Counseling Resident
Aaron grew up in Massachusetts and moved to Raleigh in 2014 to serve with a sports ministry called Athletes In Action. In 2022 He enrolled with Liberty University and graduated with a in the Spring of 2024 with a Master’s in Pastoral Counseling, and joined Hope Counseling that same year. He employs a story work approach to his counseling, and wants to help connect the gospel story to the stories of those he counsels.
Counselor
Allison grew up in rural Wisconsin. She and her husband have been married for over twenty years and are blessed with four sons. For twenty years, she and her family have lived in East Asia. She has been active in mentoring and counseling women, as well as helping other expats adjust to life overseas. Allison earned a Master of Arts in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. She holds a Certificate in Global Trauma Recovery from Missio Seminary as well as a Certificate in Addictions Counseling from Waynesburg University. She enjoys learning about other cultures, reading biographies, running, and hiking in nature.
Counseling Resident
Anna was born and raised in North Carolina and still calls it home today. Between working in a local elementary school, being a buddy with the special needs team at her church, and parenting her four boys, most of Anna’s day-to-day life revolves around children. And she loves it! It matters greatly to Anna to come alongside the next generation and their families with gospel-centered hope and care.
Anna will complete her Master in Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary in the Summer of 2025. She holds a level two Trauma Care certification through CTHN.
Senior Counselor
Anne grew up in Atlanta, GA and quickly found North Carolina to be home while at UNC-Chapel Hill where she completed a B.A. in Psychology. After a year of missionary work in East Asia, Anne married Van and taught Pre-Kindergarten in Raleigh before moving to Philadelphia where she received a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon completing a counseling internship at Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation, she returned to Raleigh in 2006. Anne has counseled in private practice ministry for 17 years. She enjoys leading women’s ministry, teaching the Bible, equipping others in ministry, speaking at retreats and conferences, and serving in a commissioned role to come alongside the elders of her church in shepherding care cases. Anne has three teenaged children, and in her free time, she loves to play the piano, read, write, and sip coffee with friends.
Counselor
Brian Hogan is a 2014 graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He earned a Master’s of Divinity concentrated in biblical counseling. Since graduating seminary, Brian has served on staff at a church, walked alongside refugees teaching ESL, conducting case work, and facilitating trauma healing groups. He has been certified as Master Facilitator-in-Training through the Trauma Healing Institute. Brian currently works at World Relief Texas as a Post-Arrival Resettlement Manager. Biblical counseling, however, remains his first love as it pushes us to understand our world and our circumstances through a biblical lens. Outside of the counseling room, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.
Executive Director
Bryan earned his Master of Arts in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary as well as a Master of Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Bryan married his high school sweetheart, Emily, in 2010. Bryan has been working at Hope since 2019. Additionally, he has seven years of pastoral experience where he counseled and equipped others to care for one another. In his free time, you’ll find him cycling and exploring new restaurants with his wife.
Counselor
Charissa grew up as a third culture kid in the Philippines until age 11, when her family moved to Philadelphia. After completing a BA and MA in English Literature, she gradually became interested in serving others through Biblical counseling and began taking CCEF courses. This eventually led to her completing her MA in Counseling from Westminster Seminary.
She married her husband after college and, after spending 7 years in California, they moved to East Asia in 2013, where they continue to live and raise their three kids. While her husband works as a research professor, their family has had many opportunities to invest in local friends and other expats. In addition to counseling, Charissa also serves on a regional leadership team of an organization of cross-cultural workers. She loves reading and discussing good books, exploring her city, traveling with her family, trying new foods, and spending time with people of all cultures.
Counselor
Cory earned her Master of Arts in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary in 2019 and has been a counselor with Hope since that time. She and her husband have lived all over the world through the military and now call beautiful West Virginia home. Together they have 8 children and 9 grandchildren. Cory and her husband have a small flower farm business and most days you can find Cory in the garden among many flowers.
Counseling Resident
Hannah graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Psychology and Human Development & Family Studies. After graduation she served two years in college ministry at UNC-Chapel Hill, engaging in every-day discipleship relationships. She has a heart for internationals and has joyfully served in various international contexts. She is currently working to complete her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She considers it a privilege to walk alongside others and help them claim hope in Christ in the midst of brokenness. She also enjoys reading, writing, and outdoor adventuring.
