Beth and Karis take seriously the privilege of journeying with clients through the process of healing. See the types of services we offer below:
Some of the specific issues we focus on are codependency, anxiety, depression, trauma (link) and entrenched thoughts and behaviors, which leave clients feeling stuck in undesirable patterns. Beth particularly loves helping clients in mid-life find greater meaning and purpose. Karis loves helping clients in early adulthood establish healthy patterns to take forward into their adult lives.
Our vision is to help people move from surviving to thriving, believing that even though we all struggle, there is greater freedom to be experienced with healing.
Pre-marital
Karis and Beth have a passion for helping couples create a healthy foundation from which to launch their marriages. Their pre-marital package consists of 6 sessions covering topics such as communication, conflict resolution, common stressors that couples face (in-laws, finances, etc.), sexual connecting, boundaries, and spirituality. They also offer a free follow-up session, which is typically held 3-6 months after the wedding.
Beth is a trained in Prepare-Enrich, which offers personalized test results, providing insights that will put you on a path toward life-long relationship growth.
Future (date unknown): Beth and Karis are trained in Prepare-Enrich, which offers personalized test results, providing insights that will put you on a path toward life-long relationship growth.
Marriage/Couples
As Marriage and Family Therapists, Beth and Karis focus on the relational system in marriages and relationships in order to identify patterns and provide tools to help couples get to a healthier place. According to research, 69% of marital conflict is not resolvable because it’s related to gender, family of origin, and personality differences (Gottman). The goal becomes helping couples navigate their differences in healthy ways while honoring one another so that each feels heard and understood. We focus on helping each of you accept responsibility for your contributions to the relational dance and teach tools that will shift you towards healthier dynamics and maximize effective communication.
Sex Therapy
Healthy sexual connecting is a protective factor in marriage. We focus on casting a redeemed vision for sex that honors God’s intent for intimacy in the relationship, both relationally and sexually. We offer a shame-free environment to speak openly about issues that commonly cause tensions in relationships. We cover a variety of issues, including: differences in desire; the different ways men and women view and respond to sex; sexual pain; sexual dysfunction; enhancing optimal functioning; and recovering from the impact of trauma, sexual addiction and affairs. We are available to work with both couples and individuals experiencing any of the above issues.
Trauma
We have a heart for people with a history of trauma and understand how frightening and overwhelming it can be to begin working on those issues. We work hard to create a safe and healing environment, and to go at a pace that honors the individual. We are available to help with childhood and adult sexual abuse, PTSD, single-incident traumas, childhood neglect and abuse, and more.
We take a neurobiological approach to trauma treatment, which is essentially a fancy way of saying we work to connect your heart, mind and body. The goal is to break the power of distressing memories and entrenched thinking which keeps people stuck in undesirable patterns of behavior.
A primary treatment modality we use is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). EMDR is an evidence-based treatment shown to effectively alleviate the emotional impact of trauma and distressing memories. Learn more about EMDR here: (video link) (link to EMDRIA). Beth also offers Sand Tray therapy, which is another alternative to talk therapy.
Groups
Groups are gaining more and more in popularity for many reasons. First, they are an effective and a much more cost-friendly approach to therapy. Second, they act as a powerful change agent in the members’ lives because of the power of community and the felt sense of not being alone in the struggle. Seeing life change in fellow members can empower participants to courageously move forward in their own journeys. We currently offer a women’s “Overcoming Codependency” group in the Spring and Fall, designed for women who struggle to have a voice and who can feel resentful, overly responsible and overwhelmed in relationships. This structured group meets twice a month (Spring and Fall) for 8 meetings and covers topics such as gaining insight into unhealthy patterns, boundaries, self-care, and identifying and overcoming negative thought patterns.
Beth offers a group for female survivors of childhood trauma. The group meets twice a month. Limited spaces are available.
Contact us for more information. You can reach Beth at 678-353-6778 or beth@waystonelmft.com, and Karis at 678-644-0407 or karis@waystonelmft.com
Waystone Therapy 