Hello! My name is Rudi Coleman. I am the owner and creator of By Grace Counseling (lovingly referred to as By Grace). I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with an additional master’s degree in Christian Psychological Studies. This initiative is something that has been near and dear to my heart for as long as I can remember. I have a love for people and genuinely wanting to know their story, thoughts, and history; what motivates them to breathe; and what simply takes their breath away.
Through the unadulterated, unfiltered lens of hearing your story, I receive so many things. One of those things is honor. I’m always honored when you feel comfortable (and let’s face it, sometimes desperate) enough to expose their hearts and minds to me, there really is no greater level of intimacy, depth, and trust that 2 mortals could ever share. I never take your words lightly. Another thing that often happens when I hear your heart, verbally, is the voice of our Father. He speaks to me in the most incredible ways. He tells me what questions to ask, leads me to Scripture, and sometimes He gives me glimpses of what it’s like to view the world through the scope of your lens. He pricks my heart, prompts me toward prayer, and shows me what the enemy is trying to do to disrupt your life. This doesn’t happen at once but it does occur when I invite Him into my heart and allow Him to speak to me through your words. It’s the most profound and miraculous thing I’ve ever been graced to do in partnership with God in all of my 34 years of living.
So why counseling? Why not full-fledged ministerial work at a church or something to the like? Well, my honest answer is, this is it for me. I’ve spent thousands of dollars (shout out to my student loans) investing in myself because of counseling and its importance to me. The mere thought of counseling by far is what quickens my breath, it’s what the meaning of purpose is in my life, and it’s what I often say, “I’d do for free, in my sleep (if I could lol), and on my worst day.” It’s what I’m most passionate about. It’s also the thorn in my side. I lose sleep over it because it’s just that important to me. I cry tears that sometimes take my breath away, not because of the hard stories I hear but, because I realize more and more how powerful God is when we allow Him to enter into our circumstances.
Now that you know a little more about me, let’s get into the fun stuff because who wouldn’t want to know the juicy details of what goes on in the head of a young, African American counselor trying to live for Jesus all while maintaining her sanity lol! You’ve read up to this point so thank you for your attention. I’m excited to take you on this journey of being a Christian counselor who loves people, professes Jesus (for real, for real) and tries to manage this thing called life well. Let’s goooooooooo…..