https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates daily 0.75 2026-01-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1731706623052-72V4WJ3NS3VJ804SSWQ7/unsplash-image-zFZeklnMxOw.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/a69322d3-8d94-4d09-87ca-09d1e137676b/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1731706649965-EOJAISTQ0ZU6MTA443JF/unsplash-image-lYHT5fthhzM.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/d033bdeb-e882-48b5-a071-42cb031fa095/1.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/240d239d-3c15-4115-a32c-bd8a8af8f348/2.png https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates/taking-inventory-of-suffering monthly 0.5 2022-07-28 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates/dont-hate-your-feelings monthly 0.5 2021-01-28 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates/boundaries monthly 0.5 2020-09-21 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates/what-do-you-need monthly 0.5 2020-09-13 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates/mental-illness-or-spiritual-failure monthly 0.5 2020-09-13 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates/lonely-youre-in-good-company monthly 0.5 2020-09-13 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates/family-roles monthly 0.5 2020-09-13 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates/managing-anxiety monthly 0.5 2020-09-13 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/updates/pq7n5mckjdjlgk9ca1vmtssbosjk6m monthly 0.5 2020-09-13 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/about daily 0.75 2021-01-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1610034866040-J48JDOQ0CCGKBE5PW6DU/Affordable%2BProfessional%2BCounseling.jpg About - Mission Northeast Georgia Christian Counseling seeks to provide affordable counseling anchored in Christian values. Our counselors facilitate change as they help people encounter grace, discover truth, and find hope in the context of a supportive relationship. These building blocks for change—grace, truth, hope, and relationship—are found in the stories of great men and women in the Bible and throughout human history. We want them to be found in your story also. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1585959763502-5A3DGSBPGFU4QVR9A51G/humberto-arellano-gI-3n34Ho30-unsplash.jpg About - Beliefs You don’t have to be a Christian to work with our counselors. We won’t push our faith on you. But no counselor can avoid being influenced to some degree by personal beliefs and values, so we want you to know where we stand. Our counselors affirm the Baptist Faith and Message, a document that summarizes what most Southern Baptist churches believe about God, people, the Bible, and other Christian doctrines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1590689121840-SRB4OXEU7JL9BLFEMW5Y/priscilla-du-preez-F9DFuJoS9EU-unsplash.jpg About - Counselors NGCC counselors include licensed professional counselors, associate professional counselors, and Master’s level practicum/internship students. We may use a variety of counseling approaches and techniques, provided they do not conflict with biblical teachings. Although our counselors have a Christian worldview, counseling is open to anyone, and we won’t push our faith and values on you. But because our own lives are anchored in Christian faith, you can talk about the Bible and your faith without it sounding like a foreign language to us. https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/appointment daily 0.75 2025-11-14 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/info daily 0.75 2025-12-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1586296750880-VTGFAO0J9BEI2081DG29/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-04-03%2Bat%2B7.54.38%2BPM.jpg Info - Three Locations We offer in-person counseling at our locations in Cleveland and Demorest: The Cleveland Care Center building at 105 North Main Street across from the Chamber of Commerce, just north of the square in Cleveland, Georgia. Turn left onto Jackson Street. You’ll see our parking lot immediately on the right. River Point Community Church at 350 Ansley Road in Demorest. We are located in the youth building, the smaller building to the side of their main entrance. Look for our sign! Demorest, GA at 1040 441 Historic Hwy N, Suite A, Demorest, GA 30535. We are located in the building that shares a parking lot with Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. We are on the upper floor of the building, and the ministry Grace Gate is downstairs. We also offer online counseling sessions for some clients. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1586296708391-CSDZLYYFYFE7AF9NOU73/sonja-langford-eIkbSc3SDtI-unsplash.jpg Info - Hours Our counselors see clients by appointment only. Click the button to make an appointment, and we will do our best to find a time that works with your schedule. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1585957611593-TIAQS6MJMMM7T5SKD2MY/madison-kaminski-5fd2jdyGo-8-unsplash.jpg Info - Cost Our usual fees for a 50-minute session are $100 for individual counseling and $110 for couple and family counseling. Although we do not accept insurance, we offer a sliding fee scale for clients who are able to demonstrate evidence of financial need. Many clients qualify for additional savings through our donor-supported Counseling Assistance Fund. https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/team daily 0.75 2026-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/24b0af11-9033-47db-a405-5e781ee22cb2/IMG_1096.jpg Our Team - Trista Blankenship, MA, LPC Trista Blankenship is the Executive Director and a counselor. She holds a Master’s degree in Counseling and is committed to helping people find hope, healing, and connection in every season of life. Trista uses an eclectic counseling approach, drawing from trauma-informed practices and her training in Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) to meet each client’s unique needs. She works with both