Many people of faith feel stuck between two imperfect options: a clinically excellent therapist who treats faith as a symptom to manage, or a warm faith counselor who offers Scripture and prayer but little clinical depth. At Stillwaters, you don't have to choose. We offer counseling that is both genuinely Christian and fully clinical — care that honors your faith as the center of your life, delivered by licensed professionals trained in evidence-based treatment. Available online across six states.
Most Christian counseling comes from one of two kinds of practitioners — licensed therapists with little formal theological training, or pastoral counselors with theological education but no clinical license. Dr. Daniel Bush is both. That combination is genuinely uncommon, and it's the heart of what makes Stillwaters different.
Dr. Dan's training goes far beyond the single seminary degree many pastors hold. He earned two graduate degrees — a Master of Divinity (MDiv) and a Master of Theology (ThM) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School — and then completed a PhD in Divinity at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, studying under John Webster, widely regarded as one of the most significant systematic theologians of his generation (formerly Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford). He is ordained in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and has served as a lead pastor and church planter, a missionary and seminary professor of theology in the Philippines, China, and Scotland, and he currently teaches theology, ethics, and pastoral counseling at the university level. He is a published author of several books on the Christian life — including Undefended, Live in Liberty, and Embracing God as Father — and a certified spiritual director trained under the late Dr. Larry Crabb. That is a depth of theological formation few counselors — or even ordained pastors — ever attain.
He is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with supervisory endorsement (LPCC-S) in Kentucky and Ohio, a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and a certified specialist in trauma, personality disorders, and marriage therapy, with a Master's in Counseling earned summa cum laude from Northwestern University.
The result is a counselor who can hold both your clinical struggles and your deepest spiritual questions at once, without reducing either one to the other.
Whether you serve a congregation in Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, or Minnesota, if you shepherd others and need a place to be cared for yourself — by someone who understands ordination vows, congregational pressure, ministry burnout, the weight of leadership, and the particular loneliness of always being the one who helps — you'll find it here. We hold that trust with strict confidentiality and deep respect.
That means we hold two aims together, not one. The first is the healing you'd expect from any skilled clinician: real relief from anxiety, depression, trauma, relational wounds, and the patterns that keep you stuck. The second is something a secular office can't offer — a deepening of genuine trust in and dependence on God, which sometimes means coming to surrender your own will to His as you discover that He can be trusted with the very parts of your story that frighten you most.
In practice this is less about technique than about direction. Drawing on the soul-care tradition of the late Dr. Larry Crabb — under whom Dr. Dan trained as a spiritual director — we work from the conviction that beneath every presenting problem is a soul that, at its deepest level, aches for God. So we don't only ask "what's wrong and how do we fix it?" We also ask "what is God doing here, and how do we join Him in it?"
Scripture enters the conversation when it can comfort or challenge; prayer has its place; and grace-centered, gospel-centered discipleship is woven naturally into the work of understanding your whole life — its hills and its valleys — and your journey with the triune God through both.
None of this replaces clinical excellence; it deepens it. The same sessions draw on psychodynamic. and existential depth work, psychosensory trauma work, Internal Family Systems (IFS), cognitive therapies, and other established and emerging evidence-based methods. You get the full weight of clinical science and a counselor who understands that your healing and your walk with God were never two separate things. This unfolds at the pace of trust, not pressure — joining you where you are, not pushing you where you're not ready to go.
Alongside clinical counseling, Stillwaters also offers spiritual direction — an ancient, distinct practice focused not on symptoms but on noticing and responding to God's presence in your life. Dr. Dan is a certified spiritual director. Some clients come for counseling, some for spiritual direction, and some for a thoughtful blend of the two. We'll help you discern what fits where you are.
Stillwaters is a telehealth-first practice based in the Dayton, Ohio area. We meet online with clients located in Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, and Minnesota — so the right fit isn't limited by your zip code. If finding a counselor who pairs genuine theological depth with real clinical training has felt impossible where you live, you no longer have to settle for proximity over fit.
Online sessions are by secure, HIPAA-conscious video.
Do I have to live in Ohio or Kentucky? No. We can see clients located in Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, or Minnesota — what matters is the state you're physically in at the time of your session.
How is Christian counseling different from regular therapy? You get the same clinical rigor you'd expect from any licensed therapist, with the added freedom to bring your faith fully into the work. Your beliefs are treated as a source of strength and meaning, not something to set aside at the door.
Is this "biblical counseling"? We're best described as integrative Christian counselors: fully licensed and clinically trained, drawing on both evidence-based psychology and a deep theological understanding of the person. If you're specifically seeking a particular model of biblical counseling, we're happy to talk about whether we're the right fit.
What's the difference between Christian counseling and spiritual direction? Counseling focuses on healing and growth around clinical concerns — anxiety, trauma, relationships, and the like. Spiritual direction focuses on your relationship with God and discerning His presence in your life. Many people benefit from one, the other, or a blend.
Will you pray with me or use Scripture? If you'd like us to, yes. If you'd rather we didn't, that's completely fine. You set the tone.
Do you counsel pastors and ministry leaders confidentially? Yes — it's one of the things we're most often trusted with. Your confidentiality is protected the same way it would be for any client.
If you've been longing for a counselor who takes both your mind and your faith seriously, we'd be honored to walk with you — wherever in our six states you are.
Stillwaters Relational & Behavioral Health LLC, serves the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton areas from our offices in Florence, Kentucky and Springboro, Ohio, providing clinical mental health counseling, coaching, spiritual direction, and marriage counseling to empower you to overcome trauma, depression, anxiety, and relational challenges. Our skilled team of licensed clinicians is dedicated to guiding your journey toward healing and growth.
CONTACT
support@stillwaters.health
SERVING
NKY/CINCINNATI
75 Cavalier Blvd., Suite 212
Florence, KY 41042
513-399-6396
SERVING
SPRINGBORO/DAYTON
937-317-1776
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