You offer pastoral counseling. Why are you called Iaomai Farms?

A farm is a place of life where you see plants and animals grow, face challenges, and, if well cared for, thrive. In the New Testament and Greek translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint), iaomai (pronounced ee-ah'-om-ahee) is one of the words translated to English as healing. Peopl”. People are often familiar with therapeuo, from which we get our word therapeutic. This engages natural processes that foster healing and wholeness. However, the healing that iaomai describes always relates to when God is central to and clearly the proponent of healing and restoration. It is used when Jesus heals, when Christians are told to pray for one another that they might be healed, and even in the Septuagint when God is referred to as “God our Healer.” We see pastoral counseling as a relational space in which the Holy Spirit works, bringing healing and restoration that is not possible apart from Him. Iaomai Farms is a ministry fostering healing and growth that is only possible when God is at work.

What does a pastoral counseling session look like?

It is very similar to other counseling sessions in that there is a formatted time, we work to understand your needs and goal(s), and get to know you and the dynamics that have brought you to this current situation. As we explore your background and situation(s), we include things that secular counseling does not include, such as prayer, Biblical insight and application, and aspects of spiritual formation and discipleship.

You mention both pastoral counseling and Christian counseling. What’s the difference?

Good catch! Words have meaning, and they are important! Different organizations advertise Christian counseling. Some use that to mean they are professional counselors who include their Christian perspective. Others use that synonymously with “Biblical counseling” or “nouthetic counseling”—a model that focuses on rightly understanding and applying the Bible and typically does not include the application of clinical or therapeutic models. Because many people do not have a box for pastoral counseling, we choose to also use the verbiage of Christian counseling. On our website, we use these two terms interchangeably. It is fitting as pastoral counseling is rooted in the pastor’s theological background (for us, Christianity). It also fits as it falls between where others frequently apply the term. We begin with a Biblically rooted theological foundation, complemented by contemporary psychological data and training in various therapeutic models, decades of pastoral leadership and pastoral counseling experience, and prayerfully integrate these as we come alongside and care for people.

What kinds of issues or situations do people seek pastoral counseling for?

Just to name a few:
-Greif, loss, and trauma
-Burnout or compassion fatigue
-Anxiety, worry, fear
-Depression or feeling “stuck”
-Changes and unmet expectations
-Conflict management or anger management
-Pre-marital and marital counseling
-Christian faith-based questions and challenges
-Sabbatical planning and support
-Significant transitions such as career change, divorce, becoming empty nesters, and other major life changes

You offer pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, and spiritual formation coaching. What are the differences?

Counseling tends to focus on emotional and relational health and addresses related issues. Coaching tends to be goal and growth-focused. Spiritual direction is focused on our spiritual growth, particularly on our awareness of God’s presence and activity in our lives, and on becoming more attuned to the Holy Spirit and to our interior life with Him. There can be overlap among some of these—especially since we approach each role with awareness that God meets each person wherever they are. Ultimately, which approach you pursue depends on your needs and goals.

I am a minister wrestling with situations I might not want my denominational or church leadership to know about. What are the limits of your confidentiality?

Ministers can face many challenges—especially if we have made choices that go against our faith community’s standards and aspirations. Though this is not the situation of every pastor we support, we know pastors are people, and people make mistakes and fail to live up to expectations. That’s part of our need for forgiveness, grace, and restoration. If you have messed up, we will journey alongside you as we look at what led to that and how God wishes to work in your life. We do not run to your denominational or church leadership, or family members, or other parties to divulge what you have shared. We will only share what you explicitly wish us to do so if a situation arises where you wish for us share information divulged in private. If you do request that, we will do a written agreement detailing what that information will be so to ensure we are all on the same page before any action is taken. We have great respect for the sacred space of clergy confidentiality, confession, and the pastoral counseling relationship. The only limitations to this are per Texas law discussing clergy-privileged communication. These are discussed in Texas Rule of Evidence 505, Texas Family Code § 261.202, and Texas Human Resources Code § 48.051. These discuss that clergy-confidentiality does not apply in situations involving abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child, elderly person, person with a disability, or individual receiving services from a healthcare provider. In these situations, clergy must report them. If in doubt, we can have a conversation about general situations that impact confidentiality and how they may apply in our relationship.

What is a chaplain?

Great question! Chaplains are ministers with specialized skills and training who serve in specific ministry contexts. Chaplains are often found in hospitals, prisons, our military services, and fire and police departments. Many corporations and communities also employ chaplains.

What is the difference between pastoral counseling and spiritual formation coaching?

