After high school Scott Bonk joined the Marines. It was during his time in the Marines that he learned about Christ and began to have a relationship with Jesus. Scott was active in church while stationed in Hawaii.   After spending four enlightening years in the Marines, Scott went to seminary at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Scott earned a bachelor's degree in Biblical studies in 1991. During his time in college, Scott went on several missions trips to London, Hungary, and throughout the Soviet Union.    In 1992, Scott traveled to Lithuania where he taught at the university. After returning home from Lithuania, Scott was accepted into the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Harding University.      After earning a master's degree in marriage and family therapy Scott worked for the Christian Counseling Center in Paducah, Kentucky. Scott has also practiced in Alabama and Arkansas, working mostly with teenagers struggling with substance abuse issues.    In 2003, Scott moved to Georgia. He worked for Creative Consulting Services helping individuals with developmental disabilities.      Scott also worked for the state of Georgia as a supervisor and social worker, again serving individuals with disabilities. Scott worked for the state of Georgia for almost 10 years.    In 1996, Scott also opened up his own private practice at Heritage Baptist Church, serving individuals in his community. Scott's primary focus has been working with couples in crisis.

Brent is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist in Cumming GA. Since 2010, he’s been helping couples, children, teens, and individual adults improve their relationships, navigate change, and learn new ways of coping with the challenges of life. Brent works with a wide range of client populations, but a common thread through all sessions is a deep passion for enhancing relationships and communication. No matter whether a client is 3 years old or 83 years old, being able to sustain healthy relationships and communicate about needs and wants is central for happiness, success, and well-being in life. This applies in relationships with others, but also in the relationship people have with themselves. Though he considers his formal training in the mental health field to be valuable, it is his experience as a client in therapy that has best prepared him to be of help to others. Brent has experienced tremendous growth and healing through the therapy process, and it motivated him to make a midlife career change to become a therapist. Brent has been happily married since 2010 and has two children.

Emily earned her Masters of Arts from Dallas Theological Seminary in Counseling in Dallas, Texas and her PhD in Christian Counseling from International University. These programs provided a theological and psychological integration model as many people’s understanding of God/higher power impacts how they makes sense of challenges and learn to cope during times of difficulty. She uses her past personal and professional experience to help female clients struggling with anxiety disorders.

Dr. Penny Hays is a licensed psychologist who specializes in school-related problems with children. She conducts psychoeducational evaluations to diagnose learning disabilities including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and attention deficit disorders.

Erica approaches working with each client, whether an individual, couple, or family, through the lens of Family Systems. This allows her to view each person and problem in the context of their relationships and the world around them. She enjoys bringing an eclectic and holistic approach to sessions, gravitating to the Psychodynamic and Experiential theories through an attachment and trauma-informed/trained lens. This might look like exploring past relationships and experiences, connecting relational and behavioral patterns, learning to hold space for yourself and your individual truths, and finding ways to work through these themes in order to have a more peaceful future. Erica enjoys a collaborative relationship with her clients and hopes to encourage each person to find their own voice.

Catherine specializes in self-care, relationships, and life design. She emphasizes the importance of taking care of oneself, nurturing healthier interpersonal relationships, and navigating life's transitions. Catherine's work is guided by the belief that healing takes place within the bonds formed between client and therapist. Her primary focus is on forging trusting, warm, open, and compassionate relationships with her clients. Catherine helps her clients foster their capacity for self-compassion, grace, and self-acceptance to lessen the effects that anxiety and depression hold on them and find more fulfillment in their lives and their relationships. Through her private practice in the Buckhead area, Catherine strives to help individuals, couples, and families find balance in their busy lives and refocus their energies on values that are important to them. For the ultra-busy, she offers 24/7 appointment scheduling through her website. Her experience has been gathered in a variety of settings, including an addiction treatment center, public and private schools, a non-profit youth organization, a family counseling agency, and a group practice.

A licensed psychologist, Dr. Aycock received both her Ph.D. in counseling psychology and her M.S. in professional counseling from Georgia State University. Her approach is integrative, drawing from Adlerian Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Interpersonal Therapy to meet the needs of a diverse clientele. When faced with difficult situations, we often feel discouraged. Dr. Aycock believes that a safe, supportive environment is key to growth, and she offers plenty of encouragement. She helps clients gain perspective through empathic exploration. We’re all doing the best we can in life, but sometimes we get in our own way. As much as she feels comfortable with deep emotions, she also believes in the importance of bringing laughter and humor into the room!

Robert is a licensed associate professional counselor at Paraclete Counseling Center in Suwanee, Georgia. He received an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from Liberty University and a BS in psychology from Georgia College and State University. He enjoys helping adolescents and adults gain insight into how to better manage their life stressors in the areas of anxiety, depression, work, relationships, and spiritual direction.  He also enjoys working with premarital and married couples in building better communication skills, stronger relationship bonds, and shared-life meaning. He has had training in dialectical behavior therapy, emotionally focused therapy, and the Gottman Method Couples Therapy. These areas of training have helped Robert learn how to help clients build better habits of self-care and mental health so they can be more available to serve and love others that God has placed in their community.  As a result of benefiting from personal counseling, Robert’s heart is especially called to help men experience freedom and healing. As a man, he understands how difficult it can be for men to open up about insecurities and to let their guards down, but he also knows the power of forgiveness and healing waiting for these men who are willing to step out in faith to be made more complete in the image of God. To further support clients, Paraclete Counseling Center offers to file out-of-network insurance.

Rise and Renew is a professional counseling practice specializing in couples/marriage therapy, mental health, anxiety, depression, families, addiction, and the integration of faith with psychological well-being. Counseling is provided utilizing evidenced-based approaches of humanistic, cognitive, and family systems; narrative therapy; and emotionally focused therapy. Christian counseling is provided upon request. Jack graduated with a doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Mercer University in 2020. He is a licensed professional counselor, certified professional counselor supervisor, and national certified counselor. Jack is also an assistant professor for Richmont Graduate University, where he teaches counselor education. For his dissertation, he conducted original research that established a scientific definition of self-love. His clinical experience has informed his belief that counseling is often about coming to terms with who individuals are without judgment, armed with compassion and understanding as a pathway to improved health. Therapy can be effective in a safe, unconditional, and accepting environment. Counseling is treated as a sacred space in which Jack seeks to stand beside his clients in what they are bravely confronting as a pathway to freedom, healing, and reconciliation. Counseling services are provided both in person and online. Jack has offices in the North Buckhead/Atlanta area and Norcross.