Jennifer Kooshian, Rockwall Christian Counseling

About Jennifer Kooshian

Jennifer Kooshian lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with her husband of 32 years on a small homestead near Lake Superior. They have five adult children and one grandson. She also has an ever-changing number of chickens, a mellow old cat, and an aspiring farm dog.The passions that God has pressed on her heart are hospitality, giving college students a home away from home, and helping people learn to grow and preserve their own food.Jennifer spends her spring and summer months growing vegetable plants and flowers to sell to her community and for her own gardens. Her fall and winter months are spent having local college students over for dinner and board games, participating in her church’s college ministry, crocheting, and dreaming of her summer gardens. She also loves living where 15 feet of snow is a light winter.She documents her homestead adventures on Instagram and Facebook as Cooper Island Homestead and runs an Etsy shop under the same name.

On the Road to Getting Married: Premarital Counseling in Rockwall, Texas

On the Road to Getting Married: Premarital Counseling in Rockwall, Texas

Jennifer Kooshian2025-03-26T12:32:08+00:00March 17th, 2025|Couples Counseling, Featured, Marriage Counseling, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues|

There are many stops along the way to your wedding day. Finding the person you want to be with is a crucial step, and once you’ve gone through the awkward (or amazing!) first date, shared beautiful moments, shared even more amazing moments, and built trust and a meaningful connection, you may be getting the idea that this person is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. At this point, you may be ready for premarital counseling in Rockwall, Texas. Whenever it is that you decide that you want to be serious with someone and perhaps take your relationship toward marriage, premarital counseling in Rockwall, Texas is a good stop to make along the way. It’s an important building block with a lot of value for your relationship. What’s the deal with premarital counseling? Premarital counseling at Texas Christian Counseling in Rockwall is a form of talk therapy that’s geared at couples who are, in one way or another, thinking about marriage. Couples might go for this kind of counseling before they take the step to get engaged, but other couples get engaged first and then it. The goal of this type of counseling is to help couples talk through issues and questions in a way that will adequately prepare them for marriage. When you go for premarital counseling at Texas Christian Counseling in Rockwall, it’s not simply another task on a presumably long to-do list relating to the wedding and life beyond that amazing day. Premarital counseling is important because it creates intentional space to address things that the couple may not have considered; things that have a direct impact on how their married life will progress. Your premarital counselor in Rockwall, Texas may ask you a variety of questions, including what your understanding [...]

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Chronic Alcohol Use: Finding Freedom from Alcohol Dependence

Chronic Alcohol Use: Finding Freedom from Alcohol Dependence

Jennifer Kooshian2025-03-06T07:17:47+00:00March 6th, 2025|Chemical Dependency, Featured, Group Counseling, Individual Counseling, Men’s Issues, Women’s Issues|

If you struggle with chronic alcohol use, help is available at Texas Christian Counseling in Rockwall, Texas. You can experience freedom and hope. One set of the sayings in the biblical book of Proverbs reads thus: Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?” – Proverbs 23:29-35, NIV While wine may look good to begin with, your use of it may lead to damaging results such as woe, sorrow, strife, complaints, and needless bruises, to name a few. The Bible has a nuanced understanding of how to address the question of alcohol. As with other areas of our lives, one of the things we’re required to do is exercise wisdom in how we handle things like alcohol. One reason for this is that even if it’s good, it’s easy to fall under the influence or mastery of something, and for you to no longer be in control (1 Corinthians 6:12). Alcohol can be a cruel master, affecting your health and every area of your life. What is chronic alcohol use? There’s a difference between taking a little wine, for whatever purpose (1 Timothy [...]

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Dating Advice for Men: 5 Tips for Long-Distance Relationships

Dating Advice for Men: 5 Tips for Long-Distance Relationships

Jennifer Kooshian2025-02-04T06:00:41+00:00February 4th, 2025|Featured, Men’s Issues, Relationship Issues|

Being in a relationship with someone brings a unique blend of blessings and challenges. These will vary depending on who you’re in the relationship with, the nature of your relationship, and the circumstances you’re in at the moment. At its core, however, relationships (whether short or long-distance relationships) are about two people with a bond who have committed themselves to each other, to love and support each other as well as work through challenges they may face.A long-distance relationship isn’t radically different from other relationships but being apart from the person you care about does bring certain challenges. Likewise, though, it also offers opportunities that may strengthen the relationship. A long-distance relationship has every chance of being as rich and fulfilling as any other kind of relationship, but it’s wise to know what you’re getting yourself into.Long-Distance Relationships and YouPeople come into a long-distance relationship in different ways. Some couples are in an in-person relationship for a while before circumstances shift, and one or both parties change locations while deciding to stay together. It could be a change for college, work, to take care of family, or for other reasons. The change could be for a short or long season, or the relationship may be periodically long-distance, like service members who deploy to duty.Other relationships start their life as a long-distance relationship. Sometimes this carries the anxiety of what it will be like to meet and interact in person, or if it’s an elaborate online scam after all. However your relationship began, there are some things to consider, including ways to make a long-distance relationship work.Making Long-Distance Relationships WorkLong-distance relationships will have their blessings, quirks, and challenges. Some things to consider as you go into such a relationship include:Do you do well with distance?Likely the most obvious thing to consider [...]

