Carlson Counseling specializes in counseling & psychotherapy for Individuals, Couples, Families, and Children.
We help people with self-improvement, having effective interpersonal communications and coping with challenging relationships. This is accomplished in order to help them develop a deeper understanding of their own uniqueness, and the specific way they feel, think, act and communicate. We help them discover what it takes to be a whole person, and to get along and work well with others; this is especially helpful in dealing with people who may have their own unique, and perhaps hard to tolerate personalities and habit patterns. Our counseling teaches tolerance with those who are significantly divergent from one’s own way of being. We believe in being non-judgmental and “being transparent”. Each one of us is like a “light in the world” to one another. A light does not judge, it just IS. Neither does God judge us or want us to judge each other. So also, if a person is open to what light God has for him or her, we can help them to seek out and explore the will of God, the light of life, especially as shown in the Word of God, the Bible.
“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1: 6, 7, 8, 9)
Personal and mutual understanding with oneself, including our own sins, the humanness of others and Holiness of our forgiving God, through empathy and grace, is emphasized. This will help us all to adopt a nonjudgmental attitude of respect and compassion toward ourselves, others and God, on any particular level of closeness: Be it with intimate partners, loved ones, friends, acquaintances or just strangers. It is hoped that God will not remain a stranger to any of us, and we will diligently seek Him.
"God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect." 2 Samuel 22:23
ADHD
ADOPTION
AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
ANXIETY/PANIC PHOBIA
BEHAVIOR DISORDERS
BEHAVIOR THERAPY
BORDERLINE PERSONALITY
CHILD ABUSE
CHRONIC PAIN
CRISIS STABILIZATION
CRISIS/VICTIMS OF TRAUMA
CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS
EATING DISORDERS
HYPNOTHERAPY
LEARNING DISABILITIES
HYPERACTIVITY
MARITAL | STEP | DIVORCE
MENS ISSUES
PERPETRATORS OF
- PHYSICAL ABUSE
PSYCHOSOMATIC
PTSD
SCHIZOPHRENIA
-THOUGHT DISORDER
SEPARATION AND LOSS
SEXUAL ABUSE
SEXUAL DISORDERS
SMI|EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED
SMOKING CESSATION
STRESS MANAGEMENT
TRAUMA 7 RELIEF RECOVERY
VICTIMS OF PHYSICAL ABUSE
WOMEN'S ISSUES
WORKPLACE ISSUES
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" James 4:81
SERVICES | What We Help
WHAT WE TARGET
What we target are the 'hot points' and "stress points' of the relationship we have with our self, others and God. You learn what tools to use and skills you will need to develop for inner peace & confidence, for better communication, and for having mature relationships. A major emphasis is that we must be seeking to change from the inside out. People, places and things are external and are not to be the primary focus, but rather the inner workings of the soul (psyche) and the spirit (especially the Holy Spirit).
*WE NEED TO HELP OURSELVES BY ELIMINATING THE NEED TO CHANGE OTHERS and DEPENDING on OTHERS and OUTSIDE CIRCUMSTANCES TO SAVE US from our ordeal. WE MUST TURN OUR FOCUS WITHIN, TO ACTIVELY ALLOWING THE NECESSARY PERSONALITY CHANGES TO TAKE PLACE WITHIN OUR OWN HEART, SOUL & MIND. BEHAVIORAL CHANGE AND RELATIONSHIP IMPROVEMENT WILL SURELY FOLLOW!"
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God .” (Romans12: 2)
People need to do less worrying about fixing others, resist being overly dependent (co-dependent} on others and to stop ignoring what they need to do to improve their own self first. When people improve themselves, they are much more capable of having a positive effect on others and the relationship they have with them. If we are believers in Christ we, of course, believe it is actually Jesus living inside of us, causing us to grow into the likeness of Christ, Himself. A basic philosophy at Carlson Counseling is that the more one is able to love one’s self, with God’s love, by improving one’s self, the better equipped and more capable a person is to help and love others. How much we love ourselves, by letting our Father God sanctify us (setting us aside for His special purposes) and raise us up in maturity, the more we can love others and function effectively.
“…if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Romans 13: 9, Luke 10; 27)
So, people are encouraged to concentrate on self-improvement, with the ultimate goal to love others and help them improve. Ideally, this begins on a spiritual level with loving God, first and foremost, if you are a believer, by applying the greatest commandment:
“You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with your entire mind.” (Luke 10: 27, Deut. 6:5, Lev. 19:18)
On a psychological level, personal growth and self-nurturing begin with “getting in touch with”, both our conscious mind (surface) and our unconscious mind (subconscious/ beneath the surface). Psychological dysfunction and troublesome issues will be discovered there; things like neurotic feelings, inappropriate wants, distorted cognitions, and co-dependent relationships. Only by uncovering problems can we then move toward making significant changes within the frontal lobes and other areas of the brain having to do with psychological and behavioral functioning. Eventually, if all is proceeding well in therapy, the dysfunctional inner contents and processes are replaced with truth and positive feelings, awareness of true needs, and of healthy beliefs, attitudes, and values.
It is hoped, as a result of successful treatment that, what is ideally achieved is a personal identification with love as the supreme character value; Love is deemed most evident when demonstrated by the maturing client in the form of such essentials as empathy, tolerance, forgiveness, faith and grace. Hopefully, what is changed is the person’s character, a “transformation by the renewing of the mind”, a newness, a “born again” experience deep within the “inner man”. Love becomes “the perfect bond of unity”.
Concurrent with making this love connection within, with others and with God will be the development of proven character. This upright character is evidenced in the person because he demonstrates a healthy conscience, knowing right from wrong, and being true to that.
Overall, a person developing a loving and moral character is deemed a far more significant therapeutic accomplishment than performing any particular behavioral technique or discovering an accurate intellectual analysis. What we have achieved in psychotherapy for the Christian will be an identification and direct personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate Master of love and morality. Jesus rules in the decision-making apparatus of the frontal cortex of the brain; this region is believed by Mr. Carlson to be the biblical “heart” (see “Looking upon the Heart”, coming to bookstores soon).
“…we exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5: 3 – 5)