Pastoral Counseling

The pastoral staff are available for short-term pastoral counseling (1 to 3 visits) by contacting the main office, (703) 979-7527, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am until 3:00 pm, to make an appointment.  Rev. Lydia Rodriguez Colon is bi-lingual in Spanish and English.  For longer term pastoral needs and concerns, our pastoral staff refer individuals and couples to Rev. Wes Arthur, who is a retired elder of the Virginia Annual Conference and who has a private counseling practice.  To make an appointment with him directly, please call (703) 855-6774 or email him to set up an initial phone consultation.

Pastoral counseling can be helpful in times of difficulty and loss. The pastoral counselor is a non-judgemental and objective listener who helps the counselee become aware of his/her feelings. The pastoral counselor may offer suggestions or advice based on Scripture, but pastoral counseling is not meant to ‘fix’ someone’s life.  Referrals for local Christian Counselors will be given in situations where long-term issues and concerns may need to be addressed.

Pre-marital Counseling

Pre-marital counseling can be helpful for couples who wish to plan for their marriage as well as their wedding.  Arlington UMC uses the pre-marital inventory FOCCUS (Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Undersatnding, and Study) as the basis for pre-marital counseling.  This inventory is used by more than 500,000 couples nation-wide each year. 

Typically, pre-marital counseling lasts between 6 - 8 sessions over several months and covers both basic issues such as Communication, Problem Solving, Religion, and Values as well as special issues such as Readiness, Financial Matters, and understanding the Marriage Covenant. 

The cost of pre-marital counseling is $20 per couple and is a requirement for all weddings performed at Arlington UMC.  Pre-marital counseling is available in Spanish or English.