Chasing My Creator

founded by

Shelley Beam M.A., Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Grief Counselor

About Chasing My Creator / About Shelley imageAbout Chasing My Creator / About Shelley imageAbout Chasing My Creator / About Shelley image
Welcome to ChasingMyCreator.com! This site is passionate about the topics of God and mental health and about blending those two topics together to provide you with tools to help you experience emotional freedom in every area of your life.

John 10:10 tells us that the thief (the enemy) comes to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus tells us that He has come so that we may have life and have it abundantly.

Abundant living is not about gaining material wealth or increasing your social status; it is about accessing what Jesus made available to us through the cross. Not only did Jesus make a way for us to have eternal fellowship with God the Father, but He also has given us the ability to have a relationship with God for the remainder of our days here on Earth.

Abundant living is about pursuing God on a daily basis to the point where His character continually flows in and through us. Galatians 5:22-23 states:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (NIV). Just as we would not offer something to our children that we could not provide, neither would God.

Our hearts were made for more than just existing. We were made for more than living our entire life being defeated by shame, guilt, anger, fear, anxiety and the many other emotions that rob us from experiencing all that God has in store for us.

Our ability to emotionally thrive is less about our external circumstances and more about our internal state. When you make Jesus Lord of your life, it is possible to have peace during times of uncertainty and joy amidst our sufferings.

ChasingMyCreator.com is dedicated to seeking God in every circumstance, from the pit of despair to the joyous mountain top and every step along the way. The content on this site addresses common areas of daily struggle and areas we often need daily reminders about. It is a great place to gain practical tools to help you flourish in your daily walk.

I pray that the material blesses you.

With much love,
Shelley Beam

(Photo Credit: Matt Botsford)

 


ABOUT SHELLEY

I was in my eighth-year teaching elementary school when my world was unexpectedly sent into a tailspin by the death of my then, only child. In a matter of four months, I lost my marriage, daughter, career, and house. By the world's standards, I had nothing left. But God did not leave me in that hurting space indefinitely.

Amid my grief, God pursued my heart. I subsequently went back to college, obtained a master's degree in counseling from a Christian university, became a licensed professional counselor and a certified grief counselor. Fast forward ten years and I write this from a place of gratitude about all that God carried me through.

The loss of my daughter also brought up additional unresolved past wounds and highlighted for me that my self-worth was too attached to the fleeting things of life – man’s opinions of me, past words and wounds that sowed into my life seeds of rejection.

It was when I seemingly lost everything that I learned God really was enough. As I used the opportunity to rebuild my life on what God says about me and how much He loves me, what resulted was true emotional freedom. Regardless of how I feel on any given day, scripture tells me in Isaiah 43:1:

"...Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine" (NIV).

What this means for me is that the creator of the entire universe saw the broken, messy, worn-out pieces of my heart and life and proclaimed to all of creation, "Shelley! I want her to be mine!”

But God did not just do this for me; this is how much God loves you also!

It has been quite a journey for me to move from a place of reading the scripture, to learning it, to applying it, to fully believing it. I listed believing last, because while I believed in God and believed that Jesus was my Lord and Savior, initially I really struggled to wrap my mind around my worth and just how much God adores me.

For too long, I let my past short-comings and my undesired circumstances dictate how I saw myself. But when I began to see myself as valuable because of Whose I was and not at all about what I have done or what was done to me, everything changed. This is not to be mistaken for any form of self-elevation, for my worth is directly tied to my creator. Internalizing the truth that God desires to be in a relationship with me and His love for me never wavers has beautifully culminated into an overflow of joy.

Today as I write this, it is an ordinary morning within my home. I am currently sporting a messy bun and leopard print leggings. My two elementary age children are roller skating through the house in their pajamas and my now, sweet husband is taking advantage of some extra Saturday morning sleep. But within these four walls is an opportunity to reflect on the goodness of God and His astounding provision. As I do this, the ordinary moments become much sweeter.

Reminiscing about all that God has carried me through, reminds me of Genesis 50:20, what the enemy meant for evil, God intended and used for good.

I now live in an emotional space where I am acutely aware that no matter what this day holds for me, good or bad, celebration or unexpected trauma, my Heavenly Father has it all under control. What do my days hold at this point? Most of my time is spent going on family adventures, working at an addiction recovery center, writing, and speaking/teaching on an array of topics whenever I am presented with the opportunity.

However, amid the busyness of life's ever-changing circumstances, I know that I do not have to worry about anything today. I can rest, fully at peace, in God's provision and providence...because I I know, without a doubt, that I belong to Him.


Counseling Services image

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Grief Counselor and provide private pay telehealth services to individuals ages 18 and older.

I earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas and my Master’s Degree in Counseling from Dallas Baptist University in 2012.
 
My counseling background includes working in both inpatient and outpatient settings. I have experience counseling active-duty service members, military veterans, victims of domestic violence, trauma, anxiety, depression, anger management, suicidal ideation, survivors of suicide, mood disorders, sexual assault survivors, survivors of childhood trauma, shame, and grief & loss.
 
I tailor my counseling approach to meet the individual needs of each client and use a combination of modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and psychoeducation.
 
I am passionate about grief recovery and sharing the message that living a joy-filled and fulfilling life after the death of a loved one is completely attainable if one is intentional with their healing process.

I do practice counseling from a Christian perspective and adhere to this statement of faith which is outlined by The Village Church Flower Mound, TX: Statement of Faith | The Village Church

I hold a Texas Counseling License and therefore, counsel clients who reside in Texas only.

