Marriage & Family
Real, practical help for normal marriages and the families they build — from drifting and disconnection to communication, conflict, and parenting.
Explore marriage & family counseling →
Counseling
Pastoral counseling, rooted in faith
Bret Legg is a pastoral counselor in Augusta, GA who helps individuals, couples, and families work through marriage struggles, personal growth, and recovery from abuse. His counseling is faith-based, confidential, and practical — rooted in Scripture and real compassion. He meets clients in person across the Augusta/CSRA area and online anywhere. Sessions begin with a simple conversation about what you're facing and what you hope will change.
The heart of it
What is pastoral counseling?
Pastoral counseling is faith-based care that brings biblical truth and genuine compassion to the real struggles of life, marriage, and family. It isn't a clinical diagnosis or a prescription — it's a safe, confidential conversation focused on understanding what you're facing and finding practical, hope-filled next steps.
Bret has spent decades sitting with people in the ordinary and the unthinkable: couples who feel more like roommates, parents at a loss, and survivors finding their voice again. The work is grounded in Scripture, but it's never preachy — just honest, plain-spoken help that meets you where you are and points toward hope.
Who it's for
- Individuals wrestling with anxiety, a hard season, a faith question, or a stuck place in life.
- Couples who are in crisis, drifting apart, or simply want to grow closer before things get hard.
- Families navigating conflict, parenting struggles, or blended-family challenges.
- Survivors of sexual abuse seeking safe, gentle, faith-based support at their own pace.
- Engaged couples preparing for marriage with a solid foundation in communication, expectations, and faith.
- Anyone seeking meaning — clarity, resilience, and a faith that holds in everyday life.
Honest scope
How is this different from clinical therapy?
Both pastoral counseling and clinical therapy can be deeply good — they're just different kinds of care. Bret is a pastoral counselor, not a licensed clinical therapist, and when a situation calls for licensed or medical care he'll gladly help you connect with the right professional. Here's an honest look at the difference:
| Pastoral counseling | Clinical therapy | |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Scripture, faith, and spiritual care | Clinical training, diagnosis, and licensed treatment |
| Focus | Meaning, relationships, growth, and hope — practical next steps | Diagnosing and treating mental-health conditions; medication when needed |
| Who it's for | Anyone seeking faith-rooted guidance for life, marriage, and family | People needing licensed care for clinical or medical concerns |
| When to seek clinical care | Bret refers out for diagnosis, medication, or acute clinical needs — and often works alongside licensed professionals | Right step for active crisis, trauma needing clinical treatment, or a condition requiring medical oversight |
If you're ever in immediate danger, call 911. For crisis support any time, you can call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Bret will always help you find the right level of care.
Where I can help
How I can help
Six places this work most often begins — each one a conversation, not a program.
Individual Counseling
One-on-one pastoral counseling for anxiety, life transitions, faith questions, and personal growth — grounded in Scripture and practical next steps.
Marriage Counseling
Help for couples to rebuild trust, communicate honestly, and move toward the "Normal Marriage" God designed — whether you're in crisis or just want to grow.
Family Counseling
Support for parents and families navigating conflict, blended-family challenges, and parenting through hard seasons with grace and clear guidance.
Sexual Abuse Recovery
Safe, confidential, faith-based support for survivors of sexual abuse — moving at your pace toward healing, freedom, and hope.
Premarital Counseling
Practical preparation for engaged couples — communication, expectations, finances, and faith — so your marriage starts on a solid foundation.
Personal Growth and Faith
Guidance for becoming who God made you to be — meaning, resilience, and a faith that holds in the ordinary and the hard, with truth you can actually use.
What to expect
How we get started
No pressure, no paperwork maze — just a simple way to begin.
1
Reach out
Send a note through the contact form with a little about what you're facing. Share only what you're comfortable with.
2
A conversation
Bret follows up to find a first time to talk — in person across the Augusta/CSRA area or online by video, wherever you are.
3
A plan
Together you'll name what you hope will change and map a few practical, hope-filled next steps that fit your life.
4
Walk it forward
You don't walk it alone. Bret stays alongside you, adjusting as you go and pointing toward real, lasting hope.
Good questions
Frequently asked questions
What is pastoral counseling?
Pastoral counseling is faith-based care that brings biblical truth and real compassion to struggles in life, marriage, and family. It's a confidential conversation focused on understanding what you face and finding practical next steps.
How is pastoral counseling different from clinical therapy?
It's grounded in Scripture and spiritual care, not clinical diagnosis or medication. Bret is a pastoral counselor, not a licensed therapist, and will help you find licensed care when a situation needs it.
Is what we talk about confidential?
Yes. Conversations are private and held with care. Bret will always explain the rare limits to confidentiality (such as risk of harm) up front.
Do you offer online sessions, or only in person?
Both. Bret meets clients in person across the Augusta/CSRA area and online by video anywhere.
Do I have to be religious to come?
No. Anyone is welcome. Bret works from a Christian, biblical foundation and will meet you wherever you are, without pressure.
How do we get started?
Reach out through the contact form with a little about what you're facing, and Bret will follow up to find a first time to talk.
Focused help
Explore the three areas of focus
Counseling is the hub — these pages go deeper on the places life most often gets hard, and hopeful.
Sexual-Abuse Recovery
Gentle, trauma-informed help for survivors. You are not alone, it was not your fault, and healing — real healing — is possible.
Read about recovering after abuse →Personal Growth and Faith
Two-minute truths and lifelong wisdom for becoming who God made you to be — plus the Quick Counsel podcast and decades of writing.
Find growth resources →
Take the first step
Let's start with a conversation
Whatever you're carrying, you don't have to carry it alone. Reach out and tell Bret a little about what you're facing — he'll follow up to find a first time to talk.