EP 284: Healing Relationships: Inside Marriage & Family Therapy

What Makes Sara Shelton with Hope Renewed Marriage and Family Therapy a Good Neighbor?

What happens when a special education teacher's personal marriage struggles transform into a calling to help others heal their relationships? Sara Shelton, founder of Hope Renewed Marriage and Family Therapy, shares her remarkable journey on the Good Neighbor Podcast.

After experiencing difficulties early in her own marriage, Sara attended a transformative retreat that planted the seed for her future calling. Eighteen years into her teaching career, she made the bold decision to pursue a second master's degree in marriage and family therapy. Now, she specializes in working with neurodiverse couples—a focus born from her personal experience diagnosing and navigating neurodiversity in her own marriage of nearly three decades.

Sara's practice stands out with its comprehensive approach. From counseling children as young as four to facilitating retreats for betrayed partners and neurodiverse couples in Colorado, she creates safe spaces for healing. Her innovative use of animal-assisted therapy, featuring her 84-pound Giant Schnauzer, provides clients with calming support during sessions. Throughout the conversation, Sara emphasizes that effective communication—specifically, learning to notice and appreciate your partner rather than focusing on frustrations—is the cornerstone of relationship repair.

The discussion tackles persistent therapy stigmas, particularly around issues like sexual betrayal, addiction, and neurodiversity. Sara passionately advocates for normalizing therapy for all struggles, not just commonly accepted ones like anxiety or depression. For those navigating faith and therapy, she offers thoughtful perspective on how both can work together rather than in opposition.

Don't miss Sara's most powerful advice: don't wait until you've reached complete hopelessness before seeking help. The sooner you reach out, the sooner healing can begin. Ready to renew hope in your relationship? Connect with Sara at livehoperenewed.com or call 682-774-3881 to take that first step toward healing.

To learn more about Hope Renewed Marriage and Family Therapy go to: https://www.livehoperenewed.com/

Hope Renewed Marriage and Family Therapy

682-774-3881

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a family andmarriage counselor?
Well, one may be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Sarah Shelton, with Hope RenewedMarriage and Family Therapy.
Sarah, how are you today?
I'm doing great.
Thank you for having me, Ofcourse, and it's a pleasure to

(00:32):
have you on.
We're so excited to learn allabout you and your business.
Can you start by telling ourlisteners just a little bit
about your company?

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Sure, so I am independently owned.
Sure, so I am independentlyowned LLC and I work with
families kids as young as four,their families all the way up to
couples.
I specialize in working withneurodiverse couples that are

(01:08):
struggling with understandingthe differences and how the
brain works and sees the world,and that's really fun for me.
I offer animal assisted therapyas well and I run retreats with
a partner for therapists rightnow for a renewal for therapists
, and then we're going to alsobranch out into working for
partners of betrayed betrayedpartners and retreats for
couples and retreats for thoseneurodiverse couples and just
providing a safe space for themto grow closer and do some work
at the same time in Colorado.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Wow, that's really amazing.
Now, how did you originally getinto this business?
So?

Speaker 3 (01:37):
many years ago, my husband and I were struggling
very, very early in our marriage.
We had little bitty young onesmy kids are all out of the house
now and I went to a retreatthat really impacted me in a
meaningful way, and I wanted todo that for other women that

(01:57):
were feeling the same pain andstruggle that I was, and so
that's when I first startedthinking about because I was a
teacher.
I was a special ed teacher for18 years and so I was teaching,
and that's when it was planted.
But I decided to leave teachingafter 18 years and go into
marriage and family therapy andI love it.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
That's amazing.
Now, sarah, what is the mostcommon myth or misconception you
come across in the uniqueindustry you're in Well?

Speaker 3 (02:29):
there seems to still be a stigma associated with
therapy.
It's better than it used to be.
It's embraced more andunderstood more for individuals
struggling with anxiety or griefor depression, or grief, or
depression.
But when you're working withindividuals that have sexual
betrayal, sexual addiction,maybe neurodiverse some

(02:55):
individuals don't like to have alabel or let that be known that
that's a struggle and ademographic that I really enjoy
working with, and so just thatidea that it's still okay, even
though it's what it isn't one ofthe accepted needs for therapy,
it's definitely necessary andhelpful and something people

(03:16):
should embrace.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Now, Sarah, we know marketing is the heart of every
business.
Who are your target clients andhow do you currently attract
them?

Speaker 3 (03:30):
So I have I network a lot.
I go to a lot of networkingthings with other therapists,
counselors and psychologists.
I network with psychiatrists soI have a referral system and
that also provides me withreferrals from individuals.
I am on Psychology Today.
I have a Facebook page, I havea website, I have a page on

(03:52):
Christian therapists and throughMonarch on simple practice as
well, and so I have multipleways that I'm advertising what I
can do.
But the best way is throughword of mouth.
Clients that I've helped thatrefer me to their friends and
family.
That's the most significant waythat I gain clients.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Well, that is beautiful and with all the
information that you have, haveyou ever thought of having your
own podcast?