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Burdened and Burned Out: Real Time Strategies For Stress Management

Burdened and Burned Out: Real Time Strategies For Stress Management

Jennifer Kooshian2024-10-23T12:39:31+00:00August 29th, 2024|Anger Issues, Depression, Featured|

People often use the phrase, “God won’t put more on you than you can bear.” It isn’t a scripture, but it’s often quoted to console ourselves when inundated with life’s stressors. Sometimes, it isn’t God so much as it is us. We are the ones who heap more onto our plates than we can manage. We bite off more than we can chew and become overwhelmed by the mounting pressures faced in our most meaningful roles and significant responsibilities. Our attempts to keep up with the demands of other people, and commitments between family, work, and other areas can launch us into an anxious frenzy. Whether it is trying to meet everyone’s needs with an individually sized portion of strength, energy, and time, we can find ourselves worried and stressed. It is likely more taxing for us to compete with our own notions of what we think will satisfy the people in our lives than what they may actually want and truly need. It is the on-ramp to burnout. When we find our minds accelerating with our lives and heartbeats, it may be time to pump the brakes and pull over to rest and regroup. Stress has often been referred to as a silent killer. It stealthily slips in when good intentions and high expectations meet. We commit to a set of standards that outpace what we can reasonably manage with the time and other resources at our disposal. Sometimes, it emerges from others, but often we add or adopt them as our own responsibility. Overcommitted and overextended, our schedules burst with a calendar full of agreements that seem difficult to rescind. Stress and Shame If we have had a history of high performance or closeted perfectionism, canceling our commitment to our ideals and expectations can make us [...]

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Group Counseling or Individual Counseling? Pros and Cons

Group Counseling or Individual Counseling? Pros and Cons

Jennifer Kooshian2024-09-27T10:49:04+00:00May 20th, 2024|Featured, Group Counseling, Individual Counseling|

When going through a rough patch, you need a support network to help you process and manage the thoughts and emotions that come with it. Going through hardship alone can increase the sense of isolation, and it can deprive you of the wisdom and perspective that comes from garnering insight from others, including those who’ve had similar experiences. In such cases group counseling may be of help. Group counseling is one of the avenues you can take to get the support you need as you work through things. This article will describe group counseling alongside individual counseling, to help you decide which will work best for you. Group counseling unpacked Group counseling is a form of talk therapy in which a group of between five and fifteen individuals gather at least once a week for about an hour to work through a topic or issue that all the group members are dealing with. Some of those issues and concerns will be detailed below. The group is guided by 1-2 counselors who have training in handling group therapy, and the counselor(s) works to make the group a safe space for every member. In group counseling, every member is given an opportunity to contribute to the discussion. As each member has had some experience with the issue, they can share their insights and questions with the other group members. It is thus quite interactive, and part of the counselor’s role is to ensure that the group feels safe enough for every member to contribute and that no one member dominates the conversation. Depending on how it’s been set up, you will likely encounter two kinds of groups. Some groups are closed, and that means until the group runs its course, no new members will join the group. This helps create a [...]

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How Codependency Affects Children

How Codependency Affects Children

Jennifer Kooshian2024-09-27T10:48:55+00:00November 16th, 2023|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Codependency, Family Counseling, Featured|

Within the family, codependency can have a significant impact on children. From their emotional well-being and development to current and future relationships, codependency has a deep impact on how children grow to view themselves and others. Codependent behavior can feel complex, which is why it is helpful to understand how codependency can influence children. Codependency can be a learned behavior. One of the most significant modes of learning for children is copying what they see. As a child observes their parents, they learn about how to behave and interact with others. When a parent models codependent behavior, children learn unhealthy behaviors by observing the parent. Witnessing codependent behaviors can lead children to internalize these patterns. The patterns they learn can end up affecting future relationships as children carry them into their teen years and adulthood. The emotional impact of codependency. Every child experiences different emotions based on their unique tendencies, how they are raised, and the circumstances in which they live. When a child grows up in a codependent household they can sometimes feel responsible for the well-being of their parent or another family member. This can lead to experiencing an array of emotions, including confusion, anxiety, guilt, shame, and resentment. Loss of individuality from codependency. As a child grows up in a codependent home, they learn to prioritize the needs of others over their own. This shifts the focus from developing a sense of self as they are always concerned about the other person. As the child grows they may find it difficult to form their own identity. Codependency leads to a lack of boundaries. The lines between personal boundaries are often blurred in codependent relationships. The lack of personal boundaries being modeled for the child can make it difficult to understand how to implement them later in [...]

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Bible Verses About Trusting God

Bible Verses About Trusting God

Jennifer Kooshian2024-10-23T12:39:39+00:00April 29th, 2023|Featured, Individual Counseling, Spiritual Development|

A huge part of what it means to be a grown-up is to know how to stand on your own two feet. As you mature you ought to be able to know how to pay your bills, earn an income, build healthy relationships, and learn how to effectively handle conflicts in relationships, trusting God to mature you as you grow in sanctification. A deepening executive function, meaning the ability to make plans and then take steps to execute those plans to achieve your goals, ought to come with growing up. While it’s important to avoid codependence, healthy independence does not mean that you don’t or cannot rely on others in life. It’s impossible to go through life without some measure of dependence on others. Our lives are so interwoven with others’ lives that we cannot live an isolated existence, and it’s not healthy to do so. Healthy independence allows you to make your own decisions, but to seek wisdom from others because you understand your limits. This matters all the more when it comes to God and how we live our lives. We cannot flourish without trusting others. Being in loving relationships with others means entrusting ourselves to them. You can’t cultivate intimacy without being vulnerable, and you can’t be vulnerable without trusting the other person with yourself. Our relationships and lives cannot thrive without trust, but the key is whom you trust. Some people break our trust, and that can make us bitter and unwilling to trust again. The one who deserves our wholehearted trust is God. God is trustworthy, but it doesn’t come easy for many people to trust Him. Disappointment and hurt can lead a person to distrust God. It is important to remember that no matter how we feel, God always keeps His word. God [...]

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Jennifer Kooshian

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