Iaomai Farms
Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction
A Central Texas sanctuary to pause, breathe, and encounter God. Offering professional spiritual direction, pastoral care, and space to rest and heal amidst the quiet rhythms of creation.
Welcome!
Welcome to Iaomai Farms! We (Aimee and Brian) are Pastoral Care Chaplains offering Christian-based pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. We are both ordained ministers with doctoral- and graduate-level theological education, professional chaplaincy training in hospital and military settings, experience with a variety of helping models, and more than 20 years of experience caring for people.
That speaks a little to our education and training. But what about who Aimee and Brian are? We are a married couple who met in seminary, have shared some crazy ups and downs in life, and experienced the joys and struggles of it all. Each person has their own stories, though there are points where ours intersect and relate to others. Our story includes many of the normal married and Army challenges: multiple deployments (combat and operational), long field exercises, foreign moves, PTSD and difficulty finding helpful help, occupational burnout, and significant injuries. We also have experienced child loss, ranging from Aimee nearly dying from an ectopic pregnancy, multiple miscarriages, and the unexpected death of our infant son. In these struggles and others, we have experienced the goodness of God. They have been hard, and our theological education and ministry roles did not exempt us from that. But as we pressed into God, each other, and meaningful relationships (friends, mentors, helping professionals, and others), we have found deep comfort and healing. It is from this place of training and competency on one hand, and lived experience on the other, that we get to come alongside and journey with others.
So, whether through pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, or another of the services we offer, we hope to partner with you in your journey with God and His continued healing and wholeness in your life.
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Are you in a situaton where you want help, want to believe God can be at work in your life, but you keep hitting a wall? Deeply rooted in Scripture and prayer, trained in a variety of therapeutic models, we integrate Christian theological realities and practice as we engage life challenges. Areas we support include pre-marital and marital counseling; anxiety, depression, and loneliness; grief and trauma; life, relationship, and career transitions; church hurt and broken trust with faith communities; feeling stagnant, stuck, or derailed in your Christian journey; and discerning God’s plan and leading in your life. If there’s a situation weighing heavily on you, we are happy to see how we may come alongside you in your journey.
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Have you been walking with God for some time, but feel like there’s something you’re missing? Maybe you have been faithfully serving but feel alone, burned out, and unseen. Spiritual direction is a relationship in which someone comes alongside and sits with you in your experience, not having all the answers, but listening to you and helping as you discern where God is in all this. This is a relationship of being seen and heard, and of abiding with God and one another.
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Pastor, so often you and your family are surrounded by people you love and care for, but have few people truly caring for you. We are happy to come alongside you, giving space for you to be human, wrestle with God and life, and be in a place to receive care rather than expected to care for all others. This support might be relationship counseling; compassion fatigue, burnout, depression, loneliness, or anxiety; grief support; continued spiritual and personal growth coaching; sabbatical planning and support; or other needs you might be unsure of where you can honestly, safely go for support.
What is pastoral counseling?
Pastoral counseling is different from professional counseling provided by a licensed counselor (LPC, LFMT, or LCSW). Most professional counselors are trained in a wide variety of helping theories or approaches, rooted in scientific study based on measurable outcomes. This can be very helpful but does not attend to the spiritual component of people.
Rather than leaning primarily on the psychological helping models (ie, cognitive behavior therapy, emotion-focused therapy, family systems, etc), we lean on the Holy Spirit, attending to His role and work in our lives. Pastoral counseling varies widely based on the pastor providing it: their personal and ministerial experiences, theological leanings, professional or formal training, approaches to discipleship, and other influences from their church background.
Here at Iaomai Farms, as Pastoral Care Chaplains we begin with the awareness of God being present with us. He has meaning, purpose, healing, and growth for every person. We have a holistic awareness of each person’s living and growing in the many aspects of their lives. We often think of these as the spiritual, emotional, relational, cognitive, physical, and vocational parts of us. Each part impacts the others, often without our realizing it. The spiritual component is often neglected or misunderstood. With a Christ-centered and holistic awareness, we integrate Biblical, theological realities with a person’s lived experiences—the joys, travails, and everything in between—to facilitate the hope and restoration God has for each person.
Two special emphases we share…
While we offer support to people of all walks of life, we have a special emphasis of caring for clergy and their family members. So many ministers throughout our society devote their lives to caring for others…but few are truly cared for. There are exceptions to the rule, but many ministers work longer hours, have lower wages and benefits, live daily with high and unreasonable societal expectations on them and their families, and many other stressors most people do not routinely experience. We have experienced this loneliness and hurt in some seasons. We also have also been blessed with fellow ministers’ kindness and compassion in other seasons of our own lives. We love coming alongside fellow workers in God’s kingdom and getting to be a small slice of God’s loving-kindness in their lives.
Having walked through traumatic loss, we also care deeply for those walking roads of grief and deep hurt. People seldom walk the exact same road as someone else, but we often have experiences that result in similar wounds and pain. While someone does not have to experience something to be of help to another person, there is a special connection and encouragement from someone who has walked a similar road. In our own journey, we have been uniquely comforted by others who have also lost children to unexpected deaths and miscarriages. We have wrestled with grief and encountered God in those dark places and especially have a heart for walking with others on that same hard road.
Standard Professional Rates
Pastoral Counseling (1-hour):
- Individuals or Couples - $120
- 4 sessions - $400
Spiritual Direction (1-hour)
- Individuals only - $70
- 4 sessions - $250
Clergy & Clergy Spouse Rate
- Pastoral Counseling: $40/session
- Spiritual Direction: $40/session
We are deeply committed to the health of ministers and their families. Iaomai Farms intentionally subsidizes care for ministers (pastors, missionaries, etc) and their spouses.
*If you have need and require further financial assistance for care, please reach out to us. We try to work with people, churches, and organizations to help resource support. Organizations may also purchase sessions for clergy, whether it is to invest in their own ministers or support others.
Free Consult
Have questions? Not sure if this is right for you? We can do a free consult (normally 15-20 minutes) to discuss what care options best fit your situation and needs.
Meeting Options
We primarily meet virtually. For those wishing to meet in person, we can meet at a public location of your choice in the greater Killeen-Temple-Georgetown area. For those who wish to enjoy the quiet of the country setting, we offer the option of meeting at our farm, where they can enjoy porch sitting, wooded trails, and the company of miniature cows and miniature goats—surrounded by God’s creation as we work with Him on navigating life’s challenges.
Book an Appointment
Scheduling is as easy as clicking the link below. Interested but not sure if what we offer is the right fit? Feel free to call or email us to discuss your questions, or schedule a free consult to discuss your situation and what to expect working with us.