In Kaitlyn’s case, she discovered her primary issue was anger.

"I hated him!" she says of her ex-husband. "But before I saw the counselor, I couldn’t have even told you that. As simple as that sounds—as basic—I hadn’t even realized yet I hated my ex-husband. I’m trying to tell you this: I didn’t even know what I felt, or how I felt, until I started going to those Friday-afternoon sessions."

Within the religious community, seeing a counselor may be viewed as a sign of weakness. After all, shouldn’t "God alone" be sufficient?

We frame this question for Kaitlyn, who smiles ruefully.

"I really do believe God was helping me," she says forcefully, "but the way God chose to do it, was by using a counselor. It’s like that story where God sends a rowboat and a helicopter to the people whose house is flooding. The people keep ignoring the boat and the other ways to escape because they insist God will rescue them.

"Later, after they drown and go to heaven, God tells them—‘Hey, I sent you a boat and a helicopter!’—and they finally realize God was trying to rescue them all the time.

"In my case, it was God who rescued me—and I mean that literally— but the way He chose to do it was by using the counselor. My counselor was God’s way of helping me get better."

  Excerpted from Moving Forward After Divorce (Harvest House Publishers) by David and Lisa Frisbie. © 2006 David and Lisa Frisbie. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Since 1982, David and Lisa Frisbie have served together as co-executive directors of the Center for Marriage and Family Studies, whose primary focus is helping families adjust to trauma and change. Prolific writers and frequent speakers at workshops, camps, and seminars, David and Lisa have traveled widely in North America, Europe, and Asia. They make their home in Southern California.