Guides for parents and families.
These guides answer the questions parents tend to carry around for weeks before they call anyone. Is this normal, or is it something more? Will therapy help if my teen won't go? What does my child's therapist actually tell me? What's the difference between coaching and counseling? Each guide is written to be useful on its own, whether or not you ever book a session.
Some guides are practical: how to tell when a child needs help, what to do when a teen refuses therapy, how to set house rules around screens. Others explain the approaches behind the work at Shepherd's Heart, like cognitive behavioral therapy, family systems thinking, attachment, and behavioral parent training, so you know what you would be walking into.
The guides come from the practice of John C. Murphy, MA, LCMHC, a licensed clinical mental health counselor in North Carolina. They are general education, not therapy and not a diagnosis. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911.
Practical guides for hard moments at home.
The approaches behind the work.
Using these guides.
Read the guide that matches the question in front of you, then follow its links to the services and specialties it mentions. If a guide describes your household a little too well, that's a good reason to talk it through with someone. No guide can account for the details of your family, which is what the free 15-minute consultation and the intake session are for.
If you'd rather start from the problem you're living with, the specialties page is organized that way, and who we help is organized by who you are. To see what happens after you reach out, read what to expect or the FAQ.