Pastoral counselling and licensed clinical therapy are different things with different training, different regulation and different protections, and a directory listing that says “Christian counselling” can mean either one.
Memphis is a church city, and for a lot of people here faith is not a topic that comes up in therapy — it is the frame everything else sits inside. Being asked to set that aside at the door, or to spend the first three sessions establishing that it is not a symptom, is a real reason people delay getting help. Searching for a Christian therapist is a rational response to that.
The difficulty is that the phrase is doing several jobs at once. Sorting out which one you want is most of the work, and it takes about two questions.
Three different things people mean
| Arrangement | What it is | State-licensed clinical care |
|---|---|---|
| A licensed therapist who shares your faith | Standard clinical therapy with someone who will not need faith explained to them; scripture may never come up in a session | Yes |
| Faith-integrated therapy | Clinical therapy in which faith, prayer, scripture or spiritual practice are deliberately part of the work, at the client’s direction | Yes |
| Pastoral or biblical counselling | Support offered through a church or ministry, often by a pastor, chaplain or certified counsellor; valuable, and a different thing | Not necessarily — ask |
All three are legitimate. Only the first two are regulated clinical care with a licensing board behind them, mandated confidentiality standards and a scope of practice. If what you need is treatment for something clinical, that distinction is not a technicality.
It is also worth knowing that many people want the first option and assume they have to ask for the third. You can have a therapist who understands the vocabulary and the pressures of church life without turning sessions into bible study, if that is what suits you.
How faith is handled at Hicks Consulting
Directly and on your terms. If your faith is important to you, it can be thoughtfully integrated into your healing process; if it is not something you want in the room, it does not have to be. Hicks Consulting is a licensed clinical practice — Monika Hicks is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker — rather than a ministry, and it is not positioned as a biblical counselling service.
What that looks like in practice is that faith is treated as part of your context rather than as a topic to be managed around. For a lot of people that means being able to say “I prayed about it and nothing changed” without it becoming the subject, or to name that the expectation to be spiritually strong is functioning much like every other expectation to be strong.
Where faith and the presenting problem overlap
Several of the patterns this practice works with have a particular shape inside church community, and naming them is not a criticism of faith.
- Service as a place to hide. Being indispensable at church can look identical to being indispensable everywhere else, and it is often the same pattern wearing better clothes.
- Boundaries read as selfishness. When a community values availability, saying no can carry a moral charge that makes it far harder than the same word at work.
- Guilt about needing help. The belief that faith should have been sufficient is one of the most common reasons people arrive late, and often the first thing worth putting down.
- Grief and unanswered prayer. A loss that also unsettles belief is two losses, and it usually needs room for both.
None of this requires a therapist to agree with your theology. It requires one who will not flinch at it or reduce it.
Questions that get you the arrangement you want
- Are you a licensed clinician, and what is your licence? This is the question that separates clinical therapy from pastoral counselling, and it is entirely reasonable to ask plainly.
- What does integrating faith actually look like with you? Answers vary from “I share your background and it informs how I listen” to “we can pray at the start of sessions”. Both are valid; you want to know which you are buying.
- What happens if my faith and the clinical picture pull in different directions? A good answer names the tension rather than dissolving it in either direction.
- Would you tell me if something needed a psychiatrist or a different specialism? Faith-integrated care should still refer out.
- Do you work with people from my tradition specifically? The differences between traditions are not cosmetic and it is fair to ask.
The practical layer, which does not go away
Whatever you decide about faith, the same three logistics decide whether a practice can work with you at all: the state you will be physically located in during sessions, format, and cost. In the Memphis area the first is the one that catches people out, because the metro crosses into Mississippi and Arkansas and a licence does not.
At Hicks Consulting, therapy is virtual and limited to clients located in Tennessee. The practice is private pay — $200 for an initial intake, $165 for a 60-minute session, $85 for 30 minutes — with a superbill available for possible out-of-network reimbursement, and HSA, FSA and card payments accepted. Sessions are typically 53 to 60 minutes and most clients start weekly. Crisis and emergency services are not provided; if your church runs a care ministry, that is worth knowing about separately, and it is not a substitute for emergency services either.
What this page recommends
Decide first which of the three arrangements you actually want, because the phrase “Christian therapist” covers all three and a profile will not disambiguate it. If you need clinical treatment, confirm the person is licensed in the state you will be sitting in and ask what integrating faith looks like in practice with them. If you want faith held as part of the context inside licensed clinical therapy, that is available here — book a consult and say so on the call, since it is much easier to shape from the start than to introduce later.
Book a consult with Hicks Consulting · Take the intake quiz · Request a consult
Frequently asked questions
Can faith or spirituality be included in sessions at Hicks Consulting?
Yes. If your faith is important to you, it can be thoughtfully integrated into your healing process. It is equally fine to leave it out.
Is Hicks Consulting a Christian counselling or biblical counselling practice?
No. It is a licensed clinical practice led by Monika Hicks, LCSW. Faith can be integrated into the clinical work at your direction, but the practice is not a ministry and is not positioned as biblical counselling.
What is the difference between a Christian therapist and a pastoral counsellor?
A licensed therapist holds a state licence, works within a regulated scope of practice and is accountable to a licensing board. Pastoral or biblical counselling is offered through a church or ministry and is not necessarily state-licensed clinical care. Both can be valuable; only one is regulated treatment.
Do I have to share my therapist's beliefs for this to work?
No. What matters more is whether faith can be part of the room without being flinched at or reduced. Many people do well with a therapist who understands the context without sharing the specific tradition.
What if I need help right now?
Hicks Consulting does not provide crisis or emergency services. Call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room.
Where these figures come from
Every fee, policy and service detail on this page is taken from the Hicks Consulting frequently asked questions, which is the published source of record for rates and policies. If a figure here ever disagrees with that page, the FAQ is correct. General mental health information is drawn from the sources below.