By living out Isaiah 61:1-3 — proclaiming good news to the poor, binding up the broken hearted, proclaiming freedom for the captives, releasing prisoners from darkness, and comforting all who mourn — counselors are able to provide hope and healing to victims of trauma.

That’s according to Dr. Laurel Shaler, chair of the online department of the School of Behavioral Sciences at Liberty University. A nationally certified counselor and licensed social worker, Dr. Shaler believes faith and emotional well-being are connected on a deep and undeniable level.

“It’s possible to ethically integrate faith and counseling, and that’s something we have to remember — especially in professional programs,” she said. “We want to ensure that we are not only abiding by our code of ethics and using evidence-based treatment, but that we also can integrate our faith in an ethical manner. Our job isn’t to proselytize, but with whatever we do, we are witnesses.”

“We want to make sure our clients are okay with the integration of Scripture and the integration of prayer, and there are many different ways that we can implement our faith and the faith of the client into counseling or therapy sessions,” she added.

A seasoned professional, Dr. Shaler has extensively researched topics related to the military/veteran population; trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder; and issues related to adoption and infertility. She views her career as a ministry and opportunity help others work through challenging experiences.

“If we’re going to treat whole people, we have to treat them holistically,” she said. “That includes conducting a spiritual assessment and finding out what their belief system is. There may be times when you have somebody say, ‘I don’t want to talk about faith,’ and you simply say, ‘okay’ and move on. But beforehand, you pray so that the Holy Spirit will guide you in what to say and do, because your faith will still be integrated even if you never explicitly say a word about Jesus.”

Dr. Shaler’s passion for serving others stems from personal experience. At the age of 18, she experienced a life- changing event when it was discovered that she had a 14 pound ovarian cyst. Doctors told her that it needed to be removed before it ruptured and killed her — an experience she described as “jarring.”

“Thankfully, I didn’t develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but it did remind me that my hope is in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and I wanted others to know about the hope found in Him,” she said.

According to the National Center for PTSD, about 7 or 8 out of every 100 people (or 7-8% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives, and about 8 million adults have PTSD during a given year. Through her work, Dr. Shaler seeks to develop comprehensive, evidence-based ways to help the many victims of trauma.

“So many people are walking around wounded as the result of traumatic experiences,” she said. “It’s not just combat veterans — I don’t think I’ve ever met a female veteran that hasn’t had some kind of sexual trauma at some point. Maybe you don’t have full blown PTSD, but you find that you're easily irritable or maybe you find you have trouble sleeping or difficult relationships.”

Her faith, she said, allows her to have greater compassion towards those suffering from trauma.

“It’s not so say that people who don’t have faith can’t be compassionate, but my compassion comes from a different place,” she said. “It truly comes from having the Holy Spirit in me. The Holy Spirit is our counselor, and He comforts us so we can comfort others. That’s a big part of it for me —, I’ve been comforted by the Holy Spirit and so now I am able to comfort others.”

Dr. Shaler, who authored “Reclaiming Sanity: Hope and Healing for Trauma, Stress, and Overwhelming Life Events,” teaches her students at Liberty University to help others conquer their personal challenges, grow in all areas of life, and become healthy and productive members of society. Through hands-on experience and Bible-based courses, her students are prepared for a fulfilling career as licensed professional counselors.

“Whether somebody has been adopted and experienced something traumatic or been away from their family and friends serving in the military, they’re looking to cling to someone and to know that they’re loved and cared about,” she said “That person is Jesus, and that’s truly at the heart of what I want to share.”

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