JESUS-CENTERING FOR PROFESSIONALS

Jesus-Centering is about encountering the real Jesus in therapy, prayer, and dialog. It proclaims Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life — the universal foundation for every human heart.

This approach integrates Scripture, discipleship, and the wisdom of the Church, calling us to a fearless proclamation of His love, truth, and Gospel principles.

Jesus-Centering is not simply a technique, but a way of forming a new culture rooted in Christ Himself.

For Psychotherapists/Counselors & Clients

What is different between having faith or “faith-based and integrated counseling” and being Jesus-Centered?

Jesus-Centering:
• Brings Jesus into the counseling room as the living center of healing and transformation.
• Equips therapists with practical methods for fostering authentic dialog and spiritual integration that brings Jesus to open clients.
• Helps clients replace the seven capital sins with the seven virtues, aligning their growth with Christ.
• Deepens awareness of His presence speaking to them personally through Scriptural prayer (Lectio Divina), reverent guided imagery, and chairwork in therapy.
• Connects personal healing to the larger mission of building a Christ-Centered culture.

For Physicians and Dentists

There are many Christian physicians and dentists who give their patients a prescription for their spiritual health. They often offer to pray for their patients.

As a physician grows in a desire to fulfill his or her apostolic calling — to be sent to the Lord’s flock of all backgrounds, races, and creeds — he or she realizes that patients are looking not simply for a provider, but for someone to confide in, someone who will care about their health, and someone who can empathize with their sufferings and struggles.

This is your opportunity to also share your own strengthening that comes from your connection to Jesus.

CMDA, the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, has many video examples called Faith Prescriptions showing how Christian doctors can bring Jesus right to the center of their care for patients — and the difference it makes.

Please check out their practical suggestions and very valuable resources. These resources go beyond position papers on ethical matters, which are also important, by actually modeling how to be a Christ-connector in their video tutorials for members.

For Moms and Dads

It takes work to be a mom or a dad, and it also takes being Jesus-Centered to connect your children to the Lord.

Effectiveness depends not only on your own virtue and witness of how you live in a Jesus-Centered way, but also on how you dialog (Connect-Talk® Dialog) or don’t. This takes awareness and skill that honor the “thinking & choosing” of your children in ways that don’t put them in danger, but allow them to safely express their inner thoughts — hopefully before they act on detrimental ones.

Connect-Talk® Dialog is a set of attitudes that helps children of all ages — even adult children — feel heard and unconditionally accepted, even when you disagree with them.

It’s also important to avoid emotional reactions that make them feel unsafe opening up to you. Just as with physicians, dentists, and therapists, essential to you is the art, the awareness, and the healthy restraint to stay open and positive with the person, even when the topic is challenging or upsetting. This is why, in order to pass on a Jesus-connection, it helps not only to live it yourself, but to learn and practice Connect-Talk® Dialog!

This is the Connect-Talk® Integration that facilitates passing on a relationship with Jesus.

You may be Jesus-Centered, but are you able to effectively pass Him on, without turning others off? Sure, some won’t be interested, but it is up to you not to give them impediments through poor communication or unhealthy reactions — AS JESUS HIMSELF MODELS!

Connect-Talk® Dialog is a Jesus-Centered communication framework that teaches how to listen with the heart, communicate truth in love, and reduce defensiveness. It reflects the dialog method of Jesus Himself, as seen in the Gospel of John and the Letters of John.

Connect-Talk® Dialog helps couples, families, groups, physicians, dentists, church pastors & priests, spiritual directors, ministry leaders, counselors, therapists, teachers, and all professionals practice communication that is safe, open, and Spirit-led, extending Christ’s grace into every relationship.

Jesus-Centered Institute, LLC

The Institute specializes in training through webinars, books, and workshop experiences.

Workshops provide hands-on experience in Jesus-Centering and Connect-Talk® Dialog. Through exercises, Scripture reflection, and prayer, participants learn how to integrate Christ’s presence into their own daily life and how to share Him with others effectively.

You can’t be a Christ-connector unless you live the daily, real presence of Jesus in your own life. Then you need to become more like Him in how you approach and connect with the people around you — whether they are clients, friends, strangers, or your own family.

This takes Connect-Talk® Dialog skills. These skills take practice and effort, but they simplify many interactions and make them virtuous, positive, and much more effective.

Please see our Current Events Page for upcoming trainings. Also look at our available books, videos, and podcasts on Jesus-Centering, Witnessing, Evangelizing, and Connect-Talk® Dialog. We have many free resources that will provide formation for you, and even for a ministry team.

May our Lord encourage and bless you as you learn and explore the many opportunities we are providing you.

Chiara Simeone-DiFrancesco, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Jesus-Centered Institute

Chiara Simeone-DiFrancesco, Ph.D., is a psychologist, author, and international trainer. She has worked with thousands of couples, families, clergy, and therapists. Known for integrating theology with clinical psychology, she presents a Jesus-Centered approach that is both spiritually rich and professionally practical. She continues the legacy of her late husband, Romuald B. Simeone, whose vision of Christian dialog and fearless proclamation of the Gospel inspired the Jesus-Centering Movement.