About Me
Hi, I’m Charlene!
I’m a licensed mental health counselor and life coach who specializes in helping women seeking professional guidance consistent with their Christian faith.
After spending more than 20 years in church work, most recently as the director of a church counseling center, I found myself increasingly burdened for women just like you, struggling with issues of self-worth, self-care, depression, anxiety, abuse, trauma, relationship difficulties, or loss.
It is my passion to combine the truths of Scripture with helpful psychological interventions so that women can experience the joy of inner healing that overflows into relationships and impacts future generations.
Work
I have helped hundreds of women unearth the beauty in their stories, embrace their God-given value, and step into a life of purpose and fulfillment.
While providing a safe place free of criticism, I will compassionately guide you towards freedom and joy in your relationship with God, self, and others.
Personal Stuff
I married my college sweetheart in 1999, and together we have three kids, two dogs, and two cats. (Yes, I love animals!) Our kids are growing up WAY too fast. Our daughter flew the coop for college in 2020, and our twin boys are in those crazy teen years that everyone warns you about.
One of our sons has special needs, and we are helping him navigate life on the autism spectrum with an intellectual disability. My husband and I are part of the sandwich generation, caring for aging parents with dementia and other challenges.
I am a native Floridian and love the rainy days as much as I love the sunny ones. I live for quiet time with Jesus in the morning, not-so-quiet time with my family and friends, good movies, and time outdoors with a good book.
Why I do this
My parents each grew up in homes where poverty, addiction, violence, and neglect were their daily norm. Their abusive upbringings, combined with our pastor’s fire-and-brimstone warnings that to spare the rod was to spoil the child, led to my childhood of walking on eggshells.
In early adulthood, I began a desperate search for answers and stumbled upon a book that made the scandalous claim that there was nothing I could do to make God love me any more or any less. Those words of grace and unconditional acceptance started me down a path of healing.
With the help of those the Lord placed in my life, I began to dig my way out of the lies that had kept me buried under a destructive past.
I long to help women with similar stories experience the freedom and healing that has changed my life.
By embracing the hard parts of my story, I have learned that if a seed planted in hardship is drenched in God’s grace and enlightened by His truth, it will blossom and grow into something beautiful.
Formal Education and Experience
To learn more about my formal education and experience, click the button below.