ruby and Antoinette have immediate openings. Interested in working with us? Click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consultation.
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Emotions and the body are intertwined. Our physical bodies can hold on to unprocessed and unexpressed emotional pain. This can manifest as physical pain or other issues. Emotions can trigger the activation of the nervous system. It is good for both your mental, emotional and physical health to learn to honor and listen to each emotion. Live in Texas and want to work with a counselor? Ruby and Antoinette have immediate openings. Click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consultation.
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If you have anxiety, your nervous system is in an escalated state chronically. It is imperative that your counselor help you understand what is happening in your body and equips you with skills to bring change to your nervous system.
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We are Jesus's followers who love God's Word but also love the science of healing trauma. We are EMDR trained, trauma informed counselors who are on a mission to help clients find healing, freedom, and resilience. Ruby and Antoinette have immediate openings. Live in Texas and want to learn more, click the link in our bio to schedule a phone consultation with Ruby or Antoinette.

Grief is the process we go through to accept the unacceptable into our lives. It is what we need when we have been hurt or betrayed by others. When we supress, deny, or push away from grief then we begin to develop other symptoms in response--guilt, shame, anxiety, anger, depression etc. Want to learn more, check out the link in my bio for a link to a grief blog.

Lessons from . This is a very common conclusion we make. We have a core belief (example: the world is not safe) and that thought generates an emotion (example: anxiety). Often we use the emotion (anxiety) to validate the truth of our belief (the world is not safe). The emotion in this case is nothing but a warning light indicating the presence of a core belief. If we can learn to 1) calm the nervous system, 2) have compassion for the pain we feel, and 3) practice curiosity about the belief—is this coming more from past learning or the facts of the present.
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Lessons from . As you grew, your experiences and the meaning you made out of them became planted in the brain as core beliefs. Common core beliefs I see coming from those who experienced neglect, abuse, abandonment, or some other kind of trauma in childhood: “I’m not good enough”, “the world is not safe”, “it’s not safe to be me”, “I’m unimportant”. These beliefs cause the result in the painful emotions and symptoms that can bring someone to counseling. We have a plan to help you navigate the symptoms and change these core beliefs.
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If you've had trauma, you will have symptoms. This is normal! You aren't crazy. Anyone who went through what you did, would have the similar symptoms (anxiety, depression, deep sense of not being good enough, flashbacks, dreams, struggling to sleep, anger, hypervigilance, fear of rejection etc). We work to help you find stabilization so these symptoms don't run your life and we work to help you process and heal the trauma that cause the symptoms to begin. Live in Texas and want to learn more? Click on the link in our bio and schedule a phone consultation. Ruby and Antoinette have immediate availability.