Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Aikens.
Hi Rebecca, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was raised with a strong work ethic in a rural farm community in North Carolina. We were taught to respect our elders and to obey God. My faith grew along with a desire to please people. I looked for acceptance and strived with everything to live a godly life. As a young adult, I felt incomplete like I was missing something. I searched for this by going back to school in my early thirties. I had only a high school education. It took about ten years to complete my undergraduate degree in Human Resource Development. I graduated with the help of God and a supportive husband. We were blessed with a family of two boys and one girl. I had always wanted to be a mom. After 26 years of marriage, at the age of 49, my husband, Buddy was killed in a motor vehicle accident. It rocked my world to say the least. We had just become empty nesters. Our dreams and plans when the children left home were crushed. I remarried in 2004 and I’ve been married to Bob now for 21 years. Six years into our marriage, Bob encouraged me to go back to school. God called me to vocational ministry the year before Buddy died in 2001. It took me a while to answer the call, but I returned to school in 2010 at the age of 57 in answer to my call to ministry. I received my Master’s in Divinity after going four year and 90 credits later, I walked across the stage to receive my diploma. That was a high and holy day. During the time that I was in school, I felt the call to chaplaincy. I decided to go another year of training to become a chaplain. I worked as a chaplain in a clinical environment of a level one trauma center hospital in Greenville, NC. The training was Clinical Pastoral Education, CPE, which prepared me to work in a hospital and care for hurting individuals. After achieving my CPE certification, I began working at the hospital as a chaplain. At that time, there were no fulltime positions for chaplains, so I took a job with hospice company. I worked for hospice as a chaplain providing spiritual care to patients and families for eight years. I was ordained in 2012 by my church and have married a few people and I preach occasionally. During covid, I quit my hospice job in South Carolina. I decided retirement wasn’t for me and I returned to school. I was 69 years old but I didn’t think God was finished with me. I graduated in two years in July 2024 eith my Doctorate in Ministry with Padtoral Counseling. For the past year, I have been working in my own business, which I provide counseling. My business name True North Counseling and Spiritual Care, LLC. I am a Pastoral Counselor, not a Licensed Professional Counselor. I support individuals that have experience loss and those experiencing grief. I provide spiritual care and grief support. My motto is to meet people where they are. I support individuals in their faith tradition or if they have no faith. We work together to achieve healing and wholeness. The past four years, I have led the grief group at Little River United Methodist Church. I live in Little River in a golf community. I don’t play golf, but my husband, Bob does. I enjoy walking, lifting weights, and reading. I am engaged as much as possible with life, people, and nature. I love learning and I have an insatiable curiosity about human nature.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My struggles were primarily financial. Sacrifices that were made getting my education and raising a family. I have dealt with numerous transitions, deaths, and losses. My greatest struggle was feeling inadequate and having a low self-esteem. However, with that being said my challenges have became my greatest strengths.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My mission is to care for hurting individuals. I help people navigate grief and loss, as we work toward achieving goals that are important to them.
The Bible verse that is important to me is from Micah 6:8 “And what does the Lord require of you, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Therefore, I show kindness toward others, and I make it my mission to believe the best about people. These are my core values, and I hope that I can live up to what God desires for me.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Mel Robbins
Craig Groeschel
John Ortberg
Gary Thomas “Everybody Matters”
Contact Info:
- Facebook: True North Counseling and Spiritual Care
