Julie holds a Master of Arts in Counseling from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. She is committed to ongoing education and holds several certifications. She has over 32 years of ministry experience, serving in various roles both vocationally and alongside her pastor husband. She currently serves as the Director of the Counseling Ministry.
Julie uses an integrative approach to counseling, giving the principles of Scripture and God’s design for our lives the ultimate authority in all things while allowing her clinical training to inform the process. Julie is a follower of Christ with special training and experience in applying the truths of the Bible to life. She believes Scripture is sufficient to speak to all of life and to all of its problems, but sometimes it takes careful thought and prayerful wisdom to know how to make those connections. She believes that the Bible ultimately points us to a Person and a relationship – Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, and that real change and healing comes when people learn to see themselves and their problems in the context of a living, vital relationship with Christ.
Julie believes that deep and lasting change is brought about only by God himself through the power of the Holy Spirit, with a strong emphasis on the influence of living in healthy, encouraging community. Her counsel is based upon the principles of Scripture first and foremost, and Christian teachings and science that align with the truths of God’s Word.
Facts about Formal Counseling with Julie:
NOTE: No formal diagnoses or legal advice provided. Julie provides church-based counseling only and is not licensed by the State of Arkansas. She is not a professional counselor nor therapist and does not identify as such.
Living Well is a branch of Arkansas Baptist Children and Family Ministries, part of the Southern Baptist Convention of Arkansas. There are 29 Living Well sites in 27 different Arkansas cities, with offices in Springdale, Fayetteville, and Rogers. Most all LW therapists offer Telehealth services, providing virtual counseling for anyone located in the state. All LW counselors are believers in Christ, and active in a local church. They all provide faith-based counseling congruent with the Southern Baptist Convention Statement of Faith.
Living Well is a community of licensed, professional counselors, certified and trained in various specialties such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), child play therapy, sand tray therapy, family therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, trauma-informed therapy, marriage therapy, and various other areas. They are prepared to counsel most any mental health challenge. Their services and expertise extend beyond the other forms of counseling and care Cross Church can offer, and can service all situations – individuals, couples, and families.
Waylon VandeHoef, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), practices out of Cross Church Springdale. You can find his bio on the Living Well website.
Visit the Living Well website for a more thorough understanding, arkansasfamilies.org/counseling.
Facts about Professional Counseling with Living Well:
Gina has been in full-time vocational ministry at Cross Church for 31 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Family Studies and Child Development and is currently working toward certification in biblical counseling. Her ministry experience includes spiritual guidance and biblical training to parents with children ages birth through 18 years of age as well as mentorship and discipleship to women ages 12 years to senior adult.
Gina often finds herself walking with individuals through seasons of trauma, grief or suffering. This journey has given her valued experience that has allowed her to grow in her calling to help women of all ages find hope and healing in the midst of life’s greatest hardships and struggles. In her sessions, Gina will help individuals understand how God’s Word speaks to their particular struggles, and how Jesus can bring meaning to their suffering, and healing to the most wounded places of their hearts. She has a passion for helping women reframe their stories within the bounds of God’s unlimited love and grace and to help them live more fully in their God-given identity as beloved daughters.
Facts about Women’s Care with Gina:
NOTE: No formal diagnoses or legal advice provided; Gina provides church-based biblical care only, and is not clinically trained, or licensed by the State of Arkansas. She is not a professional counselor nor therapist and does not identify as such.
Chris has 20 years of full-time vocational ministry experience working with adults of all ages. He holds a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is working toward his doctorate in Community Care Counseling through Liberty University, focusing on Marriage and Family Counseling. He is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Chris is committed to a balanced and biblical approach to counseling, believing that life change begins with a personal, growing relationship with Jesus Christ and is sustained, in part, by engaging in a healthy biblical community. Through pastoral guidance and care, Chris endeavors to help couples who love each other and desire to work on their relationship but need real tools to help develop healthier relational patterns that lead to a thriving relationship. Chris is certified as a SYMBIS and Prepare/Enrich Facilitator, both widely researched assessment tools designed to help equip couples with evidence-based skills and insights for fostering healthy marriages. He has completed Level 1 Gottman Method Couples Therapy, an approach that includes a thorough assessment and research-based interventions for work with couples.
Facts about Premarital and Marriage Coaching with Chris:
NOTE: No formal diagnoses or legal advice provided. Chris provides church-based care, coaching and guidance only, and is not clinically trained, or licensed by the State of Arkansas. He is not a professional counselor nor therapist and does not identify as such.
Cross Church has well-qualified pastors and ministry team members on staff, many of whom are seminary-trained and hold master’s degrees in various theological fields. While they are not formally trained in counseling, they have experience in helping people apply biblical principles to life and problems. Their approach to care is informal, however, and would not be structured the same as the above forms of care and counseling.
Facts about Informal Pastoral Guidance:
NOTE: Pastors and ministry team members provide church-based care and biblical guidance only and are not clinically trained or licensed by the state of Arkansas. They are not professional counselors nor therapists and do not identify as such.
