Counseling Services

Our counseling  is built on helping address the issues in the  lives of individuals, couples, and families.  The foundational thesis is  that our thoughts, emotions, motives, attitudes, words, and actions  flow from our innate nature.  We work with you, our client, to develop a  healthy worldview of life and to recognize the truths that guide your  thinking and actions. 

The counselors at Discovery Counseling have advanced degrees from top rated seminaries and universities and are ordained ministers.

Our method of counseling strives to help others discover, process, and move forward to personal wholeness, mental and emotional stability, interpersonal competence, and identity significance. Discovery  Counseling's model is primarily a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Object Relations Therapy, and Person-Centered methods.

The Cognitive-behavioral approach is commonly referred to as CBT.   CBT focuses on challenging and changing unhelpful cognitive  distortions, that is thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes.  This results in  finding ways to improve emotional regulations and behaviors with the  goal of developing better personal coping strategies that target solving  current problems.

Object Relations Therapy (ORT) works with the development process  between the psyche of the client and how he/she relates to his/her  environment.  ORT's basic tenet is that individuals create current  relationships depending on their life experiences.  ORT supports that  social interactions will eventually build an "object" in the  subconscious mind.  Every relationship or event in your life will be  influenced by your attachment of the object to the relationship or  circumstance. This habitual pattern forms and impacts your overall  health without you being consciously being aware of its impact.

Person-centered practices or client-centered methods put an emphasis  you.  The goal is to create the surroundings for you to become a "fully  functioning person."

The combination of these three approaches specifically lends itself  to a more comprehensive approach because the emphasis is on you as the  client and working through your issues.  You are supported while taking  the lead.  It is vital that you takes responsibility for their own  life.  

Other techniques are used based on your needs.  An individual treatment plan is developed for each client.

Our role as counselor is to exhibit unconditional positive regard.   In short, this means that we accept and care for you where you are.  We  always refrains from judgment.  It is essential that you feel valued. 

Our goal is to guide you to balance your ideal self with how you  experience your real self.  When that is achieved, you are what is  termed congruence.  Generally, a client is in a state of  incongruence  when he/she enter counseling.  A major part of the work for you change  to achieve congruence.

A strong counselor exhibits  empathy, which is having the ability to put yourself in someone else's  shoes and relate to their experience.  Empathy is showing understanding  for a person while sympathy is feeling bad for them.  Empathy helps you  feel safe in expressing your own feelings and needs.  The ability to  share and witness emotions, one on one, is a must in the counseling  sessions.

We also focus on actively listening.  This is listening without exhibiting judgment.  Active listening is not just listening.  It is listening in a way that you know we understand what is being said. 

Whether you are from Farmville, Appomattox, Charlottes or any location we are here to walk with you.

                                                 Change is possible!. 

Discovery Counseling is a partner with the Biblical Counseling Coalition.