To inquire further about my counseling services, or to schedule a counseling session, you may email me confidentially at Shelley.beam@therapysecure.com or call / text 940-703-4273.



Published Books image
Come Closer, God – It Hurts is now available for purchase! 
You can use this direct link:
amazon.com/author/shelleybeam

Book Description:

Healing from loss is an intentional process.

What we do in our season of grief has a tremendous impact on our future. The popular saying, "Time heals all wounds," does not apply to the loss of a loved one. Time merely marks the number of calendar days since a loss occurred. It is what we do with the time that matters. Emotional healing after the death of a loved one requires intentionality and can only be fully attained when we invite God into the process.

Come Closer, God ­– It Hurts, combines personal experience, professional expertise, and biblical truth to help you navigate life after you lose a loved one.

Shelley Beam writes from the candid and compassionate lens of a mother who witnessed the death of her daughter and from the perspective of a professional counselor who has over a decade of experience in the mental health industry. This biblically sound resource takes an honest look at life during grief and walks with you through your grief into a place of emotional healing.

Shelley provides practical guidance infused with the hope found in scripture to help you:

  • Understand what to expect from your grief cognitively, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
  • Implement therapeutic strategies that promote emotional healing and deepen your faith.
  • Effectively navigate through the subsequent losses, such as loss of companionship, loss of identity, loss of hopes and dreams, etc.
  • Work towards gaining peace about the difficult unanswered questions.
  • Lessen the power of unwanted emotions, with specific chapters dedicated to the topics of denial, guilt and anger.
  • Avoid common coping behaviors which prolong your grief.
  • Prepare for anniversary dates and holidays which can amplify your emotional pain.

This book is for people who are grieving a recent loss, struggling with unresolved emotions from prior loss, those who desire to better support their grieving loved one, and for the helping professional who strives to successfully guide their client through the tumultuous waters of grief in a way that promotes healing.

“I wrote the resource I wish I had available to me when I was in a season of deep grief. I want people to have an easier time walking through their grief than I did. I have navigated this process from multiple perspectives and there really are tools that can help.” -Shelley
My telehealth journey began out of necessity. Over time, numerous people had read my book and were seeking additional therapeutic support from me, or were seeking a Christian grief counselor but lived too far away to drive to my location. I wanted to help those who were struggling but did not have the modality to do so and driving two hours each way to a counseling appointment is not a luxury everyone has. The people who were contacting me were having emotional struggles outside of my specific local region and my heart was to help them. I had to make a way. This is how I became a telehealth provider. I truly appreciate the opportunity that technology provides for me to connect with, and provide counseling services for, clients throughout the entire state of Texas.  I also value that when our session is complete, my clients do not have to drive home; they just log off. They are already in the comfort of their own home and are able to immediately reflect-on and decompress-from the processing that occurred in session without having to drive anywhere. And you just can't beat the flexibility of the scheduling. A one-hour telehealth counseling session really only takes one hour because there's no additional drive time to an office. Before this experience I did have a counseling office with the warm comfy couch and fluffy pillows, and I thought switching to telehealth would be a difficult adjustment for both myself and my clients, but the feedback I receive is that they still feel like we are in the same room together. So what do you actually see during a telehealth session? You see me on a zoomed in camera with a headset. This is not a telephone session; it is a video counseling session that you can have from your computer or phone. I currently use Doxy for my sessions, which is a link l send you, not an app you have to download.
  • Christian-based, clinically informed counseling
  • grief and loss (healing after the death of a loved one, including death by suicide)
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • shame
Private Pay Provider
Intake session: 90, minutes $125
Individual session: 60, minutes $100

To inquire further about my counseling services, or to schedule a counseling session, you may email me confidentially at Shelley.beam@therapysecure.com or call / text 940-703-4273. 
Crisis phone numbers:

Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741

988 Suicide and Crisis Line
Call or text 988
Chat online: 988lifeline.org

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health)
1.800.950.6264
Text NAMI to 741741

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1.800.799.7233

SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
1.800.662.4357


Daily Affirmation - Who I am in Christ

Too often we let past words, wounds and negative experiences dictate the way we see ourselves. One of the best tools to rebuild our self-worth is speaking God’s word over ourselves, until we identify more with what He says about us than what the world around us has said. This daily affirmation is not about puffing up your self-esteem. It is about becoming rooted in how God sees you. Your worth comes from Whose you are, not who you are. There is nothing God deems as more valuable than you. After all, scripture tells us that God created man in His image (Genesis 1:27) and that He sent his only son to die on the cross so that we could be reconciled to Him both now and for eternity (John 3:16). I encourage you to download and recite the provided affirmation over yourself out loud every morning. Why out loud? Because when you actually hear the Word of God spoken over yourself, the words resonate in a deeper part of your heart than you would experience just by silently reading them. I pray that this daily activity richly blesses you. Click the Download button for your free, decorative, print-ready self-worth building affirmation.

Daily Affirmation - Waves Be Still

Do you find yourself struggling with anxious thoughts? Do you have a hard time calming your mind when your circumstances feel out of control? God is sovereign over everything, even when it seems chaos is swirling all around us. Download the free affirmation and speak God's truth over yourself out loud on a daily basis, until His words supersede your fears. Click the Download button for your free, decorative, print-ready anxiety reducing affirmation.

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I would love to hear from you! Drop me a note. If you are interested in counseling services, use the contact info. under the Counseling Services tab. Don't want to miss out on new content? Subscribe here, but there are two steps...you'll also need to hit the confirmation link in your first email.