This world is comprised of individuals and families that, over time, experience many victories as well as disappointments. Life comes at you fast with expected and unexpected events, personal struggles, misunderstandings, societal expectations–to name just a few challenges. With a little help, even with such challenges as individual or family can have a fulfilling, emotionally and spiritually healthy existence.

Dave Stevens serves as Counseling and Family Minister at McDermott Road. He has Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Bible from Abilene Christian University and a Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Nebraska. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing professionally over three decades in Nebraska, Indiana, Florida, and Texas. He has also directed Family Ministries in these states.

Our Counseling and Family Support Ministry has been conducting biblical professional Marriage and Family Therapy and Spiritual Training in addition to several other marriage and family programs and events for more than a decade. The Counseling Center is where much healing and life-change has occurred as individuals, couples, groups, and families have worked to improve their circumstances to God’s glory. In addition to professional Christian Counseling, several support groups often gather in the Center to receive mutual support with grief, caregiving, parenting, marriage, and other personal issues.

Our family support efforts apply Christ’s principles to life’s challenges offering effective care, education, enrichment, and intervention to help sustain spiritual, emotional and relational strength and vitality for those who want to achieve it.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about our Counseling and Family Support Ministry, contact Dave Stevens.

DivorceCare

Going through the pain of separation or divorce can seem overwhelming. In DivorceCare, we want to help.

DivorceCare is a caring group of people who will walk alongside you as you learn not only how to survive, but also how to grow from this difficult experience. We provide 13 weekly sessions of Bible-based video instruction with nationally recognized counselors and ministers, followed by group discussion.

For more information call 972-712-2727 or email DivorceCare. Childcare is provided upon request.

Grief and Loss Support

Coping with the loss of a loved one is not just emotional, it’s figuring out how to function without your loved one.

We want help on your personal journey of figuring out the what, where, why and how things happen now without the life partner that you had for so long. Here are some suggestions that can make a big difference in your progress toward healing:

Caring for Caregivers

Caregiving is providing daily, hands-on, live-in care for a family member or being responsible for the emotional, financial and/or physical care and well-being of another.

This includes caring for a grandfather with Alzheimer’s disease, caring for a child with a spinal cord injury following a diving accident, caring for a wife with Parkinson’s disease, caring for a friend with AIDS, or caring for a mother with cancer. Caregiving can be part-time or full-time. It can require one to live with the person being cared for or live separately.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 30% of the workforce is balancing their personal and work responsibilities as they care for someone. By 2010, the caregiver work-force was expected to jump to 54%.

We want to help you, as a caregiver, find support as you deal with such normal emotions as resentment, guilt, anger, fear, frustration, fatigue, loneliness and the like.

Six Major Qualities of Strong Families

What do successful families have in common? After twenty-five years of worldwide research involving over 14,000 strong families, Dr. Nick and Nancy Stinnett and Joe and Alice Beam identified six qualities that they have in common.

Members of strong families…

1. are dedicated to promoting each other’s welfare and happiness. They value the unity of the family and have a high degree of commitment to the family as a group.
2. express a great deal of appreciation to each other. They give a lot of positive messages to each other. They build each other up psychologically. They give many sincere compliments and express appreciation well and often.
3. have positive communication skills and spend large amounts of time talking with each other. They are very good listeners. They do fight, have quarrels and conflict. They are free to express feelings; they look at alternatives to use in resolving conflicts.
4. spend a lot of time together – quality time generous qualities. They structure their lifestyle to make the time together happen.
5. have a high degree of spiritual well-being. They are committed to a spiritual lifestyle. Their belief in God gives them strength and purpose.
6. have a special ability to cope with stress and crises. They keep a sense of balance by focusing on something positive about the event, such as how much they care about each other. They offer strong support to the one in crisis and see it as an opportunity for growth.

Stinnett, Dr. Nick and Nancy with Joe and Alice Beam. Fantastic Families/6 Proven Steps to Building a Strong Family. Howard Publishing Co. West Monroe, LA. 1999.

Other Resources

Resource list from Jerry and Lynn Jones’ Marriage Matters Seminar (DOWNLOAD)

Love for a Lifetime (DOWNLOAD)

Godly Parenting Essentials (DOWNLOAD)