Counseling Services

The Texas Baptists Center for Ministerial Health welcomed Olga Harris as the new director of Counseling Services. Harris transitioned to the role from her prior position as a private practice LPC. She assumed the new position on Aug. 19.

“Providing education and awareness is so much better than having someone contact us after the fact,”

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I think this is a good reminder for us all to pause and do a quick systems check-in.

You know that feeling when you’re exhausted?

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. It is a great time to go above and beyond to make sure that your pastor is blessed and loved on by the church. 

La Biblia toma el abuso sexual en serio. Debemos denunciarlo 1) porque es la ley (en el caso de menores) y debemos someternos al gobierno que Dios ha puesto sobre nosotros para ejercer Su justicia; 2) porque como pueblo de Dios se nos pide que defendamos al oprimido y vulnerable; 3) porque al hacerlo desanimamos a otros posibles ofensores; y, 4) porque al denunciar al ofensor le proveemos la oportunidad de ver su pecado por lo que es y arrepentirse.

The Bible takes sexual abuse seriously. We should report it because it is the law (in the case of minors) and we must submit to the government God has placed over us to execute his justice, because as God’s people we are charged to stand up for the oppressed and vulnerable, because doing so discourages other would-be offenders, and because reporting the offender provides them with a chance to see their sin for what it is and repent.

Read how two pastors and their spouses were impacted by Counseling Services provided through Texas Baptists. 

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. In Texas, 175 children are victims of abuse each day. As the body of Christ, churches and Christians have a responsibility to proactively protect children from dangerous or abusive situations.

Katie Swafford, director of Counseling Services, provides helpful information on staying healthy during a time of stress and uncertainty.

Surviving the secret of abuse is hard, and everyone has a different way of processing their experience.

It is in this safe place within the family of God that the child is seen, heard, known and understood.

Katie Swafford, director of Counseling Services, discusses ways leaders can care for survivors of sexual abuse within the church.

Tim Watson, director of Area Representatives, shares about the important regional MinistrySafe church training workshops offered to reduce the risk of sexual abuse within the church.

Grief is a unique, personal natural, normal, necessary reaction to death and loss. Death is a universal part of the human experience. Grieving is the internal reaction following a loss while mourning is an outward or public expression of thoughts and feelings regarding a loss.  

Unfortunately, in our very broken world, we all too frequently hear about tragedies at home and abroad. These events can have significant impact on the mental and emotional health and well-being of those involved and, in fact, have an impact on you and me.

It’s been 48-hours since the knock on the door, and yet it seems a lifetime ago. It was a persistent knock that would not go away.

As a pastor’s kid, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of church life. Like many PK’s, I struggled through rebellion and making my faith my own.