Dr. Julie Larsen is qualified for teaching and counseling, as she is accredited with many accredited degrees from Liberty University in religion and counseling: discipleship, leadership, and psychology, including 2 degrees from the Bible college in the following: EDUCATION: PhD: Bible Exposition, Liberty University (2023) EdD: Doctor of Education, Community Care and Counseling Liberty University, (2020)
DMin: Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling, Liberty University, 11-3-2017
MA.
Divinity: Biblical Counseling, Liberty University, 10-28-2015
MA: Biblical Counseling, Liberty University, 3-10-2014 BS:
Psychology (Specialization in Christian Counseling) Liberty University, 3-8-2013 Concentrations: Christian
Counseling, Crisis Counseling, Women, Children, Premarital, Marital, Family, and Adult Care
BS: Religion, Liberty University, VA. 3-8-2013
BA:
Bachelor of Church Ministry, Bible College (non-accredited)
12-18-2007
AA: Christian Studies, Bible College
(non-accredited) 6-4-2007 Education in Business: Northwest Technical College, 1973
Business
Management: 50 years
Ms.
Larsen is board certified by the Board of Christian Professional and
Pastoral Counselors (BCPPC) and the American Association of Christian
Counselors (AACC) in: Christian
Counseling; Crisis and Trauma Response Counseling; Pre-Marital; Marriage and Family; Women;
Children; Healthy Sexuality; and Adult Care certificates. Larsen has many more specialized certificates in continuing education. She is also a member
of AACC which includes over 50,000 members.
CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
A CHRISTIAN COUNSELOR is like an improvisational performer that goes into the world commissioned
to teach, heal the sick, help people take control to heal their mind, body and spirit, and they will get well (Mark 16: 15, 17). Combining Christian cognitive-behavioral therapy with solution-focused brief therapy and its specialized discipline of psychotherapy (aligned with God's Word) is a
complete holistic blend of earthly knowledge and heavenly wisdom to help all
people in need. It says in Proverbs 2:
10, "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to
your soul (NIV). It is crucial to account for a person's: physical, emotional,
mental, social, cultural, relational, and spiritual dimensions of their life.
Leaving any of this out will only hinder healing the whole person.
The
main goal for counseling is to give direction so people can take positive
control of their lives and change their thoughts, emotions, how they behave,
and move them into a new godly life.
Without replacing the problems with a (renewed) changed biblical mind,
body, and Spirit the problems will come back.
It says in Titus 3: 5, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we
had done, but because of his mercy. He
saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”
(NIV). We need to create a new pure
heart and renew a steadfast spirit within as it says in Psalm 51: 10.
We believe in offering natural remedies and techniques besides
Christian counseling to heal the whole person in body, mind and spirit:
Prayer Prayer groups Community Relational Soul Care Ministry Renewing the Mind Techniques Breathing Exercises Aromatherapy Relaxation Meditation Reflexology Massage Massage
Music Therapy Thought Therapy Christian Cognitive-behavioral Therapy Solution-focused Brief Therapy
CHRISTIAN COUNSELING THOUGHTS
There are many factors
that can play a part in our lives such as biological, environmental, social,
physical, emotional. relational, and spiritual. Most people have some issues in life to work through because of circumstances. Of course, there are severe cases but mostly the problem
arises when a person cannot work through these issues by themselves. We believe some problems are caused from the
wrong (negative) thought process.
There is a solution for this, we
need to change our thoughts and manage them (take thoughts captive, 2 Cor. 10:
5). I use an old method; a
thirty-second experiment when people say they can’t do it. I have them count to ten in their head or ABC's, and
when I say his or her name to say their name, out loud immediately. They instantly
have to stop thinking those thoughts to say their name out loud. If I can get a person to change their
negative or addictive thoughts for a few minutes ...an hour, we can work out
the problems together.
What one puts in his or her mind
will affect what you think and these thoughts will determine what choices you
will make and these choices or decisions will affect every part of your
life. So, we should continually renew
the mind to be holy people. This is so
we can be whole [complete] in body, soul, and spirit, which make up the three
parts of man. It says in 1 Thess. 5:23,
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (King James Version). What is put in the mind can affect every part
of our life so after good decisions are made a process of decision management
has to be maintained for a better future.
When we accomplish this we will be of one mind with the Spirit.
Negative thinking is by far one of the biggest contributors to stress and
anxiety disorders. Also, other areas to be addressed in prevention in some
people are problem-solving, decision-making, and judgment-calling, which is seen
as some problems from early childhood that is undeveloped. The mind controls
the thoughts and when this is out of balance it could host numerous human
fears. Just as there are learned fears one can learn to control these fears. There
are different kinds of stress: acute (threat or danger, flight response) and chronic
(continual stressful pressure), which can weaken the immune system and cause
other disorders or illnesses. It is important to get plenty of exercise, diet,
and have a plan of prevention to reduce stress by planning ahead, organization,
and then, add accordingly. We need to have definite goals to leave time for reading God’s Word, meditation, and breathing
techniques. In addition, it is always important to have support from
family and friends.
