Losing someone or something that is very dear to you can be a life altering experience. Despite the sympathetic offers of condolences and help, you may feel like you are all alone as you struggle with the overwhelming emotions and changes that are now part of your life.

When this happens, many people need someone who can help them to find direction as they navigate through the weeks and months to come. At Selah Mountain Ministries, a Biblical counselor can be that someone who can assist you during this difficult time. Our ministry offers Biblical counseling free of charge to anyone who is struggling with grief or any other life issues because we want to help.

Grief is one of the most personal, agonizing, life-altering emotions that each of us will experience during our lifetime. Although grief can have many causes, such as the loss of a job or the break-up of a relationship, the most common cause is the death of a loved one.

No matter what the cause, grief profoundly affects different people in different ways. Each of us grieves in a way that is specific to our experience and personality. This makes how we grieve not right or wrong, just part of who we are.

As you read this brochure, you may be experiencing grief and feel like the pain is too much to bear and will never end. However, as a survivor of a loss, you also know that in order to make sense out of what has happened and move beyond this low point in your life, you may need some help.

This is where a Biblical counselor from Selah Mountain Ministries can be of assistance. We cannot take away your pain, but we can be a sympathetic source of support and guidance to help you navigate through the difficult weeks and months ahead.

Our Biblical counselors will meet privately with you as a sort of grief coach using the practical teachings found in the Bible to help you no matter where you are in your grief. Whether you are feeling shock, anger, depression, fear, guilt, sadness, or other emotions, the Bible has answers to what you are experiencing and our ministry was created to share them with you.

The following are a few examples of how we would help you as you go through your grieving experience.

SHOCK AND DENIAL

Shock is often the first thing that many people experience after suffering the loss of a loved one. Numbness, confusion, and a spoken or unspoken denial of what has happened may overwhelm you. You may experience a shutdown in the ability to think at all, collapse, or even lose consciousness. You might go on “autopilot”, carrying on with routine tasks in an effort to protect your mind from the reality of what just happened.

This is when you may need the most help. Meeting frequently and as often as necessary, we can help you to make sense out of what has happened. We will work with you using Biblical techniques to give you the tools necessary to make sound practical decisions about things that may need to be addressed in a timely manner. We will also teach you how to guard your mind from confusion and indecision.

ANGER, RESENTMENT OR GUILT

With grieving often comes a period where you may experience anger, resentment, or guilt. Your anger, resentment, or guilt may be present out of a desire to blame someone whether-or-not someone was really at fault. Your emotions may be directed toward yourself, the doctors, God, or even a loved one who you think has abandoned you through their death. When feeling this way, you may say or do things you would not normally say or do because tensions and emotions are heightened.

If this happens, we can work with you to identify the sources of your anger and resentment as well as explore whether or not your feelings of guilt are valid. Once identified, we can then help you to learn constructive ways to manage your anger, resentment, or guilt so that it does not become destructive to your well-being or the well-being of others. If relationship issues are at the root, we can work with all involved to help you come to a peaceful resolution and reconciliation.

SADNESS AND DEPRESSION

Sadness and depression are the most common emotions you may experience while grieving. While it is understandable that with grief you will experience sadness, it is when sadness turns to depression that it can have harmful effects. That feeling of wanting to curl up into a ball and be left alone can be overwhelming, but left unchecked it will become harmful.

While you may be reluctant to “move on,” we will show you examples of those in the Bible who experienced exactly the same feelings you are having and how they managed them. We will also teach you how to see getting through the sadness and depression not as “moving on,” but as a way to honor the memory of your loved-one. This will help you to move from sadness and depression to joy, peace, and direction.

MINISTRY OVERVIEW

Our Goal: Our goal in providing Biblical counseling resources is to help you to manage your grief through the wisdom and power found in the Bible.

Biblically Based: Because the Bible provides thorough guidance and instruction for the issues of life, our counseling is based only on principles and teachings found directly in the Bible, and not those of secular psychology or psychiatry. Likewise, because the principles and teachings are found directly in the Bible, they are non-denominational in approach.

Not Professional Advice: While some of the counseling resources may be provided by individuals that work in professional fields outside this ministry, any resources provided are strictly based on Biblical teachings and are not to be considered to be the same kind of professional advice and services that they may perform when they are hired in their professional capacities. Therefore, if you have significant, legal, financial, medical, or other technical questions that are non-Biblical in nature, you should seek advice from an independent professional. We will be happy to cooperate with such advisors and help you to consider their advice in light of relevant Scriptural principles.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

The first step in getting started is to contact us to schedule a pre-counseling appointment. We require that the person seeking Biblical grief counseling contact us so that we know he or she is committed to attending. (The only exception to this policy would be in the case of a parent or guardian calling to arrange Biblical grief counseling for their minor child or the person in their care.)

Before coming to your first appointment, we would like you to fill out “Confidential Client Information” (CCI) form and a “Consent to Christian Counseling and Discipleship” form. These forms can be picked up at our ministry office or downloaded from THIS LINK.

WHY DO YOU PROVIDE COUNSELING?

We provide a Biblical grief counseling ministry because we care about you and want you to realize that God loves you. Because He loves us, He has promised us that by trusting the fact that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross, we may have eternal life, and that we may have a better life while we live on this earth. Give us call; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain in your first step toward having victory over your grief . May God bless you as you seek His peace and comfort.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2 Corinthians 12:9

 

HOW MUCH DOES BIBLICAL GRIEF COUNSELING COST?

We realize that cost is an important consideration when someone decides if he or she can receive counseling. We believe that if God gave us His Word as a gift to humanity, it would not be proper for us to charge someone to share His gift. This means we do not charge for our services nor turn anyone away for inability to pay or make a donation.

Our counseling ministry is supported through the donations and love offerings of those we serve and those who support our church ministry. If you would like to make an offering or donation to cover the cost of providing this ministry, your gift would be most appreciated, but not required.

Depending on your situation, we may recommend that you read a specific book or literature. In that case, you would be free to purchase the book or literature on your own or purchase one from us at cost. Other than that possibility, your only cost would be your time and effort coming to your appointments and completing your assignments. In any case, we do not provide counseling to make money.