Nine months into the pandemic, and with no end in sight, the holidays approach — and with them come the shadows of uncertainty, fear, loneliness, and depression. During a normal year, the holidays are a cheerful, happy time for a lot of us. But for many, the holidays can be a difficult time as we remember loved ones no longer with us. The natural aura of nostalgia that surrounds this time of the year can also cause deep sadness. Compounding things this year is the addition of the pandemic and its resulting toll of death and fear of contamination and illness. It has become more challenging and even risky for families to meet to enjoy the holidays together, thus adding to the somber feeling around the upcoming holiday season.

The North American Division Family Ministries department has compiled a list of Seventh-day Adventist counselors who can help you during times like these. “It is our most often requested service,” says Pamela Consuegra, Ph.D., associate director of the department. “Several times a month someone will contact us asking if we know of an Adventist counselor located in their vicinity.”

The directory of counselors provides contact information for Adventist counselors in many areas. You may find that listing at https://www.nadfamily.org/resources/counselors/. There are locales, however, where you will not find an Adventist counselor listed who services the area near where you live. In that case, you may click on another button on our webpage and it will take you to a data base of Christian counseling to assure that you receive biblically-based counseling.

If you are in need of counseling, please visit the site. If you are a pastor or church member and know of someone in need of counseling, please share this information with them. If you are an Adventist counselor, and would like to be listed in our database, please contact us at family@nadadventist.org. You provide an important service that many desperately need.

Remember, seeking help, when needed, is a sign of strength, not weakness! May God’s richest blessings be with you and your family and, despite the circumstances that this year brings, may we all find reasons to be thankful, reasons to celebrate, and reasons to, once again, seek the Baby born in a manger.

— Claudio and Pamela Consuegra, North American Division Family Ministries