Cognitive therapists teach patients to interpret their physical
sensations such as relaxing and breathing techniques to cope better with
anxiety and stress. Using energy to cope with issues instead of flight or
fear it will attack stress and have a reward affect instead of a sense of
failure. There are different kinds of coping stress, which is “problem-focused
coping” and “emotion-focused coping.” Both kinds can tackle stress head on.
This is the answer to address issues as soon as possible to solve and confront
the problem. In emotion-focused coping, it is difficult but sometimes when we
change the feeling about the stressor rather than struggling to change the problems,
which will help take the pressure off.
This is called solution-focused therapy. It is about concentrating on solutions-not the problem.
One can control their thoughts as the mind is a battlefield but we
need to lean on the Lord to make it all work out. It states in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust
in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”
ADDICTIONS
DO YOU HAVE AN ADDICTION?
All addictions
are bad for you. The only answer is-change your life! God has the
prescription for your soul problem to fix your life. If you have an addiction
you’re more than likely out of control with your behavior, emotions, and
thoughts. God is calling you out to change your life to have all God has planned
for you. There is a cure for any addiction but you need to make a decision, change your life and have
self-control over your desires. No one can do it alone as you must lean on God. He has the prescription
to fix your soul problem: for addictions one has to make a choice-seek God, change-by
renewing your mind; accept a
challenge-deny yourself unhealthy desires; and take up your cross.
I.
MAKE A CHOICE-SEEK GOD:
So what isexactly an addiction and what are some
of the causes?
A. Addictions are anything that
controls your mind. There are many kinds of addictions which include drugs,
alcohol, pornography, shopping, food, media games and television, just to name
a few.
B.
An
addiction is defined as any substance that affects your body or mind that cause
changes in behavior, thoughts, and emotions.
C.
The
effects of addiction can include social withdrawals, lack of outside interests,
family problems, physical abuse, crimes, violence, depression, obsessions, emotional pain, death, overeating, and a host of other problems.
D. Make a choice; seek God (Ps.
27:8) to change from negative behavior one must be willing to want help.
II. SOUL PROBLEM: FIX-CHANGE by
RENEWING YOUR MIND:
There is a prescription for the neglected
soul-problem. What can one do to change?
A. Make a decision. When you come to
the T or cross in the road, one will have to make a decision.
B. The Bible says to choose your
road. “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the road to that leads to life” (Matthew
7: 14, KJV).
C. The
Bible says you are a new creature when you change, and the old life is gone the
new one has begun (2 Corinthians 5: 17).
D.
Many
psychologists and psychiatrists say they help people to change by renewing
their behavior. God says the answer to your soul problem is to renew your mind
(Romans 12:2). Renew your mind with good thoughts and line them up with the
Word of God.
E.
If
you renew your mind, then you will want to change your behavior and your life.
III.
ACCEPT A CHALLENGE: DENY YOURSELF:
Challenge yourself to deny your
selfish wants and desires and take up your cross daily and follow Christ (Luke
9: 23).
A. Why does it say “take up your cross
daily?” We need to deal with problems daily to work them out and not get into
an addiction.
B.
(John
10: 27-30, KJV) “My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me.” If you follow
Him, He will give eternal you life and you will never perish. In the manuscripts in Greek, the word is “never not”
shall they perish. Never not in Greek is “ou me,” so the words together (a
negative followed by a negative only strengthens the negation), only strengthens
the denial. Then, Jesus says no one can take them out of my Fathers’ hand. “The
Lord says “I and the Father are one” (John 10: 30).
C. Will you follow Him? Give up your
additions for the Lord says, “I am the
Lord who heals you” (Ex.15: 26, NIV).
D. Build
up your will power to change; go to the Cross. Pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 9-13), it is a
prescription for every day. It is the Will of God: for your daily needs; forgiveness
of others and yourself; it frees you from temptation; and to keeps you from
evil.
E. Renew your mind with good thoughts
(Romans 12:1-2) and line them up
with the Word of God.
F.
Seek
God with your bad habit-to learn to walk in the Spirit-God’s way (Galatians
5:16).
G.
Changing
your negative thinking will soon develop a good habit.
H. When one changes their life it is
hard at first, but every day it will get easier. All addictions
are bad for you because it changes your behavior, thoughts and emotions. To put
it simply, negative thoughts changes your mind, negatively. The answer is to
change by renewing your mind, positively. He has already written your
prescription. Make a decision and seek God-seek His help. Go to the cross, change,
and accept a challenge to stay renewed by denying yourself. One will experience
change through God’s love.
Make a
choice and seek God. What is your choice?
There are:
Two roads Two masters Two destinies Choose life not death
A lifewith an addiction hurts everyone. Real
change is only possible through Christ. Get right with God, take up your cross
daily and follow Him. Pray the Lord’s Prayer daily and believe God will make it
all work out, for He has a plan and purpose for your future (Romans 8:28; Jer.
