"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

-T. S. Eliot

"Without knowledge of self, there is no knowledge of God. Our wisdom, insofar as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other."

-John Calvin

View of Personhood:

A person is an "embodied soul" made in the "image of God" with complex, intertwined spiritual, biological, psychological and sociocultural facets. Polis aims to provide embodied soul care through loving attention to the whole person.

Counseling Process:

A collaborative, explorative journey in “self-awareness, story and relationships” in Christ (DeGroat).

DeGroat, C. (2015). Wholeheartedness. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.

 

Dynamics of Approach:

  • Trinitarian

  • coram Deo

  • Augustinian theological anthropology

  • distinctively reformed Christian worldview (creation, fall, redemption, restoration)

  • collaborative role with local church

  • psychology of worship

  • theology of desire (rightly ordered love)

  • collaborative and evocative, relational approach

  • complex, multi-faceted view of person as embodied soul made in God's image

  • theo-dramatic emphasis on story

  • identity formation

  • nuanced distinction between sin & suffering

  • sin as pervasive and progressive (corruption, perversion, pollution, disintegration)

  • transformative change motivated by the beauty, truth and goodness of God's love

  • progressive sanctification (repentance, faith, obedience)

  • model of empowerment, resilience and sustainability

  • solution-focused (aim/telos)

  • clinically-informed

  • trauma-informed care

  • evidence-based, recovery-oriented systems of care

  • culturally competent and contextualized

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea..." -Antoine de Saint Exupery"And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the …

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea..."
-Antoine de Saint Exupery

"And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all."

1 Thessalonians 5:14

West Seattle office & Polis' mailing address:

Polis Recovery Project

7551 35th Avenue SW
Seattle, WA 98126

  • based out of Trinity West Seattle Church

  • free parking on Ida Street

  • enter on the Ida St. side of the building through the family entrance through the far right door

Donate to polis recovery project

Polis is a 501c3 nonprofit organization financially supported through the charitable giving of individuals, families and churches, who believe in the vitality, wisdom and Kingdom impact of Christian counseling. As a nonprofit organization, we strive to make resources available to all people, so that finances are not a barrier in seeking help. In order to sustain the viability of the ministry, the suggested rate of donation per session is $125. Some give more or less, and others are supported by their family and/or local church. Polis gives away 5% of all donations to support mercy ministries.