Services

Counseling Services

Personal Counseling

For nearly three thousand years, professional counselors have provided the tailored teaching and support needed for healthy thought and action. We are pleased to be part of this great biblical tradition.

Some of our clients report disturbing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and/or compulsive thoughts and behavior. Others seek help making moral and ethical decisions. Others are experiencing serious relationship difficulties that seem to defy solutions. Still others are struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, pornography, gambling, and other so-called addictions.

We help individuals identify, challenge, and change the distorted patterns of thought, belief, and behavior that maintain these problems. We provide the emotional and spiritual support needed to make difficult decisions and follow through with necessary action. We help establish and maintain structured repentance/recovery processes.

Our methods are biblical, brief and straightforward. Ordinarily, clients report significant progress in five sessions.

Marriage and Family Therapy

An unstable, unsatisfying marriage or family can make life miserable. Arguments often escalate into angry confrontations with no resolution. Children can rebel, become discouraged, and withdraw from family involvement, making them more vulnerable to alcohol, drugs, promiscuity, and violence. Marriage and family counseling from a Christian perspective interrupts destructive communication patterns, rebuilds trust through repentance and forgiveness, teaches parenting skills, and strengthens family commitment.

The therapy process is usually brief (8 sessions average) and solution-focused. At least initially, it is best that couples and family members come in together. Research indicates that marriage and family therapy is as effective and, in some cases, more effective than individual treatments for many mental health problems.

Children and Teens

Divorce, job change, relocation, and the demands of school can put tremendous pressure on young children and teens. Christ-centered counseling can help parents understand and minister to their children during these difficult times.

Career Counseling

Many personal and family difficulties revolve around career issues. Some people have difficulty securing work. Others find themselves chronically dissatisfied or unable to earn an adequate income. Career counseling from a Christian perspective helps identify God-given talents and interests, determine a workable job-search strategy, and follow through with positive action.

Our career counseling approach takes 3 one-hour sessions. We emphasize the biblical work ethic, provide emotional support, and give detailed instruction in resume preparation, job search, and interviewing skills.

Premarital Counseling

Premarital counseling is available throughout the year. Churches often require engaged couples to get premarital testing and counseling, and these sessions are designed to fulfill those requirements. 3 one-hour sessions focus on the couple's beliefs and backgrounds, the vows they will share with each other, and problem solving skills.

Ministry and Consulting Services

Marriage and Family Special Emphases and Retreats

We conduct special marriage and family emphases and retreats. Special emphases are often held at the church's meeting place, either on a series of evenings or a weekend. Retreats are usually on a weekend, often in a relaxed setting such as Brown County or a nice hotel in the Indianapolis area.

Sessions deal with the principles of a healthy marriage and/or family life, actions needed to mobilize health relationships, and feedback to reinforce healthy change. Attendees receive a better understanding of the holy calling of marriage and family life and commit to implement at least one principle presented during the sessions.

Recent presentation topics include: The Holy Calling of Marriage, Fatherhood, Young Moms, Effective Parenting Skills, Troublesome Teens, and Resolving Marriage and Family Conflict.

Interim Ministry Service

Dr. Craig partners with well-known minister and missionary Ralph Lemmon to offer this unique service. Together, they have more than 60 years of pulpit ministry, counseling, and missionary experience. Churches in Indianapolis, Brownsburg, Lebanon, Fortville, and Fort Wayne have benefited from their interim ministries.

We believe the "in between Sundays" can be times of exciting growth and development. We help churches "ramp up" by actually increasing attendance and offerings before the new minister comes on board.

Our messages are encouraging and timely. And because we work as a team, your church members experience a model of ministry that promotes cooperation and mutual understanding.

Our sermon series are designed to fit an interim ministry as short as 4 weeks, or as long as 26 weeks. Church leaders can select the sermons that best meet the church's short and long term needs. For a sample list of topics click here. If you would like more information or to set up a time to speak with Dr. Craig or Mr. Lemmon, please call (317) 471-0500 or email Dr. Craig at jcraig@northernlightcc.com.

Workshops

Northern Light Christian Counseling may from time to time offer workshops covering a variety of topics. For more information choose a link below:

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  • Clean Your Worship Band
  • The Chaplain's Heart: Identifying, Recruiting, and Training Volunteer Pastoral Caregivers

Membership Assistance Program

The Membership Assistance Program (MAP) helps make counseling affordable. To see if you are qualified for MAP assistance, click here. If your church does not have a MAP with Northern Light Christian Counseling and you would like more information about establishing one, click here.

Education

CEUs for Indiana Licensed Mental Health Professionals

We are an approved provider of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for Indiana licensed social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors. We help mental health professionals increase their research-based knowledge and facilitate application in the clinical setting.

Therapists who work closely with churches and/or want more referrals from pastors and ministers of counseling will be especially interested in these workshops. We try to offer something that is not available through other CEU sources�an in-depth look at mental health issues and their application in faith-based contexts. Our workshops include significant opportunities to interact with pastoral counselors and caregivers, as well as an opportunity to discuss relevant religious, spiritual, and biblical themes.

Those who participate in our workshops receive an updated understanding of the topics presented and practical strategies for effective counseling and teaching. Each workshop provides five (5) Category 1 Continuing Education Units. Topics include (but are not limited to) Group Premarital Therapy, Parenting Skills Training, Ethics in Private Practice, and Research-based Approaches to Marriage Enrichment.

If you would like a schedule of upcoming workshops, or to suggest a topic relevant to your practice, click here.