Support Alongside Licensed Therapy
Clinical Spiritual Care Alongside Licensed Therapy
Private clinical spiritual care and pastoral counseling for adults who are already working with a therapist and need a separate spiritual care lane for grief, faith questions, anger at God, moral injury, church harm, disaster exposure, hard decisions, or spiritual distress.
Texas Spiritual Counseling provides virtual clinical spiritual care alongside therapy across Texas, with in-person appointments by arrangement in Hill Country Texas.
This is not psychotherapy, diagnosis, medical care, psychiatric care, emergency care, or treatment of mental-health disorders.
Some Clients Need Therapy and Spiritual Care
Licensed therapy and clinical spiritual care can serve different parts of the same crisis.
A therapist may support trauma symptoms, anxiety, depression, family systems, coping skills, psychiatric referral, diagnosis, or treatment planning.
Clinical spiritual care can support grief, meaning, faith questions, anger at God, moral injury, church harm, spiritual distress, guilt, responsibility, disaster exposure, and the part of the crisis that should not be forced into a diagnosis before it is understood.
Who This Is For
Support alongside therapy may fit adults who are carrying:
- Grief that includes faith questions, anger at God, guilt, or loss of meaning
- Moral injury, regret, responsibility, or the memory of impossible choices
- Church harm, spiritual trauma, religious conflict, or loss of trust
- Disaster exposure, responder burden, flood recovery impact, or traumatic loss
- Hard decisions involving family, faith, caregiving, work, ministry, or identity
- Spiritual distress that is showing up alongside mental-health concerns
- Questions about God, belief, calling, forgiveness, guilt, death, or meaning
- A need for pastoral counseling while continuing licensed therapy
What Clinical Spiritual Care Adds
Clinical spiritual care does not replace therapy.
It gives the client a structured place to work with the spiritual, moral, and meaning-level material that may sit beside licensed mental-health care.
This may include:
- naming spiritual distress without minimizing it
- working through anger at God or loss of belief
- clarifying moral injury, guilt, and unresolved responsibility
- sorting through church harm or religious conflict
- processing grief after death, disaster, or traumatic loss
- identifying when therapy, medical care, psychiatric care, or referral is needed
- supporting care coordination with client permission
How Collaboration Can Work
Clinical spiritual care can remain separate from therapy while still supporting the overall care picture.
With client permission, coordination may include clear communication with a therapist, counselor, physician, clergy member, case manager, or other care provider when appropriate.
The goal is not to interfere with a treatment plan. The goal is to keep the spiritual care lane clear, ethical, and useful.
When Referral Matters
If a client’s needs are outside the scope of pastoral counseling and clinical spiritual care, referral or coordination is part of responsible practice.
Licensed therapy, medical care, psychiatric care, emergency care, or crisis support may be needed when the presenting concern involves immediate danger, suicidal intent, psychosis, active substance-use crisis, severe trauma symptoms, eating disorder risk, domestic violence danger, child abuse reporting, or another clinical need outside this scope.
This practice does not provide emergency or crisis care.
Clinical Spiritual Care, Not Psychotherapy
Dr. Charlie Michele Hornes, DMin, BCC, MCPC, is a Doctor of Ministry, Board Certified Chaplain, ordained PC(USA) minister, and clinical spiritual counseling provider with more than two decades of experience in hospital chaplaincy, crisis response, palliative care, pastoral care, grief care, moral injury support, higher education, and leadership environments.
Her work uses chaplaincy-based clinical spiritual care assessment and pastoral counseling. It is not psychotherapy, diagnosis, medical care, psychiatric care, emergency care, or treatment of mental-health disorders.
Clinical spiritual care can stand alone when pastoral counseling is the right fit. It can also work alongside licensed therapy when mental-health care is needed.
Support Alongside Therapy Across Texas
Virtual clinical spiritual care alongside therapy is available across Texas.
In-person appointments may be available by arrangement in Hill Country Texas.
Start With an Initial Consultation
The Initial Spiritual Counseling Consultation is a focused first session to clarify the presenting issue, identify the care lane, and determine next steps for pastoral counseling, referral, coordination, or ongoing support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can clinical spiritual care work alongside therapy?
Yes. Clinical spiritual care can work alongside licensed therapy when mental-health care is already involved or needed. Coordination can happen with client permission.
Will this replace my therapist?
No. Clinical spiritual care does not replace licensed therapy. It provides pastoral counseling and spiritual care for grief, faith questions, moral injury, anger at God, church harm, hard decisions, and spiritual distress.
Will you talk to my therapist?
Only with client permission. If coordination is appropriate, a written release may be required before any communication with a therapist, physician, clergy member, or other care provider.
Is this therapy?
No. This is pastoral counseling and clinical spiritual care. It is not psychotherapy, diagnosis, medical care, psychiatric care, emergency care, or treatment of mental-health disorders.
What if I need therapy instead?
If licensed mental-health care, medical care, psychiatric care, emergency care, or another level of support is needed, referral or coordination may be recommended.
Can I talk about anger at God?
Yes. Anger at God, doubt, numbness, loss of belief, guilt, grief, and the question “How could this happen?” are welcome here.
Do I have to be religious?
No. Clients may be Christian, interfaith, spiritual-but-not-religious, agnostic, atheist, unsure, done with church, or carrying no formal belief system.
Do you take insurance?
No. Sessions are private pay. Texas Spiritual Counseling does not bill insurance directly.
Can I submit receipts?
Yes. Upon request, an itemized receipt can be provided for clients who want to attempt reimbursement through insurance, EAP, HSA/FSA, employer assistance, church assistance, disaster-relief, or other benefit programs. Reimbursement is not guaranteed.
Is this emergency or crisis care?
No. This practice does not provide emergency, crisis, medical, psychiatric, or suicide-intervention care. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Do you work virtually?
Yes. Virtual sessions are available across Texas. In-person appointments may be available by arrangement in Hill Country Texas.