From the Other Side of the Couch : A Biblical Counselor's Guide to Relational Living

From the time Adam & Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, humankind has lived out of a rule-oriented, standardized framework. This strategy is great for getting tasks done, but significantly impacts the ability to do relationships well. Self-protection, anxiety and depression, bitterness, and resentment indicate a fear-based life. Learning how to love God, ourselves, and others requires a transformative process. Living a Relational lifestyle brings the happiness, contentment, and joy every human craves. Therapists use outcome-based models to form a diagnosis and apply an applicable treatment plan. The clinical models start with identifying specific symptoms, then show the process of moving from the problem to the solution. The treatment plan lists specific behaviors and suggestions to be given to the client and measurable goals to determine whether treatment is successful. I don’t look at life through that lens. Rather than viewing people as problems to be solved, I guide clients through a godly transformational process. The journey will be unique to each person, but the process is the same. Success is measured very differently than in traditional Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Growth in maturity and character comes from experiencing increased freedom and permission to live out who God created us to be—our personhood. My Roadmap to Freedom shows how to walk through the valley of woundedness, liberate your feelings from captivity, wrestle inaccurate beliefs into submission, plant your flag on the mountain of truth, and learn how to live in godly freedom. Every person who picks up this book is looking for hope. Hope that change is possible this time. What I can tell you is that I absolutely, positively, completely believe in God’s heart for you and your healing—because I know His heart for me. I welcome you into my counseling office where I share the insights God has given to me on both sides of the couch.

Judy Lair has always taken the scenic route through life. Born in Boise, Idaho, her family moved to Alberta, Canada for mom's job, eventually relocating to Pennsylvania for dad's job where she graduated from Hershey High School. Her life journey has taken her through many denominations. She's currently a member and home group leader at Discovery Church in Gahanna, Ohio.

Personal, professional, and spiritual circumstances all crashed down in 1998 and Judy began working with a Christian counselor. 1 John 4:18 teaches perfect love drives out fear. As Judy learned how to love the person God made her to be, she found freedom to love God and others well and fear receded. A year into her journey, God began calling Judy to become a counselor and lead others through the same process. She politely declined, enumerating all her inadequacies, telling God he certainly must have made a mistake! Judy took a risk and applied to Ashland Theological Seminary where despite not having a bachelor's degree, she was accepted into the Master's program.

Graduating in 2002, Judy began her own practice called Counselorplace Christian Counseling located in Worthington, Ohio. Through story, Judy uses her professional counseling expertise to give people hope for God's healing and direction for transformation. Her vulnerable, godly approach helps people find courage to move from Fear to Freedom. 

"Judy Lair is a dynamic speaker with a message that will impact every listener. Her honesty and vulnerability really reached the hearts of the AIA leadership when she spoke to them. She shared how to tangibly allow God to intersect with our hurt, pain, and fear so that we could find real freedom in Christ. I would highly recommend Judy as a godly, passionate speaker with timely wisdom for people of all ages." Sarah S., Athletes in Action, The Ohio State University Women's Ministry