“…And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
The ultimate goal of all counsel should be to point others to the Counselor, Jesus Christ. Though He may work through a friend, pastor, trained lay counselor, or full-time professional, we are convinced that Jesus Christ is ultimately the true Redeemer and Healer of people. While most in our congregation freely engage in exchanging advice and counsel on a broad spectrum of life’s issues, the counselors listed on this page frequently serve as a direct extension of our pastoral care.
Counseling Options at RBC
John Lauber | Heart Song Counseling
To provide ongoing biblical counseling services to our church body, RBC partners with Heart Song Counseling. Their mission is to assist churches by providing theologically sound counseling to those in need of emotional, spiritual and relational health. Heart Song seeks to bring the redemptive truths of Scripture to light in the hearts of people by providing churches with well-trained seminary graduates who practice a relational style of biblical counseling.
Cheryl Ryan | Women’s Counseling
Cheryl is a longtime staff member at RBC who specializes in relational biblical counseling. Her heart to counsel and care for women of all ages and lead them to the grace and truth of Scripture has given her a counseling ministry spanning over a decade.
Barbara Giuliano | Lay Counseling
Barbara Giuliano is a co-founder of the Lay Counseling Institute (LCI). LCI is a non-profit organization that assists the local church in establishing and growing an effective ministry of biblical lay counseling by identifying and training gifted believers who are grounded in their knowledge of the Bible and committed to biblical counseling. Our lay counselors are trained by Dr. Bill Clark, a licensed Christian psychologist.
Before scheduling an appointment with John, Cheryl or Barbara, please read the following Questions & Answers.
Q: If I choose to meet with an RBC counselor or lay counselor, where will the counseling be held?
A: Counseling is generally conducted at the main RBC building or via online video sessions.
Q: How do I set an appointment to speak with a counselor?
A: To connect with any counselor listed here, please email them. If you’d like to go ahead and schedule a meeting with John/Heart Song, please click on his scheduling link below. Then either click one of the “Zoom Meeting” sessions or scroll down the page until you see “Reston Bible Church – 90 Minute Session” and click there. Then click on one of the bold calendar dates, and the rest should be self-explanatory.
Q: Should I reach out only to those listed on this page for counseling?
A: While these individuals represent our formal counseling ministries, you are free to reach out to any pastor, elder, staff or other person you choose.
Q: Do you offer pre-marital counseling? Who should we contact?
A: While you are free to speak to any pastor about pre-marital counseling, a great starting point is Casey Gragg, our Director of Family Life.
Q: Is counseling at RBC free?
A: Though their initial session is free, ongoing counseling with both John Lauber and Cheryl Ryan is fee-based. This is intended to encourage serious participation in possible “homework” or assignments, and to maintain a scholarship fund for those who cannot afford to contribute to their counseling. Contact John Lauber or Cheryl Ryan when you are considering meeting with them and they will explain the details. There is no fee associated with seeing RBC staff, pastors or Lay Counseling Ministry counselors.
Q: What if I wish to meet with John or Cheryl but do not have any money to contribute to the fee?
A: The generosity of the RBC congregation allows us to offer scholarships for counseling on an as-needed basis, for RBC congregants only, including offering the first session for free. However, your ability to pay as much of your counseling fee as possible will allow us to help someone in the future by keeping the counseling scholarship fund full. John and Cheryl will discuss this with you when you contact them.
Q: I’m interested in counseling, but I have other questions or don’t really know where to start. Whom can I speak to?
A: If you have further questions about counseling at RBC, please contact Cheryl Ryan at cherylryan@restonbible.org.