Barney Armstrong

Biography

Professional and Life Training

Barney’s training in counseling began with a BA in Psychology followed by a Master’s in Science from Stanford University; he went on to get a BA in Theology, and lastly a Master’s in Counseling and certificate in Spiritual Direction from Mars Hill Graduate School (now Seattle School of Theology and Psychology).

He has had significant cross-cultural experience having served as a missionary in four different countries. He has also worked with teens and young adults for over twenty-five years, and has a heart to help young people make sense of a life of faith, in a world that prompts confusing emotions. Barney has been married for twenty-four years which greatly adds to his clinical understanding of the benefits of marriage counseling and the work required to see change happen.

Ministry Experience

Barney has been to three countries on short term missions with YWAM. He and his wife spent almost four years in Japan doing missionary work and teaching ESL. Barney has taught in Christian secondary schools for thirteen years. He is very committed to his local church and has served through teaching and in a variety of other ways throughout the years.

Barney works from a Trinitarian and Incarnational theological perspective. His passion for counseling emanates from a fundamental belief that the Gospel is far more comprehensive and provides far more than we have estimated. The unveiling of this, the revealing of the mystery of marriage, and the rising up of the work of grace in your individual life have trajectory and direction – it is his privilege to participate in the process with you.

Personal

Barney has a wife and three children (two teenagers and one adopted little guy). In his spare time he likes to play piano, explore the writings of Christian sages and mystics of the past, write poetry, and ride his motorcycle. Barney places a high value on Christian community and meets regularly with others to pray and share Christian literature and ideas.

Services and Specialities

Individual Therapy

Anxiety, depression, emotional disruption, relational conflicts, bereavement, addictions, personal growth.

If you embrace the truths of the Bible, having a Christian trained therapist can be a real key to development in your life. Stress, hopelessness, conflicts, anger, or entrapments (addictions) are often signs of old structures passing away and new things struggling to emerge, yet we become weary in chasing our tail trying to rebuild old places we were comfortable with at one time. My purpose is to make a safe place for you to share all of the dismay and struggle of the old, and yet to also sit with you and speculate with you in uncovering the new things that you are being led to.

Couples Therapy

Marriage is both a great adventure and a mystery (Eph. 5:32). An adventure which challenges you to be more in your self than you have ever had to be. A mystery because your marriage is not only sacred, but has more direction and design than we fully know. Marriage runs pretty well for a while on intuition and natural reflexes. But being enlisted in this mystery there come times, by design, where the dynamics are not intuitive, where natural reasonings are not insightful enough. As a Christian trained therapist I work together with you to enter into the weightiness and intentionality of your marriage. In that environment we can afford to bring mildly to very difficult things to the table. The result is more than simply resolving immediate conflicts but also an embracing of a solidly hopeful trajectory and a strengthening of each of you.

Premarital Counseling

Pre-marriage and engagement is by design a heady and exciting season of your lives together. So, it is also a time when we overlook the kinds of issues that will impact us later in our married lives together. Pre-marital counseling is a luxury to your marriage — a time to impartially examine your strengths and weaknesses, your commonalities and differences, your goals and plans in a venue that is risk-free and orchestrated by a professional.

You are entering both a great adventure and a mystery (Eph. 5:32) — pack well for the trip!

Payment and Forms

Sessions: I offer 53-minute or 45-minute sessions. Sessions can be held more than once per week, weekly, or every other week. Scheduling options are discussed in greater detail during your Risk-Free Initial Session.

Availability (by office location):

• Bellevue – Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday
• Redmond – Tuesday and Friday
• Online (WA only) – Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday

Fees: I offer a Risk-Free Initial Session for Individuals and Couples looking to pursue counseling with me. Please note that there is a fee for the Risk-Free Initial Session as it is a clinical hour and reimbursable to most insurance companies, but if you choose not to reschedule and continue therapy after the initial session the entire fee for the session will be waived. For ongoing treatment the full fee per session is required at the time of service.

Insurance: As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) a majority of insurance companies will reimburse for a portion of my services (as an Out of Network Provider). Please consult with your insurance provider as to whether they specifically cover individuals and couples.

Receipts/Statements: In the event you require a printed or digital receipt, I will provide receipts for personal use, insurance reimbursement, Flex Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).

Payment options: Cash, Check, or Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & American Express). A fee of up to 3.7% plus $0.15 per transaction will be added for credit card payments.