By Gabriela Konrad Hanova
Special to The B.C. Catholic

Sometimes people question the role that faith and spirituality play in professional counselling. Does faith make a difference? Yes, it does, indeed!

After working at Catholic Family Services for 15 years as a professional counsellor and counselling coordinator, I can honestly state that we offer our clients not only a truly professional counselling service, but also something more.

As our new brochure, which details our services, states on its front page: where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light. We intend to offer our clients both the best that the counselling profession has to offer and the best our faith offers.

Many of our clients tell us that this is what they have been looking for: a counselling practice that will include spirituality in addressing their concerns. The spiritual aspect of counselling is one of the main reasons why they have chosen our agency.

Some clients ask for prayers to start and to end their counselling sessions. The presence of Our Lord Jesus and His mother Mary become an essential part of their healing journey.

Over my years of service in our agency I have witnessed a multitude of God's blessings poured out on our clients as well as on us, their counsellors. We are blessed to be companions on our clients' healing journey toward emotional, psychological, spiritual wholeness.

In our daily work we witness healing of broken family relationships, restoration of marriages, healing after the death of a loved one, healing after an abortion, the healing of a whole Catholic school or church community after the sudden death of a colleague or a devastating accident - all accomplished through counselling and through prayer.

Speaking personally, thanks to working for Catholic Family Services I have experienced spiritual renewal, knowing and experiencing our loving and merciful God in my own life. I know that our faith and spirituality matter and transform our lives personally as well as professionally.

Let us all be very thankful that our archdiocese provides a safe, confidential place to share the burdens of life in the presence of God, to heal, to grow personally and spiritually, and to become the persons we are meant to be; to have life and live it to the full.

Gabriela Konrad Hanova is a counselling coordinator for Catholic Family Services of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.