Faith-informed counseling in Augusta
People arrive at a faith-based practice with two opposite worries: that the counseling will be spiritual advice in a clinical coat, or that the faith part is decoration. Both are reasonable. Here is what Hope actually is.
What is pastoral counseling?
Pastoral counseling is counseling that treats the whole person. Mind, body and spirit. Rather than bracketing faith as off-topic. At Hope, that means the spiritual questions people actually carry into the room (whether they're forgivable, whether any of this means anything) can be part of the work instead of something you manage around.
What's the difference between Christian counseling and regular therapy?
The main difference is whether faith is allowed in the room. Both address the same conditions with the same care; faith-informed counseling additionally makes space for spiritual questions and, if you want it, prayer or scripture. It is not a substitute for clinical work. Anxiety, depression, grief and trauma still get treated as what they are.
Do I have to be a Christian to come to Hope?
No. People of every belief and none are welcome at Hope, and nothing about your care depends on where you land. Hope is a ministry of Warren Church, and faith is invited rather than imposed. If you'd rather keep the work strictly clinical, that is a complete answer and nobody will push.
Does faith-based counseling mean "just pray about it"?
No, and being a ministry is a reason to do more careful work rather than less. Anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and PTSD respond to actual treatment, and treating them seriously is part of taking a person seriously. Faith adds a dimension to the work; it does not substitute for it.
More questions about faith-informed counseling
Will my counselor pray with me or bring up scripture?
Only if you want that. Prayer and scripture are available in session and never assumed. Plenty of clients at Hope never bring faith into the room at all, and that's an ordinary way to do this. You can also change your mind in either direction as you go; it isn't a setting you choose once.
Will someone try to convert me?
No. Faith at Hope is invited, never imposed, and your care does not depend on sharing our beliefs. If a counselor ever brought faith somewhere you didn't want it taken, saying so is a reasonable request and should be respected immediately, that applies at Hope and at any practice.
What is the relationship between Hope and Warren Church?
Hope Mental Wellness Center is a ministry of Warren Church in Augusta, and it opened in February 2026. It operates as a counseling practice at 3231 Washington Rd, and you do not need any connection to the church, or to any church. To be seen there.
Will my church or my pastor find out I came?
Not from your counselor. Confidentiality at a faith-based practice works the same way it does anywhere else, and being a ministry of a church does not create a reporting line to it. The narrow legal exceptions. Imminent danger, abuse of a child or vulnerable adult. Are the same ones that apply at any counseling practice.
Is depression or anxiety a sign of weak faith?
No. People with deep faith and real discipline experience depression and anxiety, and treating either as a spiritual scorecard adds shame to something already heavy. Willpower is not the missing ingredient and neither is belief. These are conditions that respond to care, and seeking that care is not a failure of faith.
"Do not be anxious". Does that mean my anxiety is a sin?
That verse has been used as a weapon on a lot of anxious people, usually by well-meaning ones. Anxiety is a nervous system doing something, not a verdict on your obedience, and reading a command into it tends to produce guilt rather than relief. This is exactly the kind of question worth bringing into a room where faith is allowed.
Can pastors and church staff come for counseling?
Yes, and the confidentiality that protects everyone else protects you. People in ministry often carry the additional problem of having nowhere to be the one who needs help. Hope sees adults across the range of what it treats, and being known in the community is not a reason to go without care.
Ready to talk to someone? Call (762) 328-4673 or come by 3231 Washington Rd, Augusta, GA 30907.
Sessions are $75, paid at the appointment. We do not bill insurance. Open Monday and Tuesday 9am–6pm, Wednesday and Thursday 9am–5pm; closed Friday through Sunday.
If you are in crisis right now, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any hour of any day. Hope is an outpatient practice with set hours and is not a crisis service.