Grace Clinic – Grace Clinic Christian Counseling

A Community Discussion on Mental Health

April 19, 2019 Grace Clinic Blog, Resources No Comments Depression, Hope, Mental Health, Suicide Prevention

You are invited to a community discussion on mental health, depression and suicide at Tualatin’s Winona Grange on Saturday, May 4, 2019 from 1-4 pm. The Grange is located at 8340 SW Seneca Street, just a short walk around the corner from Grace Clinic Portland.

International Storyteller Bekah Miles will give hope by telling her story of depression. A panel of experts from the community will address issues such as what to expect if a family member or friend is suffering from mental illness, and Joe Bertagnolli, LCSW, will discuss the topic of suicide prevention and what you can do to help a friend or family member who may be at risk.

All are welcome to attend this free event sponsored by the Tualatin Police, the Tualatin Winona Grange #271, and the Tualatin United Methodist Women.

Questions? Email master@winonagrange271.org or call 503-430-8582.

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2018 Grace Clinic Blog, Grace Clinic No Comments Christmas 2018, Grace Clinic

As 2018 draws to a close, we would like to take a moment to say “thank you” for ongoing support of Grace Clinic Christian Counseling.

We are grateful to God for giving us the opportunity to serve you and those you love over the course of the last year.

We know that our practice is built on referrals from those whose trust we have gained. We look forward to continuing to earn your trust in 2019.

From all of us at Grace Clinic, we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Grace Disguised

March 10, 2014 Grace Clinic Blog, Book Reviews No Comments

When my friend in Spain lost his 13 year-old daughter to a massive brain hemorrhage, he told me that his favorite book on grieving “by far” was Jerry Sittser’s A Grace Disguised. After reading the first ten pages of it, I could see why. Sittser’s story is staggering: he lost his wife, mother, and daughter in one tragic fell swoop. Unlike a memoir, Sittser weaves many other peoples’ stories of tragedy and loss into his own as he walks his readers through the days, weeks, and months after the accident that changed his life forever. With profound eloquence and honesty, Sittser invites his readers to reflect with him on sorrow, loss, and life. He goes beyond the raw grief to offer the insight and perspective he has gained from the life he didn’t choose.

Reflecting on his new unbidden reality, he writes:

Sorrow took up permanent residence in my soul and enlarged it. I learned gradually that the deeper we plunge into suffering, the deeper we can enter into a new, and different, life – a life no worse than before and sometimes better. A willingness to face the loss and to enter into it is the first step we must take.

This book is not only for those of us who have experienced deep sorrow or loss, though to you it will likely feel as though you’re reading pages out of your own journal. But it is also for those of us who want to gain new insight into our own sense of sorrow, forgiveness, grace, justice, and redemption.

Reviewed by Monica Taffinder

C.S. Lewis on Desire

May 22, 2012 Grace Clinic Blog, Quotes C.S. Lewis, Desire, Weight of Glory

“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

— C.S. Lewis,
The Weight of Glory

Long-Distance Counseling

May 7, 2012 Grace Clinic Blog, Counseling Counseling by Phone, Counseling by Video Conference

We recognize that traveling to one of our office locations is not possible or even desirable for everyone. For those who are unable to access our offices, we have been working to pioneer long-distance counseling solutions.

While we have been providing counseling and consulting by telephone for many years, we have more recently begun using web-based video conferencing tools to work with clients all over the country and it seems to be working really well. Services like Skype and Facetime make it possible to connect quickly and easily with anyone, anywhere in the world, as long as there is an internet connection.

If you are interested in making a long distance counseling appointment or want more information about the benefits and limitations of this service, please contact call us toll-free at 1-888-861-5043.

Grace Clinic Celebrates Eight Years

April 1, 2012 Grace Clinic Blog, Grace Clinic Christian Counseling, Grace Clinic

Last month was a milestone for us as we celebrated Grace Clinic’s eighth anniversary. As we spent time both reflecting with gratitude and looking forward with anticipation, our conversations consistently landed in two places.

Looking back, we are thrilled that God has honored our desire to care for people by building a team of strong, gifted counselors. The skills and expertise each therapist brings to our team allows us to realize our mission: to glorify God by making professional counseling that thoroughly integrates psychology and theology available to those seeking emotional, spiritual, and relational health.

Our hope is that you can access us when you or someone you know has a counseling-related need. In fact, our vision is to participate in God’s redemptive work in the world by supporting highly skilled counselors in the practice of an integrated, relational model of Christian counseling. To that end, we currently have established offices in both Florida and Oregon. We have also begun offering counseling services by telephone and video conference to people who are unable to travel to one of our offices.

Our hope is this blog will keep you in the know about upcoming groups, classes, conferences, seminars, and retreats we’re offering. We’ll also let you know about speaking engagements our therapists have that you could access.

Along with information about our services, future posts will feature articles on various topics, such as intimacy, parenting, and managing stress. We’ll also include book reviews so you can have a trusted literary resource and we’ll feature posts from different counselors so you can know more about the people you meet with or want to access for their areas of expertise.

As you can tell, we’re thrilled with what God is doing through Grace Clinic. Thank you for walking with us. We look forward to many more years together.

Take Care,

Monica Taffinder, Brad Young, and Becky Young
Executive Team, Grace Clinic Christian Counseling

The Inner Voice of Love

March 14, 2012 Grace Clinic Blog, Book Reviews Henri Nouwen, Inner Voice of Love

The Inner Voice of Love was written by Henri Nouwen. Nouwen (1932-1996) was a renowned speaker regarding social and spiritual issues around the world and teacher in the most prestigious universities. In the late 80’s Nouwen fell into a deep depression that he could only describe as a daily agony. During this time, he gave the world the gift of his daily thoughts through a journal. In it he wrote brief, spiritual maxims as a way of keeping his bearings and leaving a trail for himself through his long ordeal with hopelessness. Shortly before Nouwen died, his diary was published under the title, The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom.

This memoir leads you one short step, one small precept, one brief day at a time. In it you’ll find windows into a spirituality of the heart that speak deeply and frankly about acknowledging your powerlessness and owning your pain. At the same time, it speaks encouragingly of the hope found in living where God is and knowing yourself as truly loved.

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