Healed, Healing, and Whole: The Counseling Clinic Story

It was a Friday morning at North Heights Christian Academy in the late ‘90s. The chapel service was well on its way in the Roseville Worship Center, and Tasse (then Anderberg) and her daughter were both present and participating. Kids and adults alike were praising God, and the Spirit of God was moving in powerful, deep ways.

Tasse was thoroughly enjoying the service when God gave her a picture, a spiritual vision that captured all of her attention. In it, throngs of people were praising God and rushing to get close to Him. They were pursuing Him whole-heartedly and moving towards Him together. Tasse understood that this was the group of people that had come to Christ through North Heights, the academy, and all the other ministries.

Then she noticed a second group of people.

These people were on the sidelines, injured, hurt, wounded, mad, too tired to go on. They couldn’t get up, and they had no one to help them. In the midst of the vision, God spoke to her and said, “I care for my children on the side of the road.”

When God gave her this vision, the Counseling Clinic was already underway. This ministry began in 1982 under the beloved Dr. William Backuss. The purpose was to offer Christ-centered counseling for people’s good and God’s glory, and the clinic was embraced by counselors and counselees alike. The ministry continued through the years, all the way up to the conflict of 2015 when the counseling clinic was paused, and all educational materials were lost.

Flash forward to 2016: Dr. Oelschlager, a consulting doctor who served in the counseling clinic for decades, was on the North Heights nominating committee with Tasse. One day, he looked at Tasse and said, “I think we should start the counseling clinic back up, and I think you should do it.” 

The idea of a restart took off from there. Nikki Tramm jumped onboard, and together, they found counselors, reassembled educational materials, and launched the Counseling Clinic once again. With God’s vision still ruminating in Tasse’s heart, the mission of the counseling clinic was clear: to pick up those on the side of the road that couldn’t get up themselves. The goal became divinely focused on healing people so that they can heal others. Those that came through the counseling clinic would become ministers of the gospel that are healed, healing, and whole. 

Counseling Clinic’s counselors play a critical role in this. Tasse describes them as having one hand up towards Heaven and the other hand out towards the counselee: a picture of God flowing through counselors like a right-angled pipe. “We train counselors to function from a base of knowledge, wisdom, and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. All 3 function equally,” Tasse explains. Even deeper is the counselors’ commitment to their relationship with Christ and proficiency with Scripture. All of these are the filters of every counseling session.  

This strategy of allowing God to move has worked miracles. Families have been transformed. Marriages have been saved. Being able to heal deeply and talk through matters in their lives has set people on upward trajectories. People have said the following:

• “I don’t know where we’d be without the counseling clinic.”
• “[My counselor] helped me accomplish all the goals I never thought I’d reach.”
• “I loved the approach that my counselor used.”

God is truly moving powerfully through this clinic.

And all we have to do, Tasse affirms, is be available. Being available is key to reach those on the side of the road so that they can be healed, healing, and whole.

Counseling Clinic meets every Thursday from September through July. Do you have a heart for those on the side of the road? Consider joining the Fall training, starting September 14. Email or call (651) 797-7484 for more information.

Are you on the side of the road yourself? Get the help you need by being counseled. Start the intake process by calling 651-797-7484 and leaving your information.