About Brenda Peffer, MA, LMHP, CCTP-II, NCC
Hello there! My name is Brenda Peffer. I am a mental health therapist who deeply enjoys helping you connect (or reconnect) to your true self. Trauma, pain, and difficult seasons of life can shake your sense of identity, can threaten your values, and confuse your life path. I believe therapy can be a powerful tool to navigate difficulties in healthy ways and reconnect to what matters most.
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I believe in the importance of integrating the Christian faith in my counseling practice with clients who also identify as Christians. A common theme I have seen in clients' lives is that they profess faith in God and cognitively express belief in Biblical truths while simultaneously living disconnected from experiencing those truths as real. When our primary world view and belief system is reduced to empty words, it can multiply the distress experienced in life's challenging seasons. That is why I am so passionate about working with Christians-- helping them to navigate those difficult seasons while reconnecting to their belief system.
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While I thoroughly enjoy working with other believers, I will not integrate the Christian faith in our counseling sessions unless specifically requested.
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Specialties
Anxiety
Depression
Complex Trauma
Somatic Interventions
Relationship Issues*
Communication Issues*
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*Level 2 Certified with the Gottman Method
*Prepare-Enrich Certified
Focus Areas
Compassion Fatigue
Couples Counseling
Emotional Abuse
Grief
Infidelity
Parenting
Suicidal Ideation
Ministry Burnout
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Treatment Approaches
Christian Counseling
Gottman Method - Level 2
Person Centered
EMDR
The Story Behind Friday's Hope
"Friday's Hope" is a phrase that came to mind during a difficult season in my life. As a Christ-follower who grew up in the church, I have always been familiar with the Easter story: Jesus was crucified on a Friday and was raised back to life on Sunday. It's an incredible story, but when you grow up hearing it continuously, it can be easy to lose the awe and wonder of the miraculous resurrection.
While walking through a season of significant loss and pain, I started to resonate with Jesus' disciples who were despairing at Jesus' death. The weight of Good Friday was so unbearable that they completely forgot His promise that He would rise again.
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Have you ever been so blinded by your present pain that you forgot the promises God has given? Have life's circumstances seemed to invalidate God's Truth and Hope?
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In my season of difficulty, that's where I found myself. I remembered God's promises in my head, but my heart could not connect or experience those words as true. I was in so much pain that the promises of Hope felt more like a curse of hopelessness. THIS is where "Friday's Hope" came from. As the Lord helped me through counseling, Christian community, and His Word to move from hopeless and despairing to hopeful and joyful once again, the concept of Friday's Hope emerged -- Hope is still real, still true, even when life's circumstances SEEM to outweigh and invalidate it. As I have learned (and continue to learn) how to hold hope in seemingly hopeless places, it has become one of my greatest passions to help others do the same.
