Katherine Snyder talks about the work of Anchor Of Hope and the role God plays in counselling.

Paul: You run courses, what sort of subjects do you run?

Katherine: We have had subjects in marriage enrichment, we've had trauma recovery and we've had counselling in sexual addiction and 12 step group. We have a boundaries class in how to establish good boundaries; going on now we've had a seven week course on forgiveness, healing past hurts and pain. We have ongoing seminars, we had a conference on counselling survivors of sexual abuse because we feel we need to go into neglected areas that aren't usually touched by the body of believers, like pornography and sexual assault, you just don't hear a lot about it but it's very prevalent. We have had joint conferences with other ministries.

Paul: What sort of people come for counselling?

Katherine: Everybody. Everybody needs it including the counsellor. I mean what sort of people, we have individuals, we have families, we have couples, we have had some teenagers that come, so a very broad spectrum of the population.

Paul: Do you have to be in a desperate need to want counselling?

Katherine: It is interesting that you say that. I personally believe that the level of desperation is probably in ratio to the healing the people receive, because when people are desperate they are willing to change, they are willing to take down their defences. Sometimes people come and they want to maybe vent about someone else and they are not really in the place that they want to change. It's better if people are not in crisis and they are catching the crisis, but if people come and they are desperate in crisis, you usually see God really intervene in a very powerful way.

Paul: Do you have some great success stories?

Katherine: We've had someone come who had a very difficult relationship with her mom and she worked through that. She was older and not living with her mom for a long time so she worked through that and was able to deeply forgive her mother. Shortly after that she got word that her mother was very ill and she went home right before her mother passed away. But because she worked through things and there was forgiveness, the grief wasn't a complicated grief and it was peace at the end. She was really able to love her mother and take care of her mother through that and that is just one story.

Paul: It must be nice seeing people resolve their problems?

Katherine: Yes you have people leave, you work with them, you walk with people, and we really see ourselves as temporary assistance to the Holy Spirit. People come and you are able to open up and I tell the people that I train, how often in life do you have someone who would just listen to you without judgement for an hour or so, just listen to your story and want to understand you and connect with you and that in itself is healing, that really reflects the listening Father.

Paul: Is it emotional counselling someone?

Katherine: Well they are emotional, but part of counselling is containing that emotion and allowing for safe space. If you're not afraid of emotions, then you can be that safe harbour where people can express their anger or their disappointment and their frustration and that is ok. It can come out. You don't want them to get stuck there, but they don't have to be perfect and cover up. Many believers feel very guilty if they are feeling anything negative, so it is like a double whammy; I feel bad about something and then I feel bad that I feel bad. So you know it's the whole healing process, it really is allowing the Lord to come in and love people.

Paul: Are you saving people's lives?

Katherine: You know in my own counselling experience I have had people say that to me, "you really saved my life." We have worked with people who have suicidal thoughts, but with a plan we were able to help. It depends on what you mean by life too, if you just mean physical life then it is hard to quantify; maybe some people we have, but if you are talking about quality of life, if you are talking about people who are coming into genuine healing, of seeing how they don't have to repeat their family of origin dynamics in every relationship and can become free, become who really the Lord created them to be and know God's love, then yes we are.