At times life circumstances cause even people with deep faith to question their own beliefs and vision of the world. When unexpected events occur, especially painful ones, it is difficult to believe that a loving God has our best interest at heart. We may find ourselves asking, “Why me?” or “What kind of a God would let this kind of suffering occur?” It is relatively simple to believe in a loving God and an orderly universe when all is well. It is far more difficult when we are faced with seemingly unexplainable events. Because questions about the meaning of life and what higher power there is beyond our ability to see are complex, this is an issue that can face us even when nothing difficult has happened.
Faith is such a deep and personal issue that it may be difficult to truly explore or explain our questions. Questions about our faith and what purpose life holds, can shake even long held beliefs, and throw a person off balance. Although questioning your faith and beliefs can be a devastating experience, it is often one that does not get discussed in today’s world. Center for Pastoral Counseling of Virginia’s counselors are uniquely qualified to assist with spiritual issues and crises, because our counselors are trained in both psychology and spirituality, and have worked with many people on both issues.
These CPC counselors work with issues of spirituality and spiritual crisis:
Stephanie L. Shaefer Ph.D., M.Ed., L.P.C. Approved Supervisor for LPCs and MFCCs
Kevin Ogle, DMin, AAPC Fellow
Rev. Juanita Stokes, LPC, NCC, MARS
Fatima Mirza, PhD, LCSW