individuals and couples, and especially enjoys supporting people through life transitions and challenges such as ADHD, parenting, illness, grief, and caregiving. Clients often describe Trista’s style as compassionate, encouraging, and practical. She believes counseling is a collaborative journey and strives to create a safe, non-judgmental space where clients feel truly heard and valued. Learn more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/eb28c4be-764b-45dc-90b8-00ff80bf904e/IMG_1100.jpg Our Team - Lynette Conner, MA, LPC, CPCS Lynette Conner earned her Master’s degree in Marriage, Couples, & Family Counseling from Regent University. She has been a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2020. Lynette has experience with individual, couple, family, and group therapy. She began developing her passion for counseling while volunteering at a Pregnancy Resource Center. She is a facilitator for the Prepare/Enrich Premarital Program and for Children in Between. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/5be3d34a-c12b-4e84-8041-18f6dd818290/IMG_1071.jpg Our Team - Natalie Ford, PhD, LPC, CPCS, CAMS-IV Dr. Natalie Ford is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor. She holds a Master’s degree from Reformed Theological Seminary and a PhD from Liberty University. She has authored Tears to Joy: Finding Hope in the Presence of Bipolar Disorder and Suicide, and Grace-based Counseling. Dr. Ford specializes in suicide prevention, grief counseling, anxiety disorders, and depression. Learn more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/3e77e3fe-f8c8-4c97-b375-3d937f2abf6b/IMG_1084.jpg Our Team - Jim Gant, PhD, LPC Jim Gant holds PhD and ThM degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master’s degree in Community Counseling from Georgia State University. He has been a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2000, and he is a National Board Certified Counselor and a Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor in Georgia. Dr. Gant is an ordained minister and currently serves as Executive Pastor at Helen First Baptist Church. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/a17925fe-92d1-4fe3-8c49-10ca658995bd/IMG_1085.jpg Our Team - Tom Hennigan, MA, LPC, Cert. EMDR Tom Hennigan earned his master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Tom approaches therapy from a neurobiologically informed understanding of trauma, attachment, and dissociation. He is passionate about helping young adults navigate relational trauma and is especially ardent about helping those who have experienced spiritual and/or religious abuse, including the spiritual and emotional trauma resulting from deliverance ministries. He is certified in Emotional Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT Level II), Narcissistic Abuse Treatment, and EMDR through the EMDR Institute. Learn more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/655d0be8-4bfe-4d52-887b-77f39cd61c9b/IMG_1092.jpg Our Team - Brianna Lewallen, MA, LPC Brianna is a dual-licensed clinician with a unique blend of medical and mental health expertise. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Nursing and is a Registered Nurse (RN) with six years of psychiatric experience. Building on that foundation, she earned a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Brianna is also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a powerful modality for trauma healing. Over the past four years, she has provided compassionate, evidence-based counseling in both private practice and nonprofit settings. Her clinical focus includes complex trauma, grief, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and anxiety-related disorders, with a deep commitment to helping adults move from surviving to thriving. Rooted in a person-centered approach, Brianna fosters a warm, collaborative space where clients feel truly seen, supported, and empowered. Her path to counseling was shaped by her own journey through personal growth and healing—an experience that fuels her passion for walking alongside others as they discover resilience, clarity, and meaningful change. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/bf839d08-0ac9-4b4b-9eed-1af72ec6406d/IMG_2890.jpg Our Team - Grace Palmer, MA, LAPC Grace Palmer graduated from Liberty University with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is currently working under the Clinical Supervision and direction of Dr. Natalie Ford. Grace is passionate about working with adolescents and adults who are navigating anxiety disorders, depression, grief, life transitions, identity development, and relationship issues. Learn more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/f30e670d-bf2b-416f-9f1a-47fab933833d/IMG_2905.jpg Our Team - Amanda Taylor, MA, LAPC Amanda Taylor is the Development and Engagement Coordinator at NGCC, as well as a counselor. She earned a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling. She is currently working under the clinical supervision and direction of Natalie Ford, PhD. Amanda is passionate about helping clients navigate grief, trauma, loss, stress, anxiety, and depression. