Mission of Counseling Ministry
Westgate Church is dedicated to the restoration of marital intimacy, maturing character, and helping individuals on the journey to becoming that which we were created to be.
Vision of Counseling Ministry
To encourage spiritual, emotional, mental, and relational health to our congregation and community
To provide therapeutic counseling with a Biblical foundation to individuals and couples
To provide Bible based support groups for people struggling with similar problems
To work within the Westgate church to strengthen families
To reach out to the community and build relationships with other professionals and churches
Krista Smith is the counseling minister at Westgate Church of Christ. She works with individuals and couples in the community who are experiencing a wide rage of mental health concerns, complexities, and emotional or relational turmoil. Goals and objectives are designed within the therapeutic relationship to help each person enhance their overall well-being and bring about an effective self-transformation to strengthen and maintain healthy relationships with God and others.
Krista completed her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology in 2009 at Troy University-Dothan, Alabama. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Alabama and a National Certified Counselor through the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. She holds professional memberships including American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), American Counseling Association (ACA), and the Alabama Counseling Association (ALCA). She was a member of Chi Sigma Iota Tau Delta Chapter, 2009. She serves as a member of the Professional Development Advisory Board in Counseling for Troy University, Dothan Campus. She is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR).
Before returning to graduate school, she received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and worked as an elementary school teacher for 8 years. She completed several Biblical courses through Sunset International Bible Institute in Lubbock, Texas. Krista was born and raised in Southeast Alabama. She married her high school sweetheart in 1988. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Paul says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” God teaches us through his word and through others how to surrender our life and live faithfully to Him. Krista believes that her own therapeutic journey and life experiences with God and others have instilled information that gives her the ability to help others. In life, things are constantly changing. The battle between flesh and spirit will rage on, and we need each other. The broken need a place to find God, to experience his love through others, to encounter grace and mercy, and to grow in relationship with our Savior.