Senior Counselor
Jacklyn holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary and an Advanced Certificate in Professional Counseling from Biblical Theological Seminary. She served as a counselor at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation from 2011-2016. Prior to her work at CCEF, she spent seven years as a missionary in South Africa, working with university students. She has also served in her local church over the years through children’s ministry, women’s ministry, counseling, and equipping others for ministry. In addition to her work at Hope, Jacklyn is an Online Instructor at Westminster Theological Seminary for the Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling program. Jacklyn has three children and enjoys learning, nature, and meaningful time with friends and family.
Counselor
Jenna grew up in Reidsville, NC. She attended UNC-Wilmington to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree in Therapeutic Recreation, while also minoring in Psychology. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she began working in a Residential Facility for Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities in Danville, Virginia. She recognized her love and desire to work with Adults with I/DD. During her journey as Program Director at a Christ-centered nonprofit supporting those with I/DD, she completed her Master’s of Biblical Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary. Jenna loves reading, spending time with family and playing pickleball.
Counselor
Jennifer completed her Masters of Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. She has particular interest in exploring how God speaks into our grief and loss, anxiety, chronic illness, caregiving and aging. She has lived her entire life in beautiful North Carolina, where she and her husband raised two sons adopted from Guatemala. She enjoys walking, gardening, days at the beach, playing with her two dogs, and cheering on the Tar Heels.
Counselor
John grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1985, after completing a Master of Theology, he moved with his wife, Rachael, and their young daughter to the Philippines for ten years of outreach work. While there, he began working on a Doctorate of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling with the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) in Philadelphia.
In 1995, John, Rachael and their 2 kids moved to Philadelphia area to join the leadership staff at the international Christian organization connected to their work in the Philippines. While there he finished his DMin degree. Over the next 14 years, John and Rachael worked to open new ministry areas, traveled frequently to provide support for overseas members, and established a member care focus within that organization.
As empty nesters, John and Rachael moved to North Africa in 2009 to set up a new team. After a brief period there, they returned to Atlanta, Georgia, where they served for 13 years, working with international students at local universities and engaging in ministry within an underserved neighborhood in inner-city Atlanta. Throughout these years, John-often alongside Rachael- offered counseling in the local church and to overseas workers.
In 2024, they relocated to Greenville, South Carolina. Currently, John provides counseling for overseas workers at Hope Counseling Services. His interests include hiking, biking, running, reading, and trying new restaurants with friends. They are members of North Hills Church.
Counseling Resident
Julie grew up in Western NY and calls Durham her home. She has been married for over thirty years and has two grown children, both adopted and homeschooled. She has a B.S. in Occupational Therapy and a broad and diverse career in many healthcare settings. Julie is pursuing a Master of Arts in Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary. Her calling to counseling began while leading a young adult group and engaging in pre-marital counseling with her husband at their church. Julie is known for being an encourager and living authentically; her faith has been forged through deep questions and enduring trials. Away from her studies, she can be found walking with her husband and beloved dog.
Counselor
Kevin grew up in eastern Pennsylvania and resides in the small town of Easton with his wife and 2 adult children. Kevin has been drawn to encouraging, supporting and coming alongside others for as long as he can remember. Although Kevin’s primary career has been in radiation therapy helping those fighting cancer, he has felt the Lord calling him to Biblical counseling. He earned his B.S. in Biblical studies at Moody Bible College then went on to complete his M.A. in counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary. In addition to this, Kevin enjoys his free time running with his wife, biking, playing his guitar and reading. He also serves as an elder and is involved in various ministries at his local church.
Counselor
Kim resides in eastern North Carolina. She is married to Danny, who is an elder at Wilson Presbyterian Church. As an elder’s wife, Kim enjoys leading women’s Bible studies and mentoring/counseling women, while enjoying a cup of coffee or tea. She has earned three certificates through CCEF: Foundation of Biblical Counseling, Topics in Biblical Counseling and Counseling Skills and Practice. Biblical counseling has been life changing for her and her family. Kim enjoys teaching piano. She loves hanging out with her husband and four grown children and spending time with her grandchildren. Kim enjoys swimming, kayaking, taking walks at the lake, reading in her hammock and knitting. Kim has completed her certification as a Christian Trauma Provider Level 1 through CTHN.