God created his children to heal and grow in relationship with each other. That is one of the important reasons why the local church is so necessary in the life of a Christian. Every aspect of Cross Church has a therapeutic component – Sunday morning worship, small groups, service to the body of Christ, etc. People oftentimes experience healing before they ever see a counselor when they embrace all aspects of church involvement, become honest with themselves and others in the context of safe relationships, allow direction and accountability from fellow believers, and allow themselves to be loved by and grow with others.
If you have done these things and still have struggles, then counseling/care can be an option for you as one component of your therapeutic process. If you still feel isolated and confused, your problem is getting worse and more frequent, you find yourself trying to numb your emotions, or you find yourself withdrawing or becoming unproductive in life due to your problem, then counseling/care may be for you. In addition, counseling/care provides a confidential relationship that becomes a temporary place of safety to work through difficult issues.
Keep in mind, though, that the knowledge, insight, and direction you gain from counseling/care still must be worked out in community and not in isolation. That is why we will always approach the process with a member with holistic healing in mind involving other aspects of the church and opportunities outside the counseling/care room.
Counseling/care requires a collaborative relationship and a willingness to work. Because counseling/care involves exploring painful places in order to find healing, you may experience discomfort and unpleasant feelings at times. This may result in disruption and turmoil in your life.
If you come with a desire to change, and the willingness to work hard in between sessions, you will see the best results. You will only reach your goals with ongoing effort and hard work. Your results from counseling/care depend on what you put into it. Counseling/care is not a passive activity. Purposeful, ongoing work outside of counseling/care sessions is needed to find lasting freedom from any specific problem or challenge. Remember that your problems did not occur overnight, so they will not be resolved overnight either. Counseling/care often leads to better relationships, solutions to problems, and a reduction of distressing feelings. Please be aware that there is no guarantee of a specific result in counseling/care.
During counseling/care, you will receive “tools” that you can use in your life as you work through current problems and encounter new ones after your counseling/care is complete. The counseling/care process includes collaborative goal setting and “homework” designed to help you meet your goals, as well as check-ins and evaluations along the way. Because the process is designed to help you find your own answers through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, you will not receive “advice” or “solutions”, but rather direction. Consider counseling/care the beginning of a journey toward a correct and greater understanding of God, yourself as his beloved child, your uniqueness and purpose in this world, and your problems in light of the teachings of Scripture. Prayerfully, this will result in a deeper, abiding relationship with Him, from where all answers ultimately come.
The goal of counseling/care is not to eliminate problems and produce a “finished product.” Unless you are at peace with this reality, you will never feel like life is “good enough” to free you from counseling/care. Scripture says we will always have pain and suffering as long as we are on this earth (John 16:33). The goal of counseling/care is to learn to navigate through rough emotional and relational times properly so they do not cause impairment in the ability to engage your primary life roles.
Confidentiality with any staff member at Cross Church is defined by pastor-parishioner privilege because we are a local church, and therefore, our staff members operate as agents of the church (pastors/ministers), not agents of the state (licensed counselors.) Confidentiality is an important aspect of our process. We will carefully guard the information entrusted to us. No record of your involvement with this ministry will appear on any churchwide database, or records kept in a place that is accessible to anyone except the individual you meet with.
Living Well counselors adhere to the AACC code of ethics. They also provide each client with a thorough explanation of confidentiality, explained in the Informed Consent. They are required to follow HIPAA law, which protects sensitive client health information from being disclosed without the client’s consent or knowledge.
If after reading these FAQs you determine that one of these counseling or care services would be a good fit for you, you can use the “Request Help” link on the main counseling page. Someone will respond to your request by phone within 2-3 business days and help you with next steps.
Please be aware that this ministry is not an emergency service, and an immediate appointment will not be possible. If you have a medical or mental health emergency, you should call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room or mental health facility.
If you would like to contact Living Well directly, you can call 479-521-1296.
Informal pastoral guidance involves interactions which are not exclusively problem-focused because you will talk to your pastor about more than just your struggles, and live in community together. Pastors offer ongoing relationships that grow and change throughout time, which are mutually beneficial. Pastors speak out of personal experience and biblical principles, and are not expected to know “best practices” for various life struggles. Their criteria for ministry qualification is based upon character and doctrine more than counseling competence. Pastors adhere to informal relational protocols; conversations with pastors occur in church hallways, on the phone, or in a small group settings, among other places. There is not necessarily a specific structure to the process. Many of the pastors are seminary-trained and hold master’s degrees in various theological fields.
Our other care and counseling services provide an intentional relationship predicated upon overcoming a challenge or navigating a life transition. They offer a more structured, short-term, goal-focused relationship which is singularly beneficial – the relationship exists to benefit you. They speak out of biblical principles and advanced training, have been formally trained, and may hold advanced degrees. Conversations with them are by appointment only, held in an office, and adhere to formal relational protocols.
