Catholic
At Irvine Family Counseling, we offer a place where your faith and mental health can meet—where you don’t have to choose between spiritual well-being and emotional healing.
Our Spiritual Perspective
The human person grapples with problems of religious-identity, meaning and purpose within situational circumstances and cultural, historical contexts. Therefore, there will always be a psychological response to what is spiritually rooted, and a spiritual response to what is psychologically caused. Indeed, the mind and spirit are connected. Insofar as all Truth is one- that the same God who designed spiritual health also designed mental health- psychological healing will not contradict spiritual progress but may compliment it.
Upon request, we pray for healing
We share Scripture
We incorporate the stories of saints
At Irvine Family Counseling, we’re here to guide you, like Peter and Andrew, through the ups and downs of emotional healing. Matthew 4:18-2
Just as the apostles cast their nets to bring others to safe harbor, we seek to uncover and care for the emotional and relational wounds that prevent you from feeling at peace. Every individual, couple, and family we serve is created with dignity and worth, deserving of compassion and healing. Regardless of faith background, we welcome you into a supportive environment where no one is left drifting alone. Our commitment is to help you find steady footing, heal deeply, and grow stronger in both faith and personal resilience.
Which of my symptoms are mental?
Which are spiritual?
It can be challenging to know whether emotional pain, loss of motivation, or feelings of disconnection stem from psychological struggles or spiritual trials. At Irvine Family Counseling, we help you carefully distinguish between the two. By offering clarity and guidance, we ensure that emotional burdens receive proper therapeutic support, and spiritual challenges are addressed in ways that honor your faith journey. This holistic understanding lets you respond to each difficulty with informed compassion rather than confusion.
We do not pathologize spiritual issues
In your faith life, do you:
Struggle to feel God’s presence?
Notice a sense of dryness or distance in prayer?
Feel less drawn to familiar spiritual practices?
Yet still hold a quiet, enduring desire to love God?
If so, you may be walking through a spiritual trial. Though unsettling, these experiences aren’t signs of failure—they can herald growth, change, and new depth in your relationship with the divine. We can help you make sense of these shifts so you can move forward with greater understanding and without unnecessary self-blame.
We do not spiritualize pathological issues
In your faith life, do you:
Find it unusually hard to concentrate during prayer or worship?
Experience heightened anxiety in social or group-based faith activities?
Struggle with low mood or negative thoughts that keep you from participating fully in your community?
If so, these may be signs of psychological challenges rather than spiritual shortcomings. You aren’t lacking faith; you’re facing emotional hurdles that can be addressed through professional mental health support. Seeking help can restore your ability to engage meaningfully with your faith without shame or self-judgment.
At Irvine Family Counseling, we recognize that faith and emotional wellness are deeply intertwined. Our goal is to help you discern your next steps, so you can find true healing and meaningful growth in every dimension of your life.
What is The Dark Night of the Soul?
St. John of the Cross introduced the concept of the Dark Night of the Soul, describing a spiritual passage where a person experiences the unsettling sense of God’s absence. While deeply painful, this absence often compels one to seek God more earnestly, ultimately leading to profound spiritual growth and a more authentic, mature relationship with the divine.
During his own captivity and suffering, St. John of the Cross found that the lack of God’s felt presence was more excruciating than physical or emotional agony. Yet, on the other side of this spiritual emptiness, he discovered a richer encounter with God’s love. This experience taught him—and continues to teach us—that enduring such a trial can purify and strengthen the soul, preparing it for deeper union with the divine
A Dark Night of the Soul is not a pathological trial, but a spiritual one.
As psychiatrist Gerald May suggests, not every hardship calls for a medical or psychological intervention—some are deeply spiritual. The Dark Night of the Soul is one such experience, a bittersweet phase that clears the space within your heart for new spiritual insight. Just as a helicopter needs open ground to land safely, our souls must sometimes be cleared of old expectations and comforts before God’s presence can fully dwell within.
If you find yourself in this challenging season, know that it doesn’t mean you are failing. On the contrary, it can be a sign of spiritual transformation unfolding in unexpected ways. We are here to help you navigate this passage with openness, courage, and faith, guiding you toward greater spiritual maturity and peace.
