Meet  Josh

To answer my own questions, there have been times in my life where I have felt overwhelmed. I have felt stuck and unsure of how to move forward. I have felt the weight of hurtful patterns and pieces that I wasn’t sure how to process. Some have reframed “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”

Each of us has a story we base our lives upon. A filter that shapes how we view ourselves, God and others.

I know what it’s like to experience my parent’s divorce, being raised with a single mom and also the opportunities abundantly provided to me to grow and persevere, but first to grieve. I found relief in safe spaces where I could process what was happening. With time life has a way of unfolding in such a way that we grow. We try new things and I found that my faith, writing, close friends and playing the drums were ways to express myself and connect with others.

Before leaving for college my mother was diagnosed with cancer.  The process included chemo and radiation, major surgery, and our lives were turned upside down.  I didn't have the tools to share how difficult this was for me at the time and the fear of losing my mom kept me from the reality of the situation.  During my freshman year of college my mom came to visit and shared the tragic news that the cancer had returned and this time it was terminal.  With my brother being in the Navy and stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, I continued to minimize the situation for fear that she would be gone and I would be alone.  In the Spring of my Sophomore year I lost my mom to cancer.  I sank deeply into what I now realize was a time of great sadness and eventually, depression.  I isolated from friends, withheld my feelings from loved ones, and felt completely numb.  The same outlets that helped me as a teenager were holding me together as a young adult, especially my faith.

The bereaved refer to grief as the gift you never wanted.  The gift is not the loss itself, it’s the sense that you will never see life the same again.  You are faced with mortality and realize how precious life is.

I was fortunate to find help through a college elective called, “Caregivers At Risk” and joined a helpful support group called Griefshare. With time, I became more aware of the importance of healthy care in community. I also saw first hand the vital need of helping others without burning out as the one giving care toward others.  These tools were necessary in pursuing my father and developing a deeper relationship with him before his death in 2010.  Before I had turned 30 years old I had lost both of my parents. 

Hope and Healing Are Possible

The reason I’m sharing this information is to help communicate my own personal understanding with pain, grief and sadness. I know what it’s like to feel stuck and not know how to move forward.

When my wife and I were engaged we had the opportunity to receive counseling as a couple before getting married. That was a very good investment and for the first time I realized the immense value of partnership in counseling. I didn’t know such a thing existed. I pay and you listen? You provide me compassion and care, professional knowledge and wisdom with resources and work with me through this?

Sign me up!  I was fortunate to have a helpful companion in my journey and a very good Counselor.

It was in counseling that I realized my story was not over yet and I had more to do with the next chapter than I had previously realized.  I had realized that something great was happening in my life.  After teaching in education for over a decade I went back to school and pursued my master's in Professional Counseling and completed the clinical training and supervision to become a Licensed Professional Counselor.  Throughout the programs I worked hard and held fast to the steps of a life of healing. I am confident my life will be a lifelong work in progress and I’m okay with that. It’s also amazing the help that is available, especially when you feel like you’re drowning and working in your own strength, alone.

I find myself very fortunate to have been supported by many and to have received the opportunities provided to me to continue to heal and grow.  My story is one of undisputed love in the radical acceptance with my place in God and the love of others.  Faith it seems is about what is possible. I take my work as a counselor with high honor and intentionality in the sense that I truly believe the impact can be meaningful, even life-changing.

Today I am passionate to contribute as a Licensed Professional Counselor alongside individuals, couples and organizations. It’s my joy to partner in the powerful work with a lot of fun and laughs engaging with businesses and organizations maximizing leadership and group development.  Working with teams is a blast! I have had the great opportunity to share what I’m learning with groups locally, throughout the country and to other regions of the world including South America and Africa.  I find myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to inspire people and empower them to know that their story is important, worth sharing, and not over yet! In the second half of my life I was given access to additional resources, have and continue to receive insight, learning and healing and now my life’s mission is making room for healing in my life and in others.

Please consider this: Help is here right now. You do not have to walk alone. Your story is important and take heart, there is always hope and healing is possible!

Josh Neuer is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Greenville, SC. Josh’s Life’s Work is to Create and Capture an Intimate Experience that Makes Room for Hope and Healing. Josh is Passionate about Empowering Meaningful Change in People with Counseling and Growing Communities with Team Engagement and Development. He is the founder of Joshua Neuer, LLC Counseling, a committed husband and father, and is absolutely crazy about relationships!