How can Christian faith, therapy, and honest conversations about grief help people face life's hardest seasons? In this episode of Mission SONlight CHATT, Elise Helzer shares her journey as a marriage and family therapist, doctoral student, caregiver, and ministry leader.

Elise talks about growing up Adventist in rural Iowa, making her faith personal, and seeing the need for better mental health support in rural communities. She also explains how her husband's early-onset dementia changed her understanding of grief, lament, caregiving, and hope.

The conversation covers mental health in the church, spiritual bypassing, grief and loss, Christian counseling, telehealth, and the importance of listening to people's stories. Elise also introduces brainspotting, a trauma treatment approach related to EMDR, and explains how it may help some p ...