About the Episode
In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Julie Lowe about her book, Building Bridges: Biblical Counseling Activities for Children and Teens. During the conversation, Julie helps listeners to understand why counseling children is different than counseling adults, explains the importance of “wooing” children to Jesus, and discusses some of the benefits and challenges of collaborating with parents during the counseling journey. She also offers a biblical rationale for using “expressive activities” to enter into a child’s world, unpacks how using Scripture as a story can better connect a child’s life experience back to the Lord, and shares some of the top tools/props/resources she uses in her counseling room during sessions with youth counselees.
About the Guest
Julie Lowe, MA, is a faculty member at CCEF and a licensed professional counselor with nearly twenty years of counseling experience. Julie is also a registered play therapist and has developed a play therapy office at CCEF to better serve families, teens, and children. Julie is the author of Child Proof and Building Bridges, as well as the mini-book Helping Your Anxious Child. Julie and her husband, Greg, have five children and serve as foster and adoptive parents.
Places to Listen & Subscribe
Additional Resources from Sam Crabtree
Practicing Affirmation
It happens in marriages, parent-child relationships, friendships, workplaces, and churches: Communication falters, friendships wane, teenagers withdraw, marriages fail, and bitter rifts sever once-strong ties. Christian communities are no exception. Why do so many of our relationships suffer from alienation, indifference, and even hostility?
Author Sam Crabtree believes that often at the heart of these breakdowns is a lack of affirmation. He observes in Scripture that God grants mercy to those who refresh others, and in life that people tend to be influenced by those who praise them. Crabtree shows how a robust “God-centered affirmation ratio” refreshes others and honors God.
Practicing Affirmation sounds a call to recognize and affirm the character of Christ in others. When done well, affirmation does not fuel pride in the person, but refreshes them and honors God. All who are discouraged in relationships will find wisdom and practical insight in this book.
- Parenting with Loving Correction: Practical Help for Raising Young Children (Book • Podcast Interview)
- Practicing Thankfulness: Cultivating a Grateful Heart in All Circumstances (coming Feb. 2021)
Related Resources from IBCD
- Practicing Affirmation: The Problem and Opportunity for Every Person (Sam Crabtree)
- The God-Centeredness of Affirmation (Sam Crabtree)
- Helping People Get Good at Affirmation (Sam Crabtree)
- Practical Application of Affirmation (Sam Crabtree)
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Author
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Christine is a certified biblical counselor, conference speaker, and host of the Hope + Help Podcast for IBCD. She has authored several books, including Midnight Mercies: Walking with God Through Depression in Motherhood, Postpartum Depression: Hope for a Hard Season, and Help! I’ve Been Diagnosed with a Mental Disorder. Christine also serves as a council member for the Biblical Counseling Coalition. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and three children and is a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Easley. Connect with Christine and learn more about her resources at christinemchappell.com.