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Our Story
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Tres Adames is the founder and director of Arizona Christian Counseling. Here he tells his personal story and how the practice came to be:
Roots in Arizona I was born in Phoenix, Arizona and grew up in Peoria. I was raised with two sisters and have a large extended family on both sides. I come from a very loving and close Christian family. However, I went through struggles of my own throughout my adolescence. My parents divorced when I was a child and I was bullied as a teen. As a result, I was a reserved and withdrawn kid, and dealt with chronic depression for many years. |
My extended family on my mother's side.
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My dad and my sisters at my seminary graduation.
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Onward to Kentucky and Mississippi
After graduating from high school, I moved out of state to attend Asbury University just outside of Lexington, Kentucky. It was not until college that I first sought the help of a Christian counselor. I slowly started healing and opening up. After college, I had a powerful encounter with God where I felt Him calling me to the ministry. I couldn't quite see myself as a traditional pastor, but I followed the call and enrolled in seminary. I moved to Jackson, Mississippi to attend Wesley Biblical Seminary. It was always a dream of mine to start a Christian company or ministry of some sort. Exactly how that would come about would shift and change over the years. |
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A Failed Church Plant
After graduating from seminary and receiving my Master of Divinity, I moved back to Phoenix and started laying out plans to plant a church. Pathfinder Ministries launched in September of 2012 and encompassed the church plant as well as a counseling ministry. I began working at various other Christian organizations teaching and counseling. I gained much of my initial experience in counseling by working through two nonprofits: Life Changers and Arizona Baptist Children's Services and Family Ministries. I also taught on faculty in a teaching assistantship at the College of Theology at Grand Canyon University. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the church plant had to fold and merged into an existing church. The counseling practice survived and began to grow by leaps and bounds. It was at this time that my calling as a pastoral counselor became more clear. |
Pathfinder Fellowship at a service held at a local park.
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Gina Weeks and Carol Trevillion, our biblical counseling interns.
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Hope and a Renewed Vision
After the church plant ended, I realized that I couldn't imagine doing ministry apart from counseling, and I couldn't imagine doing counseling apart from spiritual and biblical integration. Pastoral counseling became a passion of mine. It has been an incredible privilege to walk with others through the most trying times of their lives and see them emerge victorious. With my first few years of counseling experience under my belt, I completed some additional coursework, and applied to be certified in pastoral counseling. I became a Board Certified Pastoral Counselor with the American Association of Christian Counselors in 2015. I renamed the practice Arizona Christian Counseling and it was formally incorporated as an LLC in 2016. We became an institutional member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors in 2017. |
About Our Logo
Our logo signifies what many in the Christian tradition have called "The Way of the Cross"—a life that embraces surrender and following Christ and His plan for our lives. Only in this can we find everlasting contentment, joy, and fulfillment. |
Flying in Formation
As the demand for our services increased, I began adding others to the practice. Jeanette Hovis joined as our Office Administrator and brings a much needed personal touch in assisting new and prospective clients. More recently, I realized that I was unable to bear all of the demand for counseling, and knew that we needed additional counselors to meet the needs of our clients. Al Yokubonis, who has a recovery story of his own, joined our team and provides counseling for individuals and families struggling with addiction. Margaret Franklin brings almost 40 years of pastoral experience to the practice and works with adults, teens, and couples. Abigail Atkins is a pastoral psychologist who specializes in working with children through play therapy. We are a team flying in formation. Nationwide and Beyond
The ministry of Arizona Christian Counseling has extended well beyond the Grand Canyon State. I joined the Board of the Pacific Region of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC) in 2017. My podcast, Ask a Christian Counselor, now reaches thousands of listeners every week around the world and has been broadcasting since the practice began. In 2018, we launched a nationwide Christian counseling directory, which connects users across the country with local Christian counselors in their area. This is only a piece of our story, and I'm excited to see what God has in store. Our goal is to see others grow spiritually and emotionally and they draw closer to God and those they love. We look forward to hearing your story as well. Blessings,
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