Karen J. Lenell, MA, MFT

I have been with Family Consultation Service since 1986. In counseling, I enjoy working with women, individuals, and couples' issues. My premise is that the crux of communication is a balance of total honesty and total kindness. Most of us tend to communicate with either brutal honesty or such kindness that our needs are not made clear.

I think that as Christians we struggle with boundary setting. Is it ever OK to say "no"? I work with clients in clarifying the answer to that question. I assist individuals in defining and developing their character based on God's desire for them and their personal goals rather than on others' expectations.

In order to facilitate the Lord's work in our lives, we have a responsibility to be proactive in our relationship with God. To me, that means discovering the lies we believe about ourselves and others, and understanding how these false beliefs affect our behavior. Putting on the armor of the Lord and dispelling Satan's lies requires our conscious, continuous and vigilant efforts.

I consider it to be an honor to be invited into a person's heart and to be trusted with the pain, fears and joys that are revealed there.

Speaking, Groups and Experience
Parenting classes to inmates at the Metropolitan Correctional Center Federal Prison, San Diego since 1995
Parenting classes to refugees from Kurdistan, Iran, and East Africa
Leading a women's Sunday school class at College Avenue Baptist Church since 1993
Previously volunteered at Children's Hospital, San Diego

Education
MA in Counseling Psychology, National University
Internship at College Avenue Counseling Center, a ministry of College Avenue Baptist Church

License and Membership
Licensed in the state of California as a Marriage and Family Therapist. License #M24515
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)

Contact:
619-280-3430 x123