Care & Counseling

We are here for you.

Care

Spiritual Need:

Our only true and lasting hope comes from knowing Christ Jesus as our Savior. Use the buttons below to learn about Christ, submit and prayer request, or have a pastor contact you.

Counseling

Our counseling ministry strives to promote emotional, relational, and spiritual health of individuals, couples and families. We work to help people create and maintain spiritual vitality leading to overall life-satisfaction through the transforming power of Jesus Christ through ministries such as:

  • Biblical Counseling

  • Pre-marital Education

  • Divorce Recovery Workshops

  • Grief Support

  • Crisis Intervention

Our hope and prayer as you begin your counseling journey is for your life to be forever changed through the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.

To begin a counseling journey for yourself or your family, click the button below to fill out a preliminary questionnaire to help us match you with the right counselor.

What is biblical counseling?

A Gospel-centered, Holy-Spirit empowered, redemptive process in which a faithful follower of Jesus Christ properly applies the truth of God’s Word to sin and suffering, in walking with others toward spiritual maturity, emotional health, cognitive truth, relational stability and behavioral accountability in a culturally informed, caring and compassionate environment.

Four Important Things to Remember:

  1. The biblical counseling you receive from Faith Youngsville Counseling Ministry is drawn from God’s Word - it is done in accordance with and not contrary to any teaching of God’s Holy Scriptures

  1. Biblical counseling, when done with authenticity, is always more concerned with heart transformation than with simply alleviating symptoms

  2. Heart change often begins with changing one’s thinking. We ask that you be open to thinking in ways that you might not be accustomed

  3. Biblical counseling is a process that usually requires more than one session. We ask that you be committed to the process of learning new ways of thinking and behaving in order to develop change that will last beyond your counseling experience

How much does it cost?

$15 for members of Faith Youngsville

$25 for non-members of Faith Youngsville

Meet Our Counselors

Our team is a group of committed pastors, biblical counselors, volunteers, and interns whose aim is to help you in your pursuit of a more fulfilling life in Christ.

While some of our biblical counselors are professionals and may be licensed by one or more state regulated professional counseling boards, none of our biblical counselors are operating in a professional capacity within the limits of this ministry.

  • Shannon Oaks - Counseling Director

    Shannon Oaks has a Masters in Biblical Counseling and Christian Marriage, Family, and Individual Therapy. She is also a facilitator in Prepare/Enrich, a marriage assessment tool. As well as a Certified Christian Trauma Care Provider. She is married to Aaron, and they have five children. She enjoys hanging out with her teenagers, snuggling with her seven year old, and going on family adventures with her husband. Shannon counsels in anxiety, trauma, spiritual issues, parenting and marriage, but is not limited to these areas.

    Waitlist Only

  • John Paul Brady

    John Paul Brady is married to Sherri Brady who is also helping in the counseling ministry here at Faith. They have been married for 54 years. They have two daughters, and three grandchildren.

    John Paul has a BA in Journalism, a Masters in Counselor Education and a Rank 1 degree in Special Education from Western Kentucky University. He also studied Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas.

    He served as a bi-vocational pastor in several locations throughout Kentucky for 40 years while teaching Middle School Special Education students for 27 years. He served briefly as a Hospice Chaplain and was a Christian education director for four years at the Northern Kentucky Association of Baptist churches.

    John Paul loves to write, work in his garden, go for walks, and spend time with his family.

  • Dina Cantore

    Dina Cantore is a member of Faith Baptist Church, currently serving in the counseling ministry, the First Impressions ministry, and formerly served as an online mentor for Focus on the Family. She lives in Youngsville and has 5 adult children and 8 grandchildren. Dina provides peer counseling in the areas of marriage and family relationships, anxiety, and other pro-life issues.

  • Mike Cestaro

    Originally from New Jersey, Mike and his family decided it was time for a change and in March of 2013 made the jump to North Carolina. They experienced quite the culture shock, but count it as a blessing. Mike and his family found FBC in 2016 when they moved to Youngsville and have been members since 2017. Mike is married to his beautiful wife Suzanne for 21 years and they have one amazing 11-year-old son Dominick.

    Mike is currently serving in the Men’s Ministry, counseling ministry and Celebrate Recovery.

    Having lived through the challenges in the areas of marriage, addiction, and spiritual issues, Mike has a passion for connecting with individuals who are hurting here and want to share their burdens.

  • Susan Deese

    Susan holds a MA in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband Rick, live in Wake Forest. They have four adult children and 10 grandchildren. Her education and life experiences allow her to walk alongside women who are struggling to find their way through life’s difficult challenges. She counsels in areas of trauma, depression, substance abuse, and others as needed.

  • Ami Miano

    Ami Miano is a high school English teacher with Wake County schools. She has been a member of Faith Youngsville since 2013. Ami is a widow with two adult children and has served with the GriefShare program for several years. Ami counsels in the area of grief.

  • Pamela Pfeffer

    Pamela Pfeffer graduated with her MA in Biblical Counseling and MA in Christian Education from Southeaster Baptist Theological Seminary in 2023. She enjoys helping those she counsels grow in understanding of their worth and identity in Christ as they work towards restoration and reconciliation.

  • Shaun Robinson

    Shaun holds a Masters of Arts degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Heather and has four children; Lanie (16), Hayden (14), Brinkley (12) and Sawyer (10). Shaun has been counseling since 2016 and enjoys helping others in the areas of marriage, addictions, anxiety, and spiritual issues.

  • Bobbey Sakoman

    Bobbey lives in Youngsville with her husband. She has launched three adult children into the world and now has a pack of rescue dogs that all help that nest seem a little less empty. Bobbey has been involved with discipling women through Women’s Bible Studies for over 20 years. She is passionate about using God’s Word as she mentors and encourages women, so they can better understand their identity in Christ. In her free time, Bobbey is currently working on 2 counseling certificates with SEBTS and ABC. She enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, reading, marveling at God’s presence in Creation. Bobbey provided peer-support counseling in the areas of discipleship, marriage, women’s issues (like infertility and pregnancy loss), and living with chronic illness.

  • Evelyn Weaver

    Evely Weaver is a member of Faith Baptist Church, serving as a care counselor and in the widows’ ministry. She has a Doctorate in Education and currently teaches online for Southern New Hampshire University. Evelyn has led Christian support groups in Florida and Texas for the past twenty years. She moved to North Carolina last year to be closer to her granddaughters and now lives at the River in Lake Royale. Evelyn provides peer counseling for adults who are struggling with divorce recovery, grief, or long-term caregiver responsibilities.