Coos Bay, OR (PRWEB) June 08, 2015
On Tuesday, June 23rd, Bandon resident Gregory Fodrea will officially open the doors of Coos Bay’s newest private counseling center with an all-day Open House celebration. ASPIRE Total Life Counseling plans to serve the Coos County communities by offering individual and family counseling services, as well as classes and workshops on a variety of emotional health topics. The public is invited to the free open house, 9:00am until 8:00pm on June 23rd at ASPIRE’s office located in Coos Bay’s historic Hall Building, 320 Central Avenue, on the 5th floor, Suite 512. Free refreshments will be available throughout the day, and Mr. Fodrea will be on-hand to answer questions, hand out literature, and introduce the community to his unique style of counseling and his vision for ASPIRE Total Life Counseling.
Having completed his Masters of Divinity degree and his ministerial ordination in transpersonal counseling, Gregory Fodrea is excited to reach out and help his community in a meaningful way. His own journey through the ravages of suicidal depression, anxiety, and childhood traumas taught him how necessary counseling services are, and his 15-year study of psychology, philosophy, and spirituality gives him unique insight into how to help others live a life of joy, unconditional love, and peace (a state of being he calls JULP!). In 2014, as he was completing his education and training, he published his first book, “Perfectly Flawed – How to Stop Suffering and Start Living.” It has been helping people and touching lives, launching Fodrea into the “Amazon Top 20 Self-help Authors” category in early 2015. He is also a co-author of the book “Tenacious Living – Choose Your Adventure,” a collection of inspirational stories about overcoming adversity, and he has been uplifting people as a motivational speaker and workshop leader for many years.
Gregory’s educational background is not what many expect when they hear the word “counselor,” and he enjoys explaining the differences between his style of transpersonal counseling and more conventional psychotherapies.
“I made a conscious choice to pursue a more holistic, spiritual approach to counseling,” Fodrea explains, “because, although traditional cognitive therapies were a helpful part of my own treatment and recovery from mental illness, there was an important spiritual component to it, too.”
His studies included theology, philosophy, metaphysics, and world religion as well as traditional psychology, and his degree is not a traditional psychology degree, but a Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in transpersonal counseling. Therefore, the services offered by ASPIRE Total Life Counseling (or TLC for short, because as Gregory puts it, “Everyone needs a little TLC.”), are unique.
“For one thing,” Fodrea points out, “I do not diagnose or explicitly treat specific mental illnesses. As an “alternative” or “spiritual” counselor, there are limits in Oregon State Law to the services I can provide. Instead, I work with people from a spiritual perspective on the underlying issues that may cause them to feel sad, anxious, fearful, angry, or out of control. I work with my clients to help them take responsibility for their own emotional and spiritual well-being, and guide them using a holistic blend of traditional tools and spiritual principles.”
And those spiritual principles are not limited to any one religion or spirituality. Although Mr. Fodrea’s ministerial ordination is non-denominational Christian in nature, he is also a self-styled “Universalist,” and works with people from all walks of life and with a wide variety of beliefs and philosophies. He does not preach, preferring instead to start from common ground, helping people heal themselves from their own spiritual perspective.
State licensing boards such as the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists do not license ministerial counselors such as Mr. Fodrea, although a growing number of people around the country are finding that, in some cases, a holistic blend of conventional therapy and spiritual guidance is more beneficial than one or the other. Of course Fodrea is quick to point out, when he encounters a client who is in need of licensed care, he is legally and ethically bound to refer them to the appropriate licensed professional. He further explains that the counseling services offered at ASPIRE TLC also work very well in conjunction with licensed professional care.
State-defined “alternative” counselors are unable to accept insurance for services. Instead, Fodrea has made ASPIRE TLC’s rates affordable, offers a dramatic sliding-scale discount range, and accepts many forms of payment.
“I am committed to making sure that everyone in need of my services has access to them. I will work with anyone who sincerely desires my help to make it reasonable and affordable for them to get it.”
Immediately after the Open House celebration, ASPIRE Total Life Counseling will offer free initial consultations, take appointments, and accept new clients. Mr. Fodrea can help members of our community who are facing:
- Issues with unreasonable fear, anxiety, and sadness
- At-risk teen problems
- Common LGBT issues
- Addiction recovery concerns
- General life-direction and spiritual questions
- And much more…
Those seeking further information, or who are unable to attend the Open House on June 23rd, should visit ASPIRE TLC’s website at: http://www.AspireTLC.org, or call Mr. Fodrea at: (541) 808-9175.
