The unique individual experience of an extremely disturbing event with lasting emotional or psychological impairment. The impact of the condition or event compromises one’s sense of safety or life causing the individual to feel helpless or alone. The overwhelming feelings cause psychological or physical pain, sometimes both.

Losing someone or something precious to us can be a life altering event.  Some have described grief as the kind of pain that hurts all over.  It’s a unique kind of “ache” that no amount of medicine can cure.  The internal pain associated with the death of a significant loved one, or the loss of a treasured possession or dream is normal.   But, what’s not normal is the kind of grief that paralyzes a person and keeps them from moving on with life.   Therapy can help individuals identify healthy grieving and unhealthy grieving  and offer  tools that will help ease the pain and put the loss in its proper place.

When someone hits you, it damages not only your body, but it touches your soul.   Whether the abuse is physical, verbal, emotional or sexual, it’s not acceptable....it’s wrong.   Abuse happens when someone intentionally mistreats exploits, degrades, isolates, or misuses others without any consideration for the integrity or worth of the other person.  Counseling can help anyone take back control of their life and be the person God created them to be.  If you are in an abusive situation, please seek help.  Talk to someone--- a counselor, pastor, domestic abuse hotline (CARE center 910-323-4187) or law enforcement.

Have you ever been so angry you felt like you were going to explode?  Welcome to the club.  Anger is a natural and normal emotion, when expressed as an appropriate reaction to some irritate.  However, rage and explosive outbursts are both examples of uncontrolled anger.  Uncontrolled anger is unhealthy and can bring serious consequences.  None of us want to be remembered as “a mean, angry person.” We can help you avoid that legacy.

When people get married, they often bring a whole lot of baggage into the relationship.   They enter into marriage or a romantic relationship with all kinds of ideas of what to expect.  No one is perfect!  And in a marriage, it’s absolutely critical that each spouse acknowledge that fact.  The marital union can be a breeding ground for conflict.  Conflict in and of itself is natural and healthy.  However, when there is an inability to deal with conflict, disagreements, or differences in a constructive and appropriate manner, the result is marital “drama”.  Couple’s therapy can help couples resolve conflict before it leads to blaming, abuse, withdrawing, separation and ultimately divorce.

Counseling that occurs prior to marriage which helps the couple prepare for the dynamic, emerging relationship created by marriage.  Therapy helps equip couples with the tools they will need to weather the sunny and rainy days of marriage.  It also helps them identify their strengths and weaknesses and provides strategies to build a strong marriage in spite of their unique differences.

• Is a feeling of fear, worry, nervousness, or apprehension.
• Some stress related anxiety is natural and healthy, often a motivator to ‘get the job done’.
• However, when the anxiety produces uncertainty over real or perceived situations, to the level of creating a ‘pattern’ of frequent, constant worry or fear over many different activities or events, it is time to seek help.
• Unhealthy anxiety may also cause physical symptoms.

• Type of conflict resolution dealing with threats pre-crisis, during the crisis, and after the crisis.
• It is time to assess the situation, understand what is happening, and develop coping skills.
• It is dealing with a difficult situation from the occurrence until a plan of recovery is in place.

• Counseling services offered through the employer to the employee, created to deal with stressful family or work related issues which have the potential to negatively impact one’s job performance, health, well-being, and/or safety of the employee and others.
• Develop plans that help identify and resolve issues facing employees through short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services.
• Provides a safe environment for the employee to discuss his/her concerns.

The military community is a community like no other.  Within this very unique group, special bonds and friendships are formed that often last a lifetime.  But, too often military families begin to crack under the enormous weight of back-to-back deployments, long separations, and feelings of isolation.  

It's extremely important that Service Members, their spouses and children have somewhere to unload some of the weight that they carry daily. Life Matters has trained professionals, many who are veterans or the spouse of active duty service members, to help families successfully manage the unique challenges of the military life.