EQUIPPING YOU TO CARE WELL
How can Harbor Christian Counseling equip you and your team to navigate mental health concerns in your own context? A core part of our mission is to promote a more effective and compassionate response to complex mental health issues within our community through training, teaching, and speaking opportunities. We find ourselves most often presenting to church leadership teams, ministry groups, and campus ministry gatherings. But we have also loved presenting to teachers and school administrators, business leaders, non-profit and community-based organizations, marriage and family support groups, medical providers, and book clubs (just kidding about that one, but would be fun if it happened!). Anywhere there is a need, we are ready and eager to help. So how can we come alongside you?
Below are just a handful of topics that our team has presented on within the past two years. We can also accommodate any specific needs that your group might have. To inquire about speaking and training opportunities, contact us at info@harborcc.us.
Topics for Recent Speaking Events:
Mental Health Awareness for Ministry Leaders
Pastoral Counseling Skills
Trauma-Informed Pastoral Care
Peer Counseling Skills
Ethics and Resources in Pastoral Care
Mental Health First Aid
Understanding Mental Health and the Gospel
Cultural Sensitivity and Cross-Cultural Acclimation
Trauma 101
Shame: The First Fruit of the Fall
Gender Dysphoria
Theology of Sex
Perfectionism
Spiritual Practices for Mental Health and Self-Care
Anxiety and Faith
Grief and Hope
Families and Youth in Crisis
“Harbor has been a wonderful resource for both our staff and our congregation. It is such a gift to be able to entrust people we love to their Biblically-centered and clinically skilled counselors. Harbor has been a blessing to us and has helped us to care for and shepherd our congregation well as they have encountered trials with family, work, and relationships. It is also a joy to see so many other churches in the city partnering with Harbor to care well for the Christian community in Boston.”
Rev. Joshua Cahan, Senior Pastor at Ruggles Baptist Church (Boston, MA)
“As a pastor doing ministry in Boston, primarily to young people in critical and transitional stages of life, I am very often shepherding folks who are looking for a mental health counselor. Before our church had any partnership or even knowledge of Harbor Christian Counseling, we found it to be a difficult and often frustrating experience finding trusted and available therapists. Often this led to our congregants being discouraged and giving up on their pursuit of therapy. Once we found Harbor, things completely changed. It has been such an amazing provision from God to have a Christian counseling center that we trust and we know our people will be taken care of. HCC has helped many of our congregants take steps in their lives in healing and becoming more whole. I am eternally grateful that we have Harbor in our neighborhood and I will continue to recommend folks from our church here for many years to come.”
Danny Yoon, Associate Pastor at Cornerstone Church (Boston, MA)
“Harbor Christian Counseling has been such a blessing and resource for myself, my church, and the churches throughout New England. They were so gracious and generous in training and equipping me and other church leaders during the height of the pandemic in which we began to see the rise of mental health challenges for ourselves and our church families. And when our Conservative Congregational Christian Conference New England churches were in need of further help regarding the growing mental health crisis for their youth and children, the HCC team came to our annual gathering to educate and equip us to serve those families and connect them to resources better. I am so thankful and encouraged as a pastor that there is such a Christ loving, Christ centered, compassionate counseling team and ministry to which I can refer and entrust those in need of counseling.”
Rev. Sam Kim, Pastor at Intercultural Mission Church (Boston, MA)
“When I began to realize the extent of our church body’s mental health needs, Harbor Christian Counseling stepped in to give our Elders and Deacons training and a pathway forward. Their wise guidance, biblical knowledge, and compassionate hearts are exactly what our church family needed. Even though we have a lot more to learn, I feel we are better equipped to identify and address the spiritual, mental, and emotional wellbeing of our church going forward. I’m grateful for Harbor.”
Pastor Jonathan Romig, Cornerstone Congregational Church (Westford, MA)
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“Harbor Christian Counseling has been an invaluable resource to our ministry to students on campus. Students in general are struggling with mental health and the university does what it can, but it is a true blessing to have a counseling center like Harbor nearby that is not only trustworthy, but also approaches their care from a Christian perspective. As a pastor to students, I can refer them to Harbor with the utmost confidence.”
Nathan Dicks, RUF Campus Minister (Boston University)
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“Harbor Christian Counseling is a gift to the city of Boston and to our church, in particular. For us as leaders and ministers in our church, Harbor is a lifeline, both in equipping our congregation to grapple with difficult mental health issues and as a trusted group of counselors to whom we gladly refer our members. Not a month (and likely not even a week!) goes by that we do not counsel someone to make an appointment. Several years ago we asked Harbor to help us with a short series of equipping seminars for our congregation on mental health issues and our members continue to refer to those sessions even today. They were so helpful in giving us a common vocabulary related to mental health and counseling and in decreasing the stigma surrounding counseling. We are so grateful that God has provided the opportunity for solid biblical counseling in Boston.”
Whitney Cahan, Ministry Director at Ruggles Baptist Church (Boston, MA)
“Our church has enjoyed an incredible partnership with Harbor Christian Counseling over the past two years. HCC provides highly competent Christian counseling that meets people where they are and compassionately listens and guides across a wide range of struggles. We have come to trust Harbor as a deeply valued partner in the shepherding of souls in our congregation.”
Rev. Dr. Michael J. Balboni, Associate Pastor at Park Street Church (Boston, MA)
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“Our church rode the 2020 tidal wave of discontent and now find a consistent need to have resources for our community as we clean up the left over emotional debris. Harbor Christian Counseling has been exactly what we needed: a partnership that allows us to point toward health for our friends and partners.”
Nick Forrest, Lead Pastor at Northside Community Church (Newberg, OR)
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“The Stephen Ministry program at our church was honored to have Harbor Christian Counseling speak and share their expertise with our volunteer group at a recent meeting. We will certainly ask parishioners to consider HCC when facing issues beyond the scope of our lay ministry. We also plan to help develop a Mental Health Policy for our church using some of the points and insights that the HCC team shared with us.”
Pam Hodgson, Stephen Ministry at First Parish Congregational Church (Wakefield, MA)