About Us
In order to help give you a sense of who we are and what we are about we have provided the below information about Sean Slevin and Kristin Slevin and as well as what is unique about our counseling (our Neurobiological Approach, Relational Emphasis, and Christian Perspective).
What Makes Our Counseling Unique
Neurobiological Approach
We draw heavily from neurobiology—the science of the brain—in our approach to counseling individuals. Until recently science has not been advanced enough to shed much light on the intricate processes of the brain that produce thoughts and emotions. This limitation meant that the best psychology came from careful observations of and insights into how people seem to function. In the last couple of decades, however, scientific breakthroughs have made rapidly increasing amounts of information available about how the brain works. Many of the current discoveries about how the brain functions can be directly applied to helping people with their personal and relational problems. We strive to stay current with these discoveries and apply them as they are relevant. We are careful not to overwhelm clients with unnecessary technical details, but when it seems useful we are able to explain the hard science behind many of our recommendations.
Relational Emphasis
The heart of the field of Marriage and Family Therapy is understanding relationships. Human beings are relational creatures: counseling without a relational emphasis is like trying to care for a fish without consideration of the water it swims and breaths in. Our relational training and experience equip us to understand what the water is like, and to know how to improve it. This expertise is obviously pertinent to couples and families but it is also tremendously beneficial to individual clients. Though the issues that bring individual clients into counseling may not be obviously relational in nature, all individuals are designed to swim in the ocean of relationships. The currents of these relationships (or lack there of) directly affect the client's individual issues, both positively and negatively.
Christian Perspective
Many of the founders of psychology were heavily biased against Christians which was the beginning of a history of tension between psychology and Christianity. Fortunately this tension seems to be fading with time. However, it can still be difficult to find a counselor who is firmly grounded in both their Christian faith and good psychological training. As Christians we have, in our lives in general and in our training, done a lot of thinking and learning about what the Bible has to say about mankind and what individuals need in order to be whole people. We have taken these understandings and integrated them with what we have learned from psychology and neurobiology. Thus our Christian beliefs are woven together with how we understand psychological wholeness. From this strong foundation we are able to be flexible in our approach to counseling while maintaining our underlying beliefs. We are able to accommodate clients who prefer not to talk about faith issues in counseling. Likewise, we are very willing and able to discuss Scripture and other matters of faith with clients who wish to engage such topics.
Sean Slevin, MA, MFT
Sean has a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. He is a member of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS), and is currently a Resident in Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.
As one who has successfully walked through his own sufferings, Sean has deep empathy for those who are hurting and considers it a privilege to come alongside them and care for them. Sean works primarily with adult individuals and couples. Sean is very practical in his approach to counseling—he wants to help clients determine what works for them to help them live better today. He specializes in helping people make sense out of themselves and their relationships (in part through his experience with personality models) and helping them develop practical skills to move forward in places where they feel stuck.
To learn more about Sean's counseling visit the Transitions Blog to read some of Sean's blog posts. When Sean is not conducting therapy he enjoys tinkering with technology, spending time with friends and family, and watching classic films.
Sean can be reached directly at:
Sean Slevin
Transitions Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling
250 East Market Street, Suite D
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801
(540) 908-2792.
Download Sean Slevin's contact information 
into your address book.
Kristin Slevin, MA, MFT
Kristin has a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, and she is currently a Resident in Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.
One of Kristin's specialties is helping individuals, couples and children who are having trouble with communication. Individuals with communication problems have trouble understanding and expressing themselves which can cause them to experience emotions such as anger, depression and anxiety. Communication problems are often obvious in couples; but they can be hidden when one person in the couple is afraid to express what they are really feeling or thinking to the other. In these cases the fearful person may resort to indirect ways of dealing with difficulties in the relationship such as: being unfaithful, overworking, overeating, avoiding intimacy, etc. Children almost always have trouble communicating because they have not yet developed the skills and abilities needed to understand and express themselves verbally.
To learn more about Kristin's counseling visit the Transitions Blog to read some of Kristin's blog posts. Other than counseling Kristin also enjoys teaching dance, spending time with friends and family, being outside and cooking.
Kristin can be reached directly at:
Kristin Slevin
Transitions Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling
250 East Market Street, Suite D
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801
(540) 908-2793.
Download Kristin Slevin's contact information into your address book.
About Transitions
Transitions Marriage & Family Therapy is currently a division of Judith Weaver, PC, and previously was the Harrisonburg branch of the Vienna Counseling Center.
Please visit the Our Services page for more information about the services that we offer.
