Biographies

Clay Barnes PhD, MDiv, - Pastor of Caring
Clay was a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology in 1976. In 1988 Clay completed his M.Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary, in Atlanta, Ga. In 1995 he completed his PhD in Counseling Psychology from American College and Seminary, Bethany, OK.

Clay’s ministry experience includes 10 years on Young Life staff, a para-church ministry to high school students. In 1985 he joined the staff at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church as an Associate Pastor/Counselor. In 1989 he was the Senior Pastor of a church plant in Charlotte called Grace Chapel where he served for 3 years. Then in 1993 he joined the staff at Carmel Baptist Church and started what is now the Carmel Counseling Center. In 1999 he began his present role as the Pastor of Caring which provides pastoral care across our church body. Dr. Barnes carries out most of the pastoral duties of teaching and preaching in the absence of our Senior Pastor. He is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.

Dr. Barnes specializes in marital and family issues, eating disorders, grief, sexual addiction, sexual and ritualistic abuse.

David Dixon, MA, LPC - Director of Counseling
David was a graduate of North Carolina State University in 1990. In 1994 David graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA, with a MA in Counseling and was inducted into the PSI CHI (National Honor Society of Psychology).

David lived in Austin, Texas where he completed an internship with the Minirth-Meier, Tunnel, Wilson Clinic. At the end of 1994 David took a job with RAPHA Treatment Centers located in Charlotte, NC. RAPHA was the largest provider of Christian based psychiatric treatment in the United States. At RAPHA David worked with adolescents, adults, and families, providing Christ-centered counseling. In 1997 David was named the Director of RAPHA and at that time moved its services to Rock Hill, SC. David was in private practice in Charlotte for six years at Morrocroft Psychological Group and has seen clients at Carmel Counseling Center since 1998. In 2000 he joined the staff at Carmel Baptist Church as an Associate Pastor/Director of Counseling. David is licensed in the state of North Carolina as a Professional Counselor, and is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is also a Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor, as well as trained in Critical Incident Stress Management.

David is presently working on his PhD in Counseling from Liberty University and teaches a seminar class to professionals and students at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Charlotte called Advanced Clinical Training. David specializes in working with adults and adolescents on various life issues. This includes: anxiety, depression, grief and loss, relational conflict, sexual identity, sexual addiction, parenting, marriage and family counseling, and self worth issues. David and his wife Jennifer have two daughters, Abby and Amelia.

Bentley Ball , MA - Counselor
Bentley graduated from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 1985 with a BS in Business Administration. She worked with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, a collegiate parachurch organization at NCSU, UNCC, and UT, Austin before earning a Masters in Biblical Counseling at Colorado Christian University in 1990 with specific interest in the long term effects of childhood sexual abuse. While in Colorado she worked at CareUnit of Colorado, a residential treatment center with adults and adolescents, with additional training in experiential therapy. From 1996 to 2004 she lived in Perth , Western Australia , her husband's home, where she offered individual and group therapy at Perth Bible College (PBC) before and between having four children. She facilitated counseling training groups of men and women preparing for pastoral ministry, as well as several women's groups (The Heart of a Woman) with some of them focusing specifically on sexual abuse recovery (A Time to Grieve). At PBC she also taught classes on the effects of sexual abuse. Since moving back to Charlotte she has taught preschool at Providence Presbyterian Preschool and been at home with her children. She is currently pursuing being licensed in the state of North Carolina.

Wendy Eunice , MA - Counselor
Wendy graduated cum laude from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling in 2007. She has completed counseling internships at Carolinas Counseling Group, and The Barnabas Center as well as CCC.

Since 1998, she has worked full-time with a college ministry and continues to provide leadership for staff and students on five campuses in North Carolina. She obtained a Bachelor of Music Therapy from Georgia College and State University (1997) after completing music therapy internships at a rape crisis center, an out-patient state mental health facility and Central State Hospital, an in-patient psychiatric facility. She has experience with people working through relationship issues including boundaries, grief, conflict/resolution, dating, and singleness.

She has worked with people who suffer from adjustment disorder, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her passion is helping people develop self-awareness and freedom to better relate with God and others. Since she has served on a team of missionaries for a decade, she has great insight into team relationships and helping people prepare for and weather the storms of full-time Christian ministry. Most of her experience is with young adults working individually and in therapy groups.

