Great News! After 52 years of clinical practice, my first book was released in October 2025. It is called: LET ME DRAW YOU A PICTURE: BIBLICAL SOLUTIONS TO BUILDING AND RESTORING MARRIAGE. 1) It's a great resource for a self-help book for couples who are hurting or want to move their marriage from a B to an A. 2) It's also a great resource for anyone in the people helping profession - especially good for those newly in the field. 3) It is also a valuable resource for Christian leaders seeking guidance on leading a class on marriage recovery or marriage enrichment. You can find it on Amazon by searching for Larry L French. There are two versions: a facilitator's version and a smaller personal version. If you gained some valuable insights, a 5-star review would be greatly appreciated to help get the material to the Christian community. (The second volume is coming out soon, LET ME DRAW YOU A PICTURE: BIBLICAL SOLUTIONS TO EMOTIONAL HEALTH. It is our prayer and hope that this resource will be available to many Christian brothers and sisters who do not have access to professional counseling. Please keep this ministry in your prayers as we continue to write a set of volumes.)
The Goal - A Faith-Based Christian Counseling Center
Larry is the founder and the Executive Director of the Virginia Center for Family Relations. VCFR is a fulfillment of his desire to develop a counseling practice that provides the very finest psychological services grounded in a Christian worldview. Our staff's objective is to facilitate healing from emotional and relational hurts for individuals and families in our community.
Training & Education
He earned a Master of Arts degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling from Azusa Pacific University @ the California Family Study Center (in the Los Angeles area) and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He holds dual licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor with the Commonwealth of Virginia. Upon completing his graduate studies, he was licensed as a Marriage, Family, and Child Counselor and practiced in private practice in Southern California for several years. He and his wife settled in Virginia with their four children.
Larry has been a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the Virginia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and the Virginia Association of Clinical Counselors. He has served as a Clinical Supervisor with the AAMFT, a Counselor Supervisor with the Virginia Board of Professional Counselors, and has been a Field Practicum Supervisor with the University of Virginia.
His training in Family Systems and his years of clinical and supervisory experience shape his Cognitive Behavior approach to counseling. Having completed the 3 levels of the Gottman Training for Marriage Counseling and incorporated Gottman research findings at the University of Washington has increased his effectiveness as a couples therapist. In addition to the standard counseling appointments, he offers a more intense, four (4) hour couples therapy option. In addition to his marriage and relationship counseling, he works with the broader family dynamics (adult children, parents, and grandparents) and also provides individual therapy. This includes: stress management, depression, self-image, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic and anxiety disorders, step-family tensions, communication skills, toxic faith issues, sexual addictions, and recovery from childhood abuse and dysfunctional families.
Consultant & Teaching
Larry consults with small businesses and churches to deal with morale issues and employee conflicts. He offers on-site training in conflict management, improving interpersonal communication, emotional regulation, and hospitality toward visitors, as well as custom-designed workshops tailored to your group's specific needs. When your company or church staff is in turmoil, he helps by assessing the source of the tension or conflict and then providing the necessary direction for reconciliation and healing. (It seems it would be obvious for pastors, but sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees.) For those distressed and exhausted by the emotional toll their work takes, Larry is an understanding, confidential resource, providing support to pastors (and their spouses) facing the effects of professional burnout. He is enthusiastic about his role as a pastoral consultant. He has been and remains a referral resource for Focus on the