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/ae809979-594c-4780-bbbc-91c687079680/IMG_1078.jpg Our Team - William “Bill” Thurber MS, LPC, CPCS Bill has been licensed as a Professional Counselor since 1992. Bill has a combined 34 years of experience working for the Department of Corrections, community mental health, and private practice. He has provided trauma support for First Responders and Combat Veterans. He also has extensive experience working with individuals diagnosed with Clinical Syndromes and supporting their caretakers. Additionally, Bill enjoys working with men to navigate their family and societal roles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/de1417f1-4496-4940-8fc2-a27549ae71f2/James.jpg Our Team - James Forrester Client Manager, Ryals Brothers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/d0558f25-8759-4ff2-8296-61a14263cb05/Sarah.jpg Our Team - Sarah Higgins Her background includes music ministry, children’s ministry, and education https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/d27499f3-2de4-4f35-a515-c859a6ccc3ff/Crystal.jpg Our Team - Crystal Holcomb Lead Nurse, Habersham County Schools https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/dc835a8e-7952-4ca2-a7b7-7bd51732266b/John.jpg Our Team - John Howard Co-Owner, Howard Brothers Hardware https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/cfc2143a-bfd5-4217-8b98-43855f96952a/Mike.jpg Our Team - Mike King, PhD VP Student Affairs, North Georgia Technical College (Retired) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1603308589417-DTU0N35KZVMEFVJPEAHB/001.jpg Our Team - Laura Smith Director of Instructional Technology at Mountain Education. https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/faq daily 0.75 2020-06-19 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/home daily 1.0 2025-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1586278078756-K7J1X91WQP380D872770/elijah-hiett-wW0BUXTTUmU-unsplash.jpg Home https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/support daily 0.75 2025-09-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1590696543088-020NK4F6FGTB3KT2HHBQ/marina-vitale-t809JJ6r9KA-unsplash.jpg Support NGCC https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/pay daily 0.75 2020-06-07 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/tom daily 0.75 2021-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1609641330529-ORDNTVTAQRLBORN1VVIB/Tom%2BHennigan%2BMount%2Bof%2BOlives%2Boverlook%2Btoward%2BTemple%2BMount%2B2%2B%25282%2529.jpg Tom - Tom Hennigan Why did you decide to become a counselor? Two reasons: First, I believe that it was God that opened those doors. Over the past 3 decades, I have taught elementary through college-age students. In that time, many students came and shared their lives with me. I saw their pain and anguish, and I wanted to be used by God to help encourage and support them. This allowed me to be more introspective as to how I might be trained to do that better. Second, I grew up in a home of pain and dysfunction and I wanted to understand how God has designed us to survive in a fallen and painful world. Specifically, I wanted to try and understand how I "tick" so that I can move toward emotional and spiritual healing. Where did you go to graduate school? What did you like most about your program of study? Truett McConnell University. What I liked most were the small class sizes and comradery with fellow students and faculty, in a Christ-centered environment. The program gave us opportunities to be vulnerable with each other and seek help and advisement with faculty who have had many years of experience in the counseling field and who love Christ. The Spirit of God did a lot of emotional and spiritual healing through these avenues at the university. Describe your approach to counseling. My approach to counseling is trauma-informed. Many people I see can have difficulty coping with daily life because they have been badly hurt. A trauma-informed approach means that I strive to build a safe (as the client defines safe) environment with an unconditional positive regard for anyone who comes into my office. It also means that, through the wonderful research we are learning about our brains and nervous systems, people can better understand why they are reacting to people, places, and relationships in a way that seems "crazy". When they realize they are not crazy that brings relief and a platform from which they can pursue getting better. I continue to pursue advanced post graduate trauma certification through the Trauma Research Foundation. What significant events in your life have shaped your counseling? I know what it means to have a lot of emotional pain and not know what to do with it. I also saw the pain in my family and students, and these have helped me be more understanding and empathetic toward suffering people. These experiences informed who or where I might reach out for help with my pain and how I might be trained to better help others. They also helped me, from a parent perspective, to focus on how my own children were doing. I talked with each to better understand where I went wrong as a father, ask for forgiveness. and find out how I can best love and support them as adults with their own families. How does your Christian faith inform your counseling? I can personally testify that Scripture and Christ's unconditional love have been foundational for my emotional and spiritual healing and in my approach to life and helping others. That approach can be scary or a big turn-off for many and I understand that, as many have been severely hurt by religious people, including myself. Some of this hurt has been so intense it is considered spiritual trauma. Therefore, for anyone who walks into my office for help, and does not want to talk about God, that is perfectly fine. The Christian faith still informs how I interact with people and it manifests, in part, by having unconditional positive regard, patience, kindness, gentleness, and being non-judgmental. https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/natalie daily 0.75 2021-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/1609615240177-SQ1D9FWLN4PP2FU322T8/40592_419030502103_8149153_n.jpg Natalie - Natalie Ford Why did you decide to become a counselor? People were continually calling me for advice after I began speaking out about my late husband's struggles with bipolar disorder. I knew that I wanted to help others, and that I needed to go back to school and learn how to really help others. My counselor was instrumental in my personal growth and I wanted to do the same for others. Where did you go to graduate school? What did you like most about your program of study? I received a PhD in Professional Counseling from Liberty University. I appreciated the Christ-centered focus of the coursework and the intentionality of the professors to pour into us both professionally