Call Today 740-266-6461 or Email: Counseling@exceptionalmarriages.com
- Marriage Improvement (couples or solo spouse)
- Help for Parenting Problems
- Overcoming Depression and Anxiety
- Support through Spiritual Crises
- Overcoming Codependency
- Faithful Solutions to Sexual Problems
- Resolving Family Conflict
- Living a More Peaceful, Joyful Life.
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About Our Counselors
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Let Pastoral Solutions Find Faithful Solutions for You.
Finding the right counselor is important. You want someone you can trust. You need someone with the skills and knowledge to help you break through the walls that stand between you and the rewarding marriage, family, or personal life you so deeply desire and so richly deserve.
Most importantly, you need someone with the ability to help you find solutions that are consistent with and respectful of your Catholic faith.
Fortunately, we live in an age where technology places the best counseling resources right at your fingertips. For many people, phone consultations provide just the right mix of professionalism, privacy, and convenience. Because you make the call from the comfort of your own home, sessions are completely confidential. Because most tele-clients are highly motivated, you can be assured that our counselors will work hard to make each meeting a dynamic experience for you. And because you will be working step-by-step toward a clearly defined goal, you will be able to monitor your progress week-by-week. A simple phone call could be your first step on a journey to a more rewarding, more fulfilling life.
We use a special clinical format that can help you begin to find solutions in our first session. You will end each phone contact with something new. A new technique, a new direction, more hope, greater resolve, and ultimately, a tailor-made resolution. It's time to make a change for the better. Call or E-mail me today. Let Pastoral Solutions help you make your world a better place to live.
May God Bless You Abundantly,
Gregory K. Popcak, MSW, Ph.D., LISW
Executive Director / Clinical Supervisor
Pastoral Solutions Institute
About Our Counselors
Gregory K. Popcak, MSW, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized Catholic psychotherapist. He is the author of seven best-selling books integrating faithful theology with cutting-edge counseling advice. He has hosted two television series on the Global Catholic Cable Network, EWTN, and is currently the host Heart Mind and Strength Radio, a call-in Catholic advice program produced by Ave Maria Radio heard each weekday on Catholic radio stations across the country, broadcasted live on the internet, and podcasted directly to listeners around the globe. His articles regularly appear in periodicals such as Catholic Parent, Catholic Digest, Columbia, Faith and Family, Family Foundations, and others. Sought after as a popular speaker and professional trainer of Catholic counselors, Dr. Popcak has conducted thousands of hours of tele-counseling since 1999 with clients all over the world.
Michael Jarecki, M.A., LPC is a clinical associate of the Pastoral Solutions Institute. Michael has degrees in psychology, theology, and counseling from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, blending a strong understanding of the Faith with equally strong clinical skills. He specializes in helping people-of-faith find answers to tough marriage, family, and personal issues. In addition to his years of experience working for Catholic Social Services in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, Girls and Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska, and in private practice, Michael has undergone extensive training in pastoral counseling approaches to emotional, relational, and spiritual problems.
Ian Butler, M.A., M.T.S. is a Catholic clinician who has worked extensively as a counselor for Catholic Social Services with the Diocese of Lincoln Nebraska - a clinical site specializing in the integration of the truths of the Catholic faith with the best of Psychology. He has a Masters in Counseling from Franciscan University with a concentration in Christian Counseling as well as a Masters in Theological Studies from Ave Maria University. He is certified as a Parent Trainer through Boys Town and has clinical expertise in the areas of marriage and family, trauma, abuse, identity, sexuality, vocation, depression, anxiety and anger.
Gina Cassidy, LMSW, BCIA is a clinical associate of the Pastoral Solutions Institute with extensive experience working with children and families. She has a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Illinois in Champaign and earned a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois in Chicago in 1987. She has worked in a variety of settings including Catholic Social Services, Maryville Academy Children's Home, a behavioral and social skills center for children, along with school and private counseling settings. Gina and her husband Chris are the blessed parents of 5 children. They are natural family planning promoters for the Couple to Couple League. Gina has extensive training in cognitive- behavioral therapy, biofeedback and stress management, Catholic sexual issues, Theology of the Body and Attachment Parenting.
Tele-Counseling Services F.A.Q.
Q: Is tele-counseling effective?
A: Absolutely. Extensive research has been conducted on tele-counseling and the results are overwhelmingly positive. In the most significant study to date, Reese, et al. [1] found that telephone counseling was as effective as face-to-face counseling for a wide range of problems. Further, many clients were even more satisfied with tele-counseling because of the improved confidentiality, convenience, and continuity of sessions (i.e. it was easier to keep appointments and therefore, keep the flow going).
As one study reports [2] ".there is an existing body of literature on the telephone. The telephone has been shown to be a cost-effective, clinically useful, ethical intervention modality. We trust some the most serious mental health problems to phone interventions now (e.g., suicide hotlines), and this modality lacks nearly all non-verbal cues (p. 14)."
1.Reese, R., Conoley, C., Brossart, D. Effectiveness of telephone counseling: A field-based investigation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49(2).
2. Manhal-Baugus, M. E-Therapy: Practical, ethical, and legal issues. Cybercounsel.org. Retrieved September 3, 2005, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/0d/63/90.pdf
Q: What about not being able to see your clients facial expressions or body language?
A: Despite the loss of facial cues, a large percentage of non-verbal communication is comprised of tones-of-voice, specific word choice, pauses and vocalizations ("um," "ah," etc.), and other non-verbal cues that a tele-counselor has been trained to recognize and effectively interpret. Research on tele-counseling shows that in the absence of visual cues, clients and therapists find many other ways (both verbal and non-verbal) to avoid misunderstandings and to effectively communicate subtle shifts in emotion and meaning. ([1]; [2]; [3]).
Remember, for the first 100 years of psychology's history, therapists positioned clients facing away from the therapist specifically to enable clients to more easily share personal information without fear or embarrassment. Under certain circumstances, facial expressions can be more of a hindrance than a help. If you like, think of your experience in tele-counseling as a variation on the theme of Confession "behind the screen." (only without absolution, of course).
1. Alleman, J. Online counseling: The internet and mental health treatment. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 39(2).
2. Lindon, J. Psychoanalysis by telephone. In J.K. Aronson (Ed.). Use of the Telephone in Psychotherapy (pp. 3-13). Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson
3. Schaffer, S. Legal and ethical issues. In J.K. Aronson (Ed.). Use of the Telephone in Psychotherapy (pp. 442-457). Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson.
Q: Do you only do individual counseling, or can you work with couples too?
A: We can work with individuals and with couples. Husbands and wives (or any two people, i.e., Mothers/Daughters, Fathers/Sons, etc.) who wish to meet simultaneously in session may choose to use a speaker phone, or separate extensions, or in some cases, may arrange for three-way calling. This last option is especially useful for marriage counseling cases in which one spouse travels a great deal. It is not unusual for us to conduct sessions with couples where the therapist, husband, and wife are in three separate time zones.
Q: Are there certain problems that are NOT appropriate for tele-counseling?
A: Yes. Persons who experience hallucinations or psychosis or whose primary complaint is a serious addiction to drugs or alcohol, or who have persistent and serious thoughts about harming themselves or others should seek local mental health assistance. In all other instances, your counselor can help you determine whether your problems can be managed safely and effectively via distance counseling. In most cases, they can, but we will provide you with an absolutely honest assessment in our initial, free, informational interview. We are committed to helping you receive the help you need regardless of who provides it.
Please direct all other questions to your counselor in your initial, free, informational interview.
Click Here to Request Additional Information on our Tele-Counseling Services.