Carol Grier, M. Ed., M.T.S., LPC - Counselor
Carol graduated from University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1972. She completed her Masters of Education in Counseling from University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1992. She worked for several years as a Counselor with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system before furthering her education at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. During her graduate schooling, she completed internships at Presbyterian Hospital's Employee Assistance Program, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Agape Christian Counseling Center. She was inducted into the PSI CHI (National Honor Society of Psychology) and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Gordon-Conwell in 2002 with a Masters of Theological Studies in Counseling. She met requirements for state licensure in January of 2002. She has experience working with adolescents, adults, and families on a wide variety of issues.

Rob Lewinski, MA, LPC, MFTA - Counselor
Rob graduated from Texas Tech University in 1994, with a B.A. in Sociology. After graduation, he spent 9 years working in Corporate America as an Information Technology (IT) Project Team Development and Project Manager. In 2006, Rob graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte , NC with an M.A. in Christian Counseling (MACC) and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (MFTA). He was inducted into the PSI CHI National Honor Society in 2004 and is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC).

During his graduate work, Rob completed two practicum’s working as Chaplain at Presbyterian Hospital ’s Main Uptown Charlotte location and Matthew’s campus. Following this, he moved to Agape Christian Counseling and First Baptist Church of Matthews Counseling Center to complete his internships. During his training, Rob learned to integrate sound biblical doctrine and the practices of psychology. He also developed special interests in helping men, women and adolescents to resolve their struggles with issues of identity, grief and loss, depression, life purpose, marriage, parenting, communication and relationship skills, self-esteem, and career.

Rob currently works full-time as a therapist for Access Counseling Group in Charlotte, NC and Carmel Counseling Center. He resides in Charlotte, NC with his wife, Amarie, and his two girls, Halle and Hayden.

Wendy Skenderi, MA, LPC, BCPCC - Counselor Wendy graduated summa cum laude with a Masters in Christian Counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte and was inducted into the Phi Alpha Chi, Scholastic Honor Society. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in North Carolina, a Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Before joining Carmel Counseling in 2004, she completed counseling internships at Covenant Day School, Hickory Grove Baptist Counseling Center and Presbyterian Hospital. In addition, she has a Bachelor of Music in music therapy from the University of the Pacific in California. Her experience includes leading individual and group music therapy sessions in integrated special education classes, rehabilitation clinics, pediatric hospitals, and nursing homes. She has extensive cross-cultural experience due to living overseas and her involvement in missions.

Wendy works with children, adolescents, and adults in individual, couple, and family therapy on a variety of psychological, emotional, relational, behavioral and spiritual issues. Her approach integrates a Biblical foundation with proven psychological principles. Included in her training and experience are counseling for anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma and abuse recovery, as well as issues dealing with identity, self-worth, marital, relational, parenting concerns and childhood disorders. Wendy lives in Charlotte with her husband and two children.

Diana Smith, MA, - Counselor Diana’s cross-cultural background encompasses life in South America, the West Indies, the Dutch West Indies, and the Southeastern United States. Her experience has broadened her understanding of people from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds, and of their struggles to live well. Diana graduated summa cum laude with a masters in Christian counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte. She was inducted into the Phi Alpha Chi and Psi Chi Scholastic Honor Societies, and she completed internships with Hickory Grove Baptist Church and Carmel Baptist Church. Counseling is her second career. Diana has provided individual and couples ministry in churches since 2000, and she was pleased to join Carmel Counseling Center in 2004. Her counseling approach integrates Biblical truth with psychological principles in the healing process.

She addresses a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, grief and loss, chronic illness and disability, identity and self-worth, marriage, parenting, and other relationship problems. She has facilitated Divorce Care, Disability, and Celebrate Recovery support groups. She is certified to administer the Taylor Johnson Temperament Analysis and is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. She and her husband have two children.

Nancy Waring, Ph.D. - Counselor Nancy is a licensed psychologist. She earned her Ph.D. (1992) in counseling psychology and her M.Ed. (1983) in counseling and student personnel, both from the University of Georgia. She holds a B.A. (1979) in psychology from Randolph-Macon Women's College. After earning her masters in counseling, Nancy worked as a career counselor at Indiana Univ. Upon completion of her PhD., Nancy worked as a psychologist in the counseling center at UNC-Charlotte. In 1996, Nancy entered private practice in Charlotte, where she practiced for 11 years. Nancy joined the Carmel Counseling Center out of a deep desire to be part of a Christian counseling center. In all, Nancy has worked in the field of counseling for 24 years with adults of all ages. She is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and the Christian Association for Psychological Studies. Nancy offers Christ-centered counseling to adults on a wide range of issues, including: chronic illness, marital and relationship issues, singleness, depression, eating issues and career development. She and her husband, Mike live in Charlotte.

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