What makes us unique

At ANLCC, we are ministers with mental health training. Our counselors and interns have the formal education, practical life and ministry experience, as well as professional training to help you in and through many of the problems, struggles or setbacks you may be experiencing in your life and/or walk with Christ. Whether they are mental, emotional, relational, or spiritual—your needs and concerns will receive the focused attention and best treatment necessary to help you find comfort, solve problems, or break free!


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Our Approach

When we work with you, we do not focus on what is 'wrong' with you; we focus on what is missing from your experience of a new life in Christ.


At ANLCC, we believe in the reality and relevance of your spiritual faith and identity as we help you through the counseling process to address mental, emotional and relational issues. As pastoral counselors, we acknowledge the interest and influence of God in your counseling process. As professional counselors we are confident that our skills and training make it more efficient, ethical, and understandable for you.

Our Story

Brad Peterson founded ANLCC back in the Spring of 2005 while still finishing his graduate degree in clinical counseling at Western Seminary. Already a graduate of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (Family Ministry emphasis) program from Multnomah Biblical Seminary, he launched into private practice under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Mandler at The Children's Clinic in Portland, OR and began to offer the community his unique approach of truly blending pastoral care and clinical guidance.


After a successful completion of his studies and internship requirements, ANLCC continued to provide Brad the opportunity to develop his approach and build a thriving private practice in both Portland and Vancouver. In 2006, Brad invited 2 other like-minded professionals to join him in providing professional counseling services primarily to those identifying with a Christian faith and seeking services from those who shared some of their most deeply held values.


Over the years, ANLCC has grown from a single-office, individual private practice ($14 was collected for the first session), to a professional counseling staff providing services to several hundred individuals, couples and families each year!


Today, ANLCC operates from two locations that are conveniently located and accessible to the entire Portland-Vancouver metro area. We also offer a variety of other, unique counseling experiences through our strategic partners.


From its inception to today, ANLCC counseling staff have always sought to hold fast to our mission:

“To compassionately and competently help clients overcome emotional, relational, or spiritual obstacles so that they can confidently and completely live out A New Life in Christ!”


As of 2014, Brad only offers limited counseling services through ANLCC and serves full-time as Director of Counseling & Care at Grace Chapel in Wilsonville, OR. He is still very active as owner and provides leadership, supervision and support to the staff and interns of ANLCC.

What are the Steps to a new life?

At A New Life Christian Counseling, we utilize a four-part treatment method as the most logical, Biblical, and efficient way to conduct counseling in a professional-pastoral context.


Step One: Build a cooperative relationship between the client and counselor. This step is necessary for establishing genuineness and authenticity, or, in a word—trust. In addition, working cooperatively with your counselor puts you and them together on the same side against your problems, issues, or long-standing defense mechanisms.


Step Two: Analyze and assess your attitudes, behaviors, patterns, and/or lifestyle. This is congruent with the Bible’s emphasis of judging a tree by its fruit, or rather, your inner motives/heart by your actions or words. Personal responsibility for your own actions and choices is crucial at this step, as well as identifying which of these you would like to change.


Step Three: Interpret & gain insight into why or how you adopted, learned, or developed such attitudes, behaviors, patterns, and/or lifestyle. Scripture seems to emphasize our need for wisdom and understanding; a renewing of our mind; and a shifting of our paradigms. Part of our role as counselors is to help you more accurately understand your own values, priorities, attitudes and behaviors in light of Scriptural truth, mandates, principles and practice. As professional pastoral counselors, we have endeavored to achieve a relative mastery in both arenas—that of accurate, Scriptural understanding and application,, as well as of skillful and professional counseling.


Step Four: Reorient and establish, as well as work towards and reach, reasonable and manageable goals that most reflect your personal and spiritual values. Your “new life” of attitudes, behaviors, patterns, and lifestyle will give you boldness, courage, and confidence without fear of giving way to pride, arrogance, and over-confidence. You will also have the ability to abstain, refrain, and exercise self-control, without falling victim to boredom, shame, or timidity!

Doctrine and Beliefs

1. THE BIBLE: We believe that the Holy Scripture is God’s own word, written by men as the Holy Spirit inspired them to write. It is an infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. As His authoritative and inspired word, the Bible points us towards God Himself, where true and eternal life is found. (2 Peter 1: 20 –21; 2 Timothy 16-17; John 5:38-40).


2. GOD: We believe that there is but one God, eternal, infinite, perfect, and unchangeable. God is one in His essential being, but in this one being there are three persons, called, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind primarily as love. (Gen. 1:26; 11:7; Matt. 28:19; Luke 3:21, 22; John 14 -16; Exod. 34:6-7; 1 John 4:7-9).


3. JESUS: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is God. He became man when conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14; Matt. 1:18) in order that He might redeem sinful man. Christ became man without ceasing to be God. Christ redeemed man by voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, to satisfy God’s judgment against sin and wrath against sinners (Matt. 20:28; John 1: 29; Rom 3:25; 1 John 2:2). Because of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ, mankind has an all-access pass to God once again, both for a future heaven and now, here on earth through His Holy Spirit (John 10:10, 14:6, 16; 1 Cor. 15:17; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Heb 10:19-22).


4. HOLY SPIRIT (PT. 1): We believe that the Holy Spirit is the giver of life, convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16. 8-11). Through the proclamation of the Gospel He persuades men to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord. He gives birth to new life and dwells in the life of the regenerated person (John 3:5-6; 6:63). The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son, who in turn came to glorify the Father. He leads the believer into understanding and applying the truth of God’s word (John 14:15-17, 25, 26).


5. HOLY SPIRIT (PT. 2): We believe that the Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification (growing up and into our new life in Christ), therefore He seeks to produce the fruit (evidence) of His life in us (Gal. 5: 5:22-23). Though indwelling sin remains a reality while we are on the earth in the flesh, the Spirit of God comes to lead us to the knowledge of our true and righteous nature in heaven so that we can increasingly overcome sinful behavior, even while on earth (Rom. 7:22-24; 2 Cor. 5:16-17). In addition to regeneration and sanctification, the Holy Spirit also empowers believers to serve the body of Jesus Christ and distributes gifts and empowerment for ministry (1 Cor. 12:11). While all believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at conversion, the scriptures clearly show the need for ongoing empowering of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18).


6. SALVATION: We believe that one is saved by the grace of God and not by character, law or good works (Eph. 2:8-9). The death and resurrection of Christ are adequate for salvation of all and offered to all (1 Peter 3:18). However, salvation is appropriated only by a confession of faith in Christ by a person who truly believes in their heart that God truly loves them and forgives them for every wrong they've done or will do (Rom. 10:9-11; Heb. 9:14) and who admit their inability to save themselves (Acts 4:12) or live a moral life apart from God (John 15:5). Those who repent (change their thinking) and believe (adopt as a core conviction) that Christ is their personal Savior and Lord are born again (regenerated), adopted into the family of God, and receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 3: 21-25).


7. THE FUTURE: We believe that the same Jesus who ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11) will come back. The dead in Christ will resurrect from the rest of the dead, and the living believers who will be alive at the time of His coming shall be caught up in the air to Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).