Speaker 3 (04:23):
I have considered it.
I would, I would love to.
There's a lot of informationthat I have that I want to get
out there, so it's definitelysomething I've thought about.
I've thought about, I have somebook ideas as well, and
considering working on adoctorate.
I have two masters, one inspecial education and one in

(04:44):
marriage and family therapy, andI really like working with the
neurodiverse population andthat's part of my story.
So a lot of times therapiststend to gravitate to helping
other people that have struggledwith some of the same things
they have.
And so my husband.
I diagnosed him and we haveworked through a lot of
difficult things and we'll bemarried 29 years in December and

(05:07):
I want to help other couplesfind that hope and be able to
create their normal, even thoughit doesn't maybe look like what
they thought it would theirnormal, even though it doesn't
maybe look like what theythought it would.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
So, sarah, since you've worked with so many
different couples and in so manydifferent situations, what is
that most important key thatmany people miss when it comes
to solving problems within theirrelationship and growing
stronger in the long term?

Speaker 3 (05:35):
Communication.
That is the biggest conflictconflict resolution
communication, learning tonotice and appreciate each other
.
So you have an environment inyour home that is positive,
rather than noticing andfocusing on all the things you
don't like about them.
Right, and if there's somethingyou don't like about your

(05:56):
partner, it's really good totake a look and see do I see
those traits in myself?
And if there's something youreally like about yourself, then
thinking about your partner,hey, do I see those traits in
them?
And having that environmentreally helps that people tend to
get caught up in the thingsthat they're frustrated with
instead of the things thatthey're grateful and thankful
for, and it makes a hugedifference in the home.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Wow, that's awesome.
Now, outside of work, what doyou like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 (06:25):
So I have a giant schnauzer who is my therapy dog.
She's my animal assistedtherapy dog, so when clients
want to have her present, she'sa great tool for them to stay
calm.
So I work on training her,having fun with her, and then I
have a little bitty Maltese mix,and so the dynamic of them so

(06:45):
84 pound giant Schnauzer and alittle bitty Maltese 12 pound
dog is fun.
I love my family.
I do a lot with my family.
We love to play games and spendtime together.
I love baking and anything todo with water.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
It sounds like we have some similarities and I was
going to ask you as well.
So if you didn't have thetestimony that you do with your
own husband, do you think youwould still be in the same
industry today?

Speaker 3 (07:16):
I do, and the reason why I think so is because I'm a
Christian and I seek to honorGod in whatever I do, and I
believe that he placed it on myheart to do therapy and before I
was even trained and got mysecond master's, I was helping
people all the time and through,like Celebrate, recovery and

(07:36):
other ways in the church, and Ijust really felt that pull and I
think, even if my husband and Ihadn't struggled and overcome
so much, I would still behelping people this way because
I love it, absolutely love it.

Speaker 2 (07:49):
Most definitely.
God has a purpose for all of usin our lives, so I am with you
100%.
Now, please tell our listenersone thing you would like them to
take away from this podcasttoday about hope, renewed
marriage and family therapy.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
Um, even if you don't wait until you're at the no
hope or hopeless state in yourrelationship or in your life to
reach out for help, the sooneryou reach out, the sooner you
can process and reconcile orrenew or gain hope.
Um, so I would just suggestthey don't wait and that I'm
here and I have lots oftherapist networks if I'm not
the right fit that I can referto and walk alongside in any

(08:38):
struggle that you're having, butjust don't wait until you're
just completely hopeless toreach out.

Speaker 2 (08:45):
And as somebody who has faith yourself, would you
say it's better to go to Godfirst before a counselor when it
comes to seeking counseling?

Speaker 3 (08:56):
I think that's an individual preference and
individual person's faith andwhere they're at.
I did and do depend on God alot and his word and his counsel
and when clients want thatbrought into our sessions, I
definitely bring the Lord andthe Bible and the word into our
sessions.
But I think that's anindividual preference.

(09:18):
It's not.
I don't think it's like God orcounseling.
It can be God with counseling,God working through counseling
to help the individual or thefamily or the couple with
whatever life has thrown at them.
That is giving them a hard time.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
And where can our listeners go to learn more about
Hope, renewed Marriage andFamily Therapy?

Speaker 3 (09:39):
So my website is livehoperenewedcom.
My work number is 682-774-3881.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
And my email is hoperenewed at protonmailcom.
Well, Sarah, I reallyappreciate you being on the show
.
We wish you and your businessthe best moving forward.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate you askingme to join you and for the time
to see you and get to know youand be a part of this.
I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (10:09):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpfriscocom.
That's gnpfriscocom, or call469-221-9345.
Thank you.