Finding a counsellor who shares your faith shouldn't be this hard
Finding a counsellor who truly understands your faith can feel harder than it should be.
You may have tried regular therapy before and felt something was missing. Not because it was unhelpful, but because explaining your values before you could even talk about what brought you in felt exhausting. You wanted someone who already got it. Someone who wouldn't need you to justify your worldview before you could start sharing your story.
Maybe you've been carrying something for a long time. A grief that's hard to name. A relationship under pressure. A stretch of life that has left you wondering if you could ever feel like yourself again. And somewhere underneath all of it, your faith is part of the picture.
You deserve a space where that's true from the beginning. Not something to be managed around, but something that's genuinely welcome in the room.
What is Christian counselling?
Christian counselling brings together professional therapeutic support and the reality of faith. It is not prayer sessions or pastoral care. It is grounded, trained counselling where your beliefs can be part of the conversation if they are central to your story.
This approach is particularly meaningful for people who feel that their faith shapes how they understand struggle, relationships, and healing. You do not have to explain or defend your beliefs. They are treated as part of who you are.
Christian counselling at Acacia can support work around anxiety, grief, life transitions, relationship stress, and the kind of low-level weight that is hard to put a name to. Sessions are available in-person in Trenton or by telehealth across Ontario.
Faith-integrated counselling, led by your story
Marc Hoogstad earned his M.Div in Counselling from Tyndale Seminary in 2003. His foundation in faith is not an add-on. It is where his training began. He is also connected with the Shalem Institute, an organization that supports faith-integrated care for churches and their congregants across Ontario.
His approach is straightforward: the first session is for sharing your story. There are no intake forms to fill out before you walk in. No clinical frameworks imposed on what you bring. Marc describes his style as simply wanting to have a comfortable conversation. That simplicity is intentional. He believes the space to rest, reflect, and restore needs to feel like one.
Faith is welcomed when it matters to you. If it is central to how you understand your situation, it will be central to how you work through it together.
What to expect at your first session
Your first conversation
Building a direction together
Moving forward
What changes when your counsellor already understands
A counsellor who already understands your foundation: You will not need to spend your first few sessions explaining what your faith means to you. Marc's own background means your beliefs are part of the conversation from the start, not something to be navigated around.
A pace and approach that feels like you: Marc's style is warm and conversational, not clinical. Sessions feel more like a focused talk than a formal appointment. Many people describe it as finally having somewhere to set things down.
Support for the things that are hard to name: Whether it is grief, a relationship under strain, life feeling off-track, or a mix of all of these, you do not need a clear label to start. You just need a place to begin.
Available in-person and online: Sessions are available at the Trenton office or via telehealth for people in Quinte West, Belleville, Brighton, Frankford, and beyond.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Christian counselling at Acacia is faith-integrated, not faith-exclusive. If your own faith background is different but you are looking for a counsellor who approaches mental health and healing from a values-grounded perspective, you are welcome here.
Christian counselling is professional, trained therapy where faith can be incorporated into the work. It is not prayer sessions or spiritual direction. Marc is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with 20+ years of experience and formal training from Tyndale Seminary. It combines therapeutic skill with an openness to your spiritual life.
Yes. Online sessions are available via telehealth for anyone across Ontario. The same 50-minute format applies, and Marc has found virtual sessions to be just as effective for many people.
Yes. Marc works with couples and can bring a faith-integrated approach to that work as well. Couples sessions are 50 minutes and available in-person in Trenton or by telehealth. You can book directly online or reach out with any questions first.