Counseling Resident
Kristen, a Southern California native, currently resides in San Diego County with her husband, Ruben. They have three grown children—one married and the other two in college out of state. With a psychology degree earned in 1995, Kristen spent almost 30 years raising her family while nurturing a passion for counseling. Having personally experienced the transformative impact of biblical counseling, Kristen was led to pursue a masters in counseling at Westminster Seminary. Her enthusiasm lies in imparting God’s redemptive love to others. She participates in the counseling and women’s ministry at her local church. Kristen finds solace and joy in the great outdoors. Hiking and backpacking are favorite pastimes, with the Grand Canyon and Eastern Sierras holding a special place in her heart. In addition, she loves entertaining and spending quality time with friends and family.
Finance Administrator
Kristi grew up in Southern California so she loves the access to mountains and ocean from here in the Triangle. After receiving an Associates degree in Office Administration, Kristi held multiple jobs in HR and Payroll positions in both CA and WI. While studying for her Bachelors degree in Biblical Studies in WI, she met and married her husband, Steve.
Sensing God’s direction to serve overseas, they moved to NC and both earned Masters Degrees at Southeastern Seminary. She continued to develop her professional skills working as Payroll Assistant at Southeastern. During this time God provided Kristi a job as bookkeeper to a small business that allowed her to continue studying and stay at home to raise her young boys.
They moved their young family to East Asia in 2009, and after 11 years God brought them back to the Triangle where they have replanted their family of 6. Now Kristi enjoys subbing at her children’s schools, cooking, gardening, and any chance to enjoy nature.
Counselor
Lauren grew up on the west coast and attended Biola University in California. Through work in the residence life program as an undergrad it became clear that Biblical Counseling was a growing passion and she began to pursue an MA Biblical Counseling at Talbot Seminary. She and her husband moved to Raleigh in 2011 where Lauren finished her degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2015. Upon completing a counseling internship through the Summit Church, Lauren became a staff counselor at Bridgehaven Counseling Associates in 2016. Lauren has continued counseling in private practice ministry and also enjoys teaching on leadership development topics, spiritual formation as well as serving alongside her husband in college and small group ministries. She is the mother of 4 kids and in her spare time enjoys good coffee, good books and good conversation as well as the outdoors and overseas travel.
Counselor
Mark grew up on the mission field in Mexico where his parents were full time missionaries. As an adult, from 1996- 2010, he served as a church planter in Spain and Europe. He earned a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling at Trinity Seminary and Bible College in 2004. When He moved back to the U.S., he started a biblical counseling ministry at Terrace Lake Church (TLC) in Columbus Indiana. There he served as the Senior Counselor and Director of Biblical Counseling, providing training and oversight to the 10 counselors at TLC from 2012-2022. He also trained church leaders in counseling as well as trained and mentored people in biblical counseling from other churches. Mark and his wife Rhonda served together as a part of a member care team for a mission agency, providing training, counseling, debriefing & care for missionaries from 2018-2022. Mark also taught Art History, Drawing and Painting at Purdue and Indiana University in Columbus, IN. Mark loves riding bikes with Rhonda and landscape painting. He is currently working on a second Masters of Arts in Counseling from Westminster Seminary.
Counselor
Marla grew up in North Carolina and after college and working on staff at her home church as a Children’s Director for 4 years, she served for 3 years in Guatemala with the International Mission Board of the SBC. She came home intending to go to seminary to study missions, but after an Intro to Biblical Counseling class she realized her heart was discipleship in the form of walking with those who are hurting and struggling. She graduated with a Masters in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC and then worked as a staff counselor for The House of Hope in Clayton, NC for several years. She then met and married her husband (a widower with three young girls) and moved to Wilmington, NC. There she worked on staff at Port City Community Church as a Biblical Counselor and Coordinator of a biblical counseling lay ministry for 11 years where she developed and taught counseling classes and mentored those in the church wanting to walk with hurting people. In her free time, Marla loves spending time with her family and friends, reading, hiking, traveling, photography, eating good food, watching football and basketball and being creative!
Counselor
Miriam grew up in Wake Forest, NC and now lives in Youngsville, NC. She is an artist who enjoys working with different mediums and found materials to make art as a response to the beauty she sees in the world around her. She is the second to youngest in her large family and is grateful for the ways these relationships have shaped her. Miriam was introduced to Biblical Counseling in 2017 through a class lecture offered by the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation. She has since been delighted and grateful to complete the courses required to receive three certificates from CCEF (Foundations of Biblical Counseling, Topics in Biblical Counseling, and Counseling Skills and Practice). Miriam has been changed by encountering the love of God for her personally and desires to help others experience His redemptive love in their own lives.
