Making that first phone call to a professional counselor takes some courage. It feels risky.
- Will he “get” me and my problems?
- Will this be just me talking to a kind person who has nothing to offer me except some sympathy?
I get it. Most of my life was spent struggling on my own to figure life out, and I did pretty well with it. Until I couldn’t anymore. I was overwhelmed with life and felt trapped. A professional counselor helped me get unstuck. And then later in life, I reached out to another therapist, and he helped me see my life in a much deeper, healthier way.
I work with men and women who have difficult lives and who want to make changes. If you want change and are willing to work, then let’s get after it.
Personally, I have experienced a variety of challenges, and I have learned that I cannot do life on my own. 30 years of marriage. 25 years of teaching in secondary schools. Caring for a severely-disabled child who in now an adult. Midlife struggles with health, finances, faith, and family. Making a major career change mid-life. It’s been a difficult life so far. It means getting knocked down 7 times and getting up 8. It means grieving your losses and learning to love again. But it doesn’t happen without a lot of help.
As a counselor, I am committed to helping others face their troubles with greater honesty and resiliency. I am unafraid of the big challenges that clients are facing, whether it is depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, anger, addictions, financial troubles, marital strife, parenting problems, or dealing with a mental health disorder.
As a Christian, I believe that God loves to make beautiful things out of broken things, and no person’s life is ever hopeless. In brief: Life is hard, but God is good.
Professional counseling can be a powerful catalyst for making positive life changes. In order to meet the varied needs of my clients, I incorporate aspects of the following theories in my practice: grief recovery, trauma-informed therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessin (EMDR).
Education:
- Licensed Professional Counselor (Missouri #2019016758)
- National Certified Counselor (NCC #1249944)
- M.A. in Counseling, Missouri Baptist University
- M.A. Lindenwood University
- B.A. Baylor University
Testimonials:
“Andy has been a huge blessing to my life. I have faced so much childhood trauma, and he has walked by my side teaching me, giving me tools, and praying with me to get through the bipolar disorder that I face each day. Andy has been a phenomenal counselor and teacher when my thoughts were flawed. He has helped me with care and is not ashamed of being bold in correction with a loving hand along the way. He has helped me to change into the man that my family needs.” – male, 27
“Andy has been instrumental in my recovery from PTSD. He’s a good listener and cares a lot. He always remembers the little details of things we discussed on prior visits. He gave me effective tools that I still use to this day.” – male, 43
Andy Kerckhoff 