Couples and faith
Marriage counseling with your faith in the room
True North Vitality offers Christ-centered marriage counseling at offices in Greensburg, Irwin and Ligonier in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Licensed Professional Counselors help couples with communication, conflict and trust, and help couples put Christ at the center of their marriage through prayer and Scripture. Couples at different places in their faith are welcome too.
- 3 Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselors
- Greensburg · Irwin · Ligonier
- Online across Pennsylvania
- Christ-centered counseling
This may help if
- You both want your Christian faith to be part of how you work on your marriage.
- You share a faith but disagree about how it should shape your home.
- One of you is a believer and the other is not, or no longer is.
- You want a counselor who will not dismiss your beliefs or push them.
- You have talked with a pastor and want added help from a licensed counselor.
What is Christian marriage counseling here?
It is marriage counseling from Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselors, with Christian faith included when both partners want it. The counseling itself covers the same ground as any couples work: how you talk, how you fight, how you repair, and how you rebuild trust when it has been broken.
What changes is that your beliefs can be part of the conversation. For some couples that means talking about what their faith teaches on forgiveness, commitment or roles in marriage. For others it means opening or closing a session with prayer. You hire a counselor first, not a spiritual leader, and you decide how much faith is part of the work.
When are prayer and Scripture used?
Only when both partners want them. The counselor asks at the start how each of you would like faith handled, and follows your lead rather than bringing in their own views. If one partner wants prayer in sessions and the other does not, it is left out of joint sessions, and the difference itself can become something you talk about.
Many Christian couples find comfort in the picture of marriage as more than two people alone: "A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12). That picture is offered as encouragement, never as pressure.
What if we differ in faith?
Many couples do. One partner may have grown up in church and the other not, one may have stepped away, or you may belong to different traditions. Counseling gives each of you room to explain what your beliefs, or lack of them, mean to you without being judged or argued with.
From there the work is practical: how you will make decisions together, how you will handle holidays, church, giving and raising children, and how to respect each other when you disagree. No one is asked to change their beliefs to take part. Dave, the founder, is a Christian who has worked with clients of many faiths and with clients of no faith, and the same respect applies to every couple who comes in.
Who provides it, and where?
Dave Kemerer, MA, LPC, founder of the practice, sees couples at the Greensburg and Ligonier offices and online. Couples, marriage and family work is his specialty. Nicoletta Whiteman, MA, LPC, holds a dual master's in Professional Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy and sees clients at the Irwin office and online. Read about Dave or Nicoletta, or see each office location.
Online sessions are by secure video through SimplePractice for clients who are located in Pennsylvania at the time of each session. Couples who would like each partner to have their own counselor can ask about Dynamic Couples Therapy.
How do we get started?
- A free 20-minute consultationCall, email or use the contact form. Tell us what is going on and how you would like faith handled.
- PaperworkEach partner completes the intake paperwork before the first session.
- First sessionsThe counselor hears from both of you, asks about faith and goals, and sets a plan with you, usually by the second session.
- Ongoing sessions55 minutes. Weekly sessions are encouraged for the first month when possible.
What else should we know before we start?
Insurance: many plans do not cover couples counseling unless a diagnosis applies to one partner, so ask us. Some of our counselors work with insurance and others are self-pay. See insurance and payment.
Safety: couples sessions are not the right fit when there is abuse or when one partner is afraid of the other. Faith should never be used to keep someone in danger. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. True North Vitality is not an emergency service. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or call 911.
Common questions
Do we have to be Christians to come?
No. Most couples who come share a Christian faith, but some are at different places, and one partner may be more sure than the other. That is welcome here. Your counselor will talk with you both about how faith will be part of the work.
Will the counselor tell us what the Bible says we should do?
No. The counselor's role is to help you understand each other and make your own decisions, not to rule on who is right. If you both want to talk about what your faith teaches on a subject, the counselor can help you explore it together and see how it fits your marriage.
Can our pastor be involved?
Some couples like their pastor and counselor to know about each other. Nothing about your counseling is shared with anyone, including a pastor, without your written permission. If you would like that kind of contact, ask about it during the first session and the counselor will explain how it works.
Is Christian counseling different from Christian marriage counseling?
Christian marriage counseling focuses on the couple. Christian counseling for individuals covers concerns such as anxiety, grief or spiritual questions for one person. Both are offered by licensed counselors in a Christ-centered practice. Tell us on the consultation call which you are looking for.
References
Published by True North Vitality, a counseling practice of Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselors in Westmoreland County. Last updated November 2, 2026. This page is general information, not medical or mental health advice, a diagnosis or a substitute for care.
You might also be looking for
- Couples and marriage counselingHelp with communication, conflict and trust for couples, in Greensburg, Irwin, Ligonier and online.Learn more
- Premarital counselingTalk through money, family, conflict and expectations before the wedding, with faith if you want it.Learn more
- Christian counselingChrist-centered counseling with prayer, Scripture and the truth of God’s Word woven into the work.Learn more
- Affair recoveryCounseling for couples after an affair or betrayal, to understand what happened and decide what comes next.Learn more
Ready to take the first step?
Call, email or send a short message to book a free 20-minute consultation. We’ll help you choose a counselor and an office in Greensburg, Irwin or Ligonier, or meet online anywhere in Pennsylvania.