29: 11). Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
GOD’S FOUR HIM
PLAN
Life
is full of challenges at any age but it’s harder when a woman (or man) is in the second
half of her life. How does one restore a woman’s life from problems such as:
abuse, release the heart of unforgiveness,
unresolved anger, how to
deal with grief (loss), loneliness, depression, and divorce to be a fully
restored wholesome woman? To get through
these issues, it can only happen when a woman has put herself into God’s hands
as He subsequently begins to mold and re-shape her life. Trials are like silver, once purified (gone
through the fire) only then it will become very precious and has value. A woman can get through these stages of abuse,
unforgiveness, unresolved anger, grief, depression, divorce and many other trials
to get through the other side, and have a victorious wholesome life. God
wants us to love Him, have a relationship with Him (His
presence in prayer), follow Him
and share Him. Jesus’ passion to love others should be
manifested in us; this is “God’s Four
Him Plan.”
Most
of the time a person is left a victim because of his or her past problems that
they have not been dealt with for years.
Even so, I tell you God says we are not be stay a victim we are to
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon
you” (NIV, Isaiah 60: 1). Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
Bible Commentary state in chapter 60 as this: Isa 60:1-22. Israel's
Glory after Her Affliction:
“Arise-from the dust in which thou hast
been sitting as a mourning female captive (Isa 3:26; 52:1, 2). Shine-or, “be enlightened; for thy light
cometh”; impart to others the spiritual light now given thee (Isa 60:3). The
Margin and Gesenius translate, “Be enlightened”; be resplendent with posterity;
imperative for the future indicative, “Thou shalt be enlightened" (Isa
58:8, 10; Eph. 5:8, 14). Glory of the Lord-not merely the Shekinah or
cloud of glory such as rested above the ark in the old dispensation but the
glory of the Lord in person (Jer. 3:16,
17). Is risen-as the sun (Mal 4:2; Lu
1:78; Margin).”
Arise; we are not to continue as a
mourning female captive, we are victorious women!
We
will arise from our prostration (physical or mental) and claim God’s promises. However, we are required by God to forgive
our abusers. A few verses are: (NIV)
Mark 11: 25, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone,
forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins”; Matt. 6:
14, 15; 2 Cor. 2: 10; Luke 11: 4; and (NIV) Matthew 6: 12 says, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors.” The worst of emotions is unforgiveness; it is the hardest to
conquer. All believers are commanded to
forgive others as Christ forgave (Eph. 4: 31-32). However, when we forgive as God has
forgiven us we will go forward into the promise land, and receive what God has
for us. It states in (NIV) Jeremiah 29:
11, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, “plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
The Healing Journey Begins
Whatever
it is as abuse, depression, addictions or a loss of a loved one, a woman can
get through it, cross over to the other side, and live a “victorious wholesome
restored life.” A divorce, in
particular, is like a death, a loss you can get through when you put your life
in God’s hands. One can accomplish
anything when one manages negative feelings, make good decisions, have good
attitudes, control emotions and live a life in the Spirit.
There
are stages for a divorce, but it can be the same stages for most problems. Sometimes we do not have answers to our
questions, but this is where the real journey begins. When you don’t have answers to your
questions, go to the one who does, God.
When a woman goes through a trauma in her life such as abuse, or divorce,
her emotions are out of control, but God is still in control of their
lives. Go to God in prayer by
placing one’s trials, temptations, and surrender one’s own life into the hands
of the Lord; He is the Master of our problems.
First in “God’s Four Him Plan” is to come before the Lord and love Him
like He said, “loving God is the greatest commandment, and the second is like
unto it, love others,” as Jesus said in Matthew 22: 37-39. Living
the Godly mature life is all about love.
God is love as it says in 1 John 4:16. We need to focus on Jesus
alone (Matt.17:8). To make Him the center of our attention and love, then
we are gradually and continuously changed into the likeness of Christ. It
is in loving we are most like Him.
A person has to
encounter God by praying; that is the second thing in “God’s Four
Him Plan.” Prayer is an offering up of our
desires to God for all things
lawful and needful, with humble confidence that we shall obtain them through
the meditations of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the
way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me.” Prayer
is a relationship with God. This
love relationship is the point of which effectual prayer begins.
This
third stage in the “God’s Four Him Plan” is to
followHim, however, it is with the
right attitude. It is all about one’s
attitude to handle problems. Jesus says, “Whoever
serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me”
(John 12: 26). This right attitude has to begin with a change of heart and a
changed mind. We are in the world, but
we are not to be “of” the world. It says
in (NIV) Romans 12: 2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.” To renew
our mind means to line up with God’s Word.
He is our source of power, in fact, the Power of the Holy Spirit.
With God’s power we have strength, (NIV) Phil. 4: 13, “I can do
everything through him who gives me strength.”
This
fourth stage in “God’s Four Him Plan” is to
“share Him.” To share Him, one needs to
get His Word out. It says in Mark 16:
15, “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all
creation.” One needs to reorganize and
move forward-to God. Looking back
and living in the past has no value. It
says in Luke 9: 62, “Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow
and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” The answer is to look forward.
In
conclusion, to be a wholesome woman restored, one needs to be “United to God,” living out His
Will. “God’s Four Him Plan” is a “New Life in Christ.”
Happiness is a choice, and healing is also a choice. A person must make conscious decisions to
choose to live a happy, healed and wholesome life. No one said life was easy, but God will be
right beside you to help you through it.
