Purple roses and green leaves positioned on a wooden cross

About

Who I Am

Lay Biblical Counselor | RN, BSN, Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC)

I’m Sarah Zavatchin, RN, BSN, Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC). I serve as a Lay Biblical Counselor at Crossroads Community Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and am currently completing Phase 3 of certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).

It is a privilege to come alongside women, teen girls, and girls who are facing the struggles of life or desire to grow in their relationship with Christ.

I believe that God’s Word is sufficient for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and that, through Scripture, we can learn to understand our hearts and respond to the Lord with faith, repentance, obedience, and hope.

Biblical Counseling

Biblical counseling is a ministry of discipleship that brings the truth and hope of God’s Word to the struggles of life.

Together, we seek to understand how Scripture speaks to our:

  • Circumstances

  • Thoughts and beliefs

  • Desires and motivations

  • Emotions and responses

Through biblical counseling, we seek to:

  • Know and trust Christ more deeply

  • Understand our hearts through Scripture

  • Put off sinful patterns and put on biblical righteousness

  • Respond to life with faith, repentance, and obedience

  • Grow in Christlikeness

  • Find hope in the gospel

Counseling may include prayer, Scripture, encouragement, instruction, and loving accountability, with the desire to help each counselee grow in faith and Christlikeness.

Nursing & Lactation Background

I bring more than 20 years of nursing experience serving women, children, and families, including women's health, pediatrics, lactation, adoption and foster care, chronic illness, hospice, and end-of-life care.

As a Registered Nurse and Certified Lactation Counselor, I provide nursing education, breastfeeding education, and lactation support as separate services from biblical counseling.

My nursing background and biblical counseling ministry are distinct. Nursing and lactation services address practical and educational needs, while biblical counseling focuses on bringing God's Word to the struggles of life.

My Heart for Ministry

As a wife, foster and adoptive mother of six, nurse, and member of the local church, I have experienced many of the joys, challenges, and transitions that come with caring for a family.

My desire is to come alongside women and girls with compassion, humility, and biblical truth, trusting the Lord to use His Word to bring encouragement, hope, conviction, and growth.

“Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” — Ephesians 4:15

My desire is not simply to help you navigate difficult circumstances, but to encourage you to know Christ, trust Him, and faithfully follow Him in the circumstances He has given you.

Mission Statement

At Black River Biblical Counseling, my mission is to faithfully bring the truth of God’s Word to bear on the struggles of life, pointing women and girls to the hope of the gospel and the sufficiency of Christ.

Grounded in the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, I seek to come alongside women, teen girls, and girls with compassionate, biblical counsel. Together, we seek to understand life and the heart biblically, respond to God with faith and repentance, and grow in progressive sanctification and joyful obedience to Christ.

My nursing background provides a separate ministry of physical and educational support. Through biblical counseling, my desire is to faithfully minister to the heart through God’s Word, helping others know Christ, trust Him, and grow in Christlikeness for the glory of God.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
— 2 Timothy 3:16

  • Caring for Women & Girls with Scripture, Clarity & Compassion

    Sarah Zavatchin, RN, BSN, CLC
    Lay Biblical Counselor | Biblical Counselor in Training | Registered Nurse

    I am a Registered Nurse, Certified Lactation Counselor, and Lay Biblical Counselor at Crossroads Community Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, currently in Phase 3 of ACBC certification.

    My primary calling is biblical counseling—a ministry of discipleship that brings God’s Word to bear on the struggles of life. I come alongside women, teen girls, and girls, seeking to help them understand life biblically, respond with faith and repentance, and grow in Christlikeness.

    I believe God’s Word is sufficient for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Through Scripture, prayer, and loving encouragement, my desire is to point others to Christ and the hope of the gospel.

    My more than 20 years of nursing experience provides a separate ministry of practical support for women and families, including lactation and family care.

    My desire is simple: to faithfully walk alongside others and point them to Christ..

  • Caring for Women & Girls with Scripture, Clarity & Compassion

    I provide private virtual Biblical Counseling for women, teen girls, and girls. Each counseling relationship is centered on the sufficiency and authority of God’s Word, with compassionate, Christ-centered care that brings Scripture to bear on the struggles of everyday life.

    Biblical counseling is a ministry of discipleship. Together, we seek to understand life and the heart through Scripture, consider thoughts, desires, and responses, and pursue biblical change through faith, repentance, and obedience to Christ.

    The goal is progressive sanctification—growing in Christlikeness as we learn to know, trust, and follow Christ. We look to the Holy Spirit to use the truth of God’s Word to bring about lasting heart change.

    In addition to Biblical Counseling, I provide nursing consultation and lactation support as separate services. These services address physical and practical needs and remain distinct from Biblical Counseling.

    Whether you are walking through suffering, grief, fear, relationship struggles, parenting challenges, or simply desire to grow in your walk with Christ, my desire is to faithfully speak the truth in love, offering biblical encouragement and pointing you to the hope found in Christ.

    “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” — Ephesians 4:15

  • Women

    Women who desire biblical counsel as they walk through suffering, grief, fear, anxiety, relationships, life transitions, or spiritual growth. Together, we seek to understand life and the heart through Scripture and respond with faith, repentance, and obedience to Christ.

    Teen Girls

    Teen girls who need a safe, age-appropriate place to consider life through the truth of God’s Word, grow in their understanding of Christ, and learn to respond to struggles with faith, wisdom, and obedience.

    Girls & Their Mothers

    Girls and their mothers who desire help applying God’s Word to everyday struggles and opportunities for growth. Counseling may include parental involvement and equipping parents to faithfully disciple their daughters.

    Adoptive & Foster Mothers

    Women walking through adoption and foster care who desire biblical encouragement as they seek to shepherd their children’s hearts, respond wisely to challenges, and faithfully fulfill their calling as parents.

    Women Facing Suffering & Difficult Seasons

    Women experiencing chronic illness, caregiving, loss, major life transitions, or other seasons of suffering who desire to grow in their trust of God and learn to respond to difficult circumstances in ways that honor Christ.

    Women & Families Facing Loss

    Women and families walking through serious illness, end-of-life care, or grief who desire compassionate biblical encouragement and hope in the promises of God.

    Women Desiring Growth

    Women who simply desire to grow in Christlikeness, better understand their hearts, and faithfully apply Scripture to the ordinary circumstances of life.

    Whatever season you are walking through, my desire is to come alongside you with compassion and truth, keeping Christ and His Word at the center.

  • Each Biblical Counseling session is shaped by the individual and the circumstances they are facing, while remaining firmly grounded in the sufficiency and authority of God’s Word. I seek to come alongside women, teen girls, and girls with compassion, truth, prayer, and careful application of Scripture.

    Biblical Counseling is a ministry of discipleship that brings God’s Word to bear on the struggles of life. Together, we seek to understand the heart biblically, respond to God with faith and repentance, and grow in Christlikeness through progressive sanctification.

    Our hope is not simply to change circumstances or manage behavior, but to see lives increasingly shaped by the gospel as the Holy Spirit works through the truth of Scripture.

    “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” — 2 Timothy 3:16

Get Started

If you are considering Biblical Counseling or have questions about the counseling process, you are welcome to reach out.

Please share a few details about what you are walking through. I will prayerfully consider your request and follow up with you.

It would be a privilege to come alongside you with compassion, truth, and the hope found in Christ and His Word.