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Ron Gravis, M.A., Resident in Counseling

Relationship charges healing. I often take strength and comfort in this truth...and have placed it at the center of my approach to counseling. We need each other...to open up to our potential - and more importantly, we need God to hone our sense of connectedness. It is a piece of meaning He supplies us with. Not surprisingly, I see each meeting as an opportunity to stretch and grow. Checking in together as a team, creating trust through the therapeutic alliance lays the groundwork for new understandings...and healthy hearts and minds. Using that amazing "engine" places us on a shared path. The twists, turns, valleys and mountain tops along the way stand as markers of insight and progress. I look forward to each journey!

That "walk" has included a number of important learning stops: including an MA from Liberty University's Professional Counseling program. The work has broadened and deepened my understanding of others and self. An earlier part of that process included a B.A. in psychology at George Washington University. I see the gained knowledge as a dynamic tool and blessing.

My clinical background includes internships in a Front Royal/Reston, VA psychologist’s office and at Loudoun County's VA Community Service Board/Outpatient Mental Health Center. In those positions, I have provided therapy to a wide range of clients. The work in each of these practices has been a labor of love. Early on, I also interned at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, John Howard Pavilion in Washington, D.C. For nearly two years (1978-79), I worked on a ward for men judged incompetent to stand trial. The experience humbled me. And it provided an early gauge of human infirmity...and growth.

I have a wonderful family: my wife Jane founded Into Abba’s Arms, a Christ-centered orphanage in Kenangop, Kenya; daughter Lisa is an amazing mom to my three grandsons (Daniel, Bryan and Alex); sons Josh and Chris work/learn as a legal administrator and accounting student respectively. We “pull together” and share God’s love.

I am blessed to know my clients - and I see each hour spent together as a piece of our Creator's work. Including Him in our sessions is always an honor - and a "bottom line" reservoir of strength and wisdom which guides us closer to His will -and our purpose. As part of this process, I see my work with you as an instrument of the Great Physician's plan. The resulting growth and healing we experience no doubt puts a broad smile on His face!