Broadly, counseling focuses on emotional and relational well-being. Pastoral counseling engages these while also integrating the spiritual components. Coaching tends to focus on the future and goals. Some of that can include understanding where we are and what has brought us to this point, but the focus is on specific goals or growth one wishes to pursue. Spiritual formation coaching recognizes we are constantly being formed spiritually, and that impacts all of our goals—not simply our “spiritual” ones. Spiritual formation coaching is a helpful relationship for those who do not feel the need for counseling or problem-solving, but who do desire someone to partner with them in their growth.

What are the qualifications to serve as pastoral counselors? Is there some sort of certification or oversight system?

According to the Texas Administrative Code (§681.2), pastoral counselors are an exempted category separate from professional counselors (LPC, LMFT, LCSW). To paraphrase the code, pastoral counselors are recognized religious practitioners who operate under the auspices of a recognized religious group (i.e., ordination by a religious body), remain accountable to that group's authority, and do not present themselves as professional counselors. With this in mind, Aimee and Brian are ordained clergy with the Assemblies of God. This ordination can be removed if we violate various professional standards for our denomination. Additionally, we are endorsed as Pastoral Care Chaplains by the Assemblies of God Chaplaincy Ministries. This endorsement has education, experience, and professional requirements beyond our ministerial ordination. This is required of professional chaplains in institutional settings, such as hospitals, prisons, and the military. Additionally, our endorsement may be revoked if we violate professional standards or fail to maintain professional proficiency. These two items speak to our professional competency, having been vetted, and remaining accountable to professional standards independent of Iaomai Farms. That is in addition to each of us having more than 20 years of various ministry experiences, thousands of hours of pastoral counseling, over a decade as military chaplains, and other experiences and training as helping professionals, providing pastoral care and counseling.

What are the qualifications to serve as a spiritual director? Is there some sort of certification or oversight system?

Spiritual direction is similar to the coaching space in that there is no governing body overseeing coaches, but professional organizations do require training standards for membership. Brian is a full member of the Christ-Centered Spiritual Direction Association (CSDA). Membership requires completing at least a 2-year certificate program, receiving spiritual direction throughout, and supervision as one provides spiritual direction to directees. Brian completed his spiritual director training as part of a doctoral program in spiritual formation and direction at the The King’s Seminary.

In your description of pastoral counseling, you mention leaning “on the Holy Spirit and attending to His role and work in our lives.” What does that mean? Do you just pray problems away? Do you reject clinical models and modern psychology?

As pastoral counselors, we understand that a) God created us for relationship with Him, b) that every situation in life fosters opportunities for experiencing God’s redemptive work in and through our lives, c) that many people are distracted with noise and busy-ness of life that we miss what God is clearly wanting to speak and do in our lives, and d) many people have difficulty translating what Scripture teaches to actioning it in their daily lives. While these last two items do not fit every person, they frequently are the case. Regardless, it is a healthy, spiritually integrative place to begin with exploring a person’s experience of their life and God’s interactions with them.

We do not reject modern psychology. We are trained in a variety of helping/therapeutic models (ie, Solution Focused, Cognitive-Behavioral, Emotionally Focused, Collaborative Couples Therapies) as well as popular curricula (7 Habits of Highly Effective People/Couples/Families, How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk/Jerkette, Speed of Trust, and more). These may provide insight, assist with our process, and offer meaningful frameworks or tools for engaging various problems. But as we meet together with the expectation of God meeting with us, it is incredible how the Holy Spirit brings insights and comfort as we honestly wrestle with and engage the hard things in life. As He shows up, there is insight and healing that might not have arrived if we (Aimee and Brian) were focused on models and our own observations/insights. There is great value in the available clinical models and coaching tools, but they alone cannot accomplish the deep healing and growth God can bring.

If a person has a diagnosed medical condition requiring care from a mental health professional (ie, clinical psychologist, LPC, LMFT, LCSW, etc), we encourage engaging with that. We have worked alongside, seen, and experienced the benefits of those roles and their related modalities. God often works in processes, and these are among the processes He might use. However, despite common licensure, not all helping professionals are equally helpful. If you have had difficulty finding a helpful helper, we are happy to discuss that, including whether what we offer is a good fit and what to consider when choosing a helping professional.

All that said, we offer a spiritually integrative approach that engages each person holistically. We engage Biblically based theological realities in our reflection and interpretation of the experiences people bring. We implement meaningful discipleship, emotional, and relational practices to support the individual's or couple’s growth. And as we continue meeting, people also grow in their awareness of God’s presence, leading, movement, and ongoing work in their lives.

Counseling is expensive. What if I cannot afford it?

We understand and appreciate the financial challenges of seeking help, whether that is through counseling or other services. Our rates are already below those of many other organizations, especially for clergy and their families. If you are experiencing financial hardship, you may qualify for a discounted rate. We are also happy to work with people, churches, or other organizations who may wish to donate to subsidize or cover expenses for those with greater financial need. Please contact us for more information and to discuss if this might be an option available to you.