Counselor
Rachel Evans has a M.A. in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Seminary (2014). One year after graduation, she moved to South Asia where she was able to apply her degree in various ways. While in South Asia, she was trained in Healing Wounds of Trauma. She joined the Global Trauma Recovery Institute Cohort from 2020-2021 with Missio-Seminary. She has a passion to see people heal and walk in the fullness of who they are created to be. Rachel enjoys coffee, the outdoors, a good book and time with her husband and son.
Office Administrator
Counselor
TiLissa grew up in Charlotte, NC and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Lenoir Rhyne University. She served on staff with CRU in the Charlotte Metro Area for two years before attending Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where she received her Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling. TiLissa is married to Tim, and together they own a specialty coffee shop in downtown Durham. When she’s not counseling, you can find TiLissa having tea time with her four young girls, refinishing thrifted furniture, immersed in historical fiction, or digging in the yard.
Counseling Resident
Timothy grew up in the Chicago area and graduated from Houghton College (music education) in upstate New York. After a short stint teaching in the public schools, he completed a Ph.D. in music history and literature from Northwestern University. He spent his career in collegiate education, retiring as Emeritus Professor from a liberal arts college in central Ohio, whereupon he completed a Master’s Degree in counseling from Westminster Seminary. Having experienced many of the blessings and struggles of life, Timothy desires to fulfill Paul’s hope (II Cor 1:7) that we encourage others with the consolation we have received from Christ. He and his wife have been married for forty years and are blest with two adult sons. He enjoys reading, listening to music and studying scores, as well as hiking in the backcountry of West Virginia.
Counselor
Sara’s childhood and current home is Indianapolis, but she has also lived in Louisville and Minneapolis. She earned a Masters in Biblical Counseling and a Masters in Leadership, both from Southern Seminary. She has also received CCEF’s certificates in Biblical Counseling. Sara has 15 years of ministry experience, serving on staff with a campus ministry, as a counselor in her local church, and with another counseling organization. One of Sara’s favorite songs is “What a Friend Is Jesus” – she considers it an honor to be a friend in counseling and to look to Jesus to be our friend, help, and comfort. Sara is married to Tim, and in her free time she loves playing tennis, kayaking, visiting her friends all over the world, cooking, reading, and mastering sudoku.
Counseling Resident
Sarah lives in Central Asia with her husband and three kids (and also recently decided to add a puppy to the mix!). Sarah and her husband have both lived overseas most of their adult lives, and the various needs they encountered along the way led her to seek counseling training first at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation, and then later to pursue a Masters in Counseling from Westminster Theology Seminary. Because of her background, she loves seeing counseling skills grown in other cultural contexts where access to counseling is scarce. She also loves getting to help others from her own culture who are working abroad.
Counselor
Susan Bradford planted a church alongside her husband, Geoff, in Philadelphia, 2002-2011. She and her husband are now serving at Christ the King Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC. Susan has taken four classes through the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF) as well as attended many of their national conferences. Susan’s involvement in Parakaleo ministry, a ministry for church planting wives, allowed her to receive Coming Alongside training as well as Group Leadership training. She served as a Network Leader, 2011-2013, as well as a Gospel Coach to church planting wives for the past several years. Susan has participated in years of premarital counseling alongside her husband and has recently counseled engaged couples on her own. All of the experience in informal counseling led Susan to enroll at Southeastern Baptist Seminary where she earned an MA in Counseling in December 2021. She has also served as a Commissioned Woman, coming alongside the elders of her church for the past three years and has served on the Shepherding team for the past two years. Susan also served as a board member for The Welcome Mission ministry. She is also mother to six sons. In her spare time, Susan enjoys cultivating her garden, art museums, reading, cooking and baking. Special areas of interest include family systems, trauma, and soul care.
Counseling Resident
Virginia was born and raised in North Carolina, and attended UNC Chapel Hill, where she got a bachelors degree in Political Science. From there she went to New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong as an investment banker. She moved back to North Carolina to be closer to family, and met her husband in the newcomers class at church. They’ve been married for 22 years and have three teenagers. Currently, Virginia lives in Wrightsville Beach, NC, where she counsels Hope clients online. Additionally she is a student at Westminster Theological Seminary, where she is on track to complete her Masters of Biblical Counseling in May 2025. She enjoys meeting people from different backgrounds, digging through Scripture with believers and non believers alike, and witnessing the Lord at work in hearts and minds.
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