About 1313 Counseling
Who We Are
Hello! We are so glad you're here. We are Nate and Stacia. We have been married since August 2022. This is not the first marriage for either of us, however God couldn't have written our story more perfectly. It is because of this that we share a passion for walking with other couples who may be starting their lives the second time around.
If you are familiar with the Enneagram, we are both Type 2's (the Counselor). It should not come as a shock that we found ourselves in the career field we did; Nate as a pastor and Stacia as a therapist.
Nate was a pastor for 8 years before life threw him some major curveballs, and he decided to step away from pastoring. His love of people and his gifts of connection, generosity and thoughtfulness remained. Nate has a Masters in Theological Studies from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO.
Stacia is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 20 years experience within the field of mental health. She has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Friends University in Wichita, KS. While her practice in recent years has been heavily focused on trauma recovery, she is also trained in Level 1 Gottman Couples method and is passionate about this research-based approach to couples therapy. She is gifted in establishing a safe, supportive and empathic environment for folks to delve into the deep issues they want to address.
About a year and a half ago, Nate had the God-given opportunity to merge his former career as a pastor with a role in the business sector, when he became an Engagement Manager for a Northern Colorado homebuilder. In this role, he has had the opportunity to use his pastoral skills and gifts to care for the staff, engage with Christians and non-Christians around all matters of life, have very thoughtful and thought-provoking conversations on matters of faith, and the intersection of faith and today's society. Over and over, a theme emerged for us as we unpacked these conversations together and thought about how to move forward in a Christ-like manner.
Our wild hope is that by combining our skills as pastor and professional counselor, we are able to make a lasting impact on a family's legacy.
In our free time, we enjoy spending time with our kids, staying active by playing pickleball, football, baseball, taking family walks, and traveling. Separately, Nate enjoys watching sporting events of all kinds and having a cigar on the front porch. Stacia loves working out, reading, and her coffee habit.
Photo Credit: Britni Girard Photography
What does 1313 mean?
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV
Our faith in Christ is like the heartbeat of the human body. With it, we are able to continue moving through the world and navigate all of the challenges life can throw at us. Without it, we are lost...
We believe that God can move mountains, write amazing stories for our lives that we never thought possible, bring folks together in unpredictable and magical ways, heal wounded hearts and minds and sustain us through adversity. Through our faith, we maintain hope that God is continuously working for our good.
Our hope is the light that never goes out. While at times it may be a roaring fire, other times it may be just a glimmer. Our foundation of faith helps us to look for and recognize those glimmers of hope that tell us while things may not feel okay right now, they will be.
And love. We can have the first two, but without intentional and consistent practice of love, they won't matter. And that informs our philosophy that we want everyone we encounter in our practice to feel heard, validated and cared for; regardless of church affiliation or faith status. We want couples to have access to the benefits of pre-marital counseling to begin a legacy of living out love in their marriage for the rest of their lives.
Photo Credit: Britni Girard Photography
Our Approach
Our approach is rooted in empathy, compassion, and non-judgment, and a strong desire to share what we've learned about what makes marriages work from our combined professional skill set, as well as our own lived experiences. We strive to create a safe and supportive environment where couples feel comfortable exploring their thoughts and feelings with one another, and where they can develop the skills and tools they need to thrive in their marriage.
We use the SYMBIS assessment tool to assess various areas of your relationship, identifying strengths and challenges in your relationship, similarities and differences, and areas for continued growth. This provides a basis for engaging in valuable discussion around how you see your relationship vs how your partner sees it. Don't worry, we will be there, guiding you through it!
Through our time together you will:
*Deepen your connection to one another as well as your understanding of your partner's inner world
*Increase your awareness of the strengths in your relationship, as well as perpetual issues
*Build compassion for your differences
*Learn the tools and strategies to navigate, manage and repair conflict
Who We Serve
Couples currently church-affiliated however their church doesn't have a pre-marital counseling program.
Couples currently unaffiliated with a church and still desire to engage in pre-marital counseling.
Couples who desire to engage in pre-marital counseling and to whom it is important to have a relationship with the officiant at their wedding-yes Nate does this part, too!
Couples for whom it is not a first marriage for one or both partners.
Couples living separately or together.
Couples who desire pre-marital counseling but don't want to talk about the "faith-stuff"-we get it. We can modify our sessions with your needs in mind.