and personally. Describe your approach to counseling. I hold to grace-based counseling. My colleague, Rick Fowler, and I recently developed the grace-based model of counseling which affirms the roles of grace and truth in counseling. Too often Christian counselors have used shame and guilt as motivation, but I believe this is unbiblical. Other "Christian" counselors set their beliefs to the side as they counsel from a secular worldview. While I cannot separate my worldview from my counseling, I do not impose my beliefs on clients. If they are open to discussing scripture as part of therapy, then we do. If they are opposed, I respect their wishes. God is the ultimate Healer, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of his healing work. What significant events in your life have shaped your counseling? Losing my first husband to suicide rocked my world. Well-meaning Christians told us that his depression was either a result of sin or due to a lack of faith. These two falsehoods led to further despair. Michael's depression was physiological and the tendency to overspiritualize his problems may have hurt him more. I resolved to approach counseling from a biopsychosocialspiritual perspective in hopes of seeing individuals from a holistic perspective. How does your Christian faith inform your counseling? My faith permeates every area of my life; I cannot separate (nor do I want to) who I am in Christ from who I am as a counselor. I may not always quote scripture in a therapy session, but I will do my best to filter all that I say and do through the lens of scripture so that my counseling is biblical. If a secular theory does not contradict the scriptures, then I will consider using it in counseling. https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/churches daily 0.75 2021-01-05 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/jim daily 0.75 2021-02-24 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/resources daily 0.75 2021-01-05 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/assistance daily 0.75 2021-01-05 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/knowledge daily 0.75 2021-01-05 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/anxiety daily 0.75 2021-01-07 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/treatment daily 0.75 2021-01-05 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/trista daily 0.75 2022-07-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/913cb4b0-df48-4574-a7f9-f75d2be99f2e/Counseling+Me.jpg Trista - Trista Blankenship Why did you decide to become a counselor? I was always drawn to the field of psychology but after God began a great work in my own life of healing and restoration, God revealed to me that He was calling me to counsel. He gave me 2 Corinthians 1:4: “Who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort we ourselves have received.” Where did you go to graduate school? What did you like most about your program of study? I went to graduate school at Truett McConnell University. What I liked most about my program of study was that we explored counseling from both biblical and scientific worldviews. I feel that being encouraged to learn both allowed me a deeper understanding of my field and prepared me to work with all people. Describe your approach to counseling. My approach to counseling is eclectic. I prefer to use a combination of approaches that best fit my client and their needs. I believe many of us have pain or traumatic experiences that affect how we see ourselves and others. Often, because of our hurt, we have a skewed view of ourselves and others that can affect our functioning in life. I desire to help people heal these areas of hurt and walk-in restored relationships. While I do not require that my clients ascribe to the same beliefs that I do, I also cannot separate myself from my faith. I believe that God is the ultimate healer. However, I am comfortable with clients who do not wish for me to directly incorporate faith in the counseling room. What significant events in your life have shaped your counseling? God has used so many events in my life to shape my counseling. I grew up in a broken home and my mother struggled with drug addiction. My life growing up had so much pain. I did not know what to do with all that pain for many years and I walked in brokenness. That brokenness negatively affected almost every area of my life and how I viewed myself. After becoming a wife and mother, I knew that something had to change to prevent that same cycle from continuing. That realization led me on a path to healing that has shaped my personal and professional life. God gave me a verse during this time, and it was Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” I know that what was intended for evil in my life, God intends to use it to accomplish His purpose. These experiences and others shape my counseling by showing me firsthand how the hurt can destroy our lives and how healing to restore it. How does your Christian faith inform your counseling? My faith informs my counseling in many ways. One way is that I try to intentionally see all people as Imago Dei. That allows me to understand how each of us is a unique creation and reflection of God. Another way is that as a professing believer I strive to reflect God to my best ability. My faith reveals in me that I am a sinner in need of grace which helps me not to judge others. The grace that was given to me compels me to have grace with my clients. Ultimately, because of my faith, I want to strive to honor God and love His people through counseling. https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/renewal daily 0.75 2021-01-19 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/portal daily 0.75 2023-07-13 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/community-support-topics daily 0.75 2024-11-08 https://www.negachristiancounseling.com/grace daily 0.75 2024-12-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e87883df8d13b342bd1cbb5/d25a0784-59cf-41ea-ac66-2852cf774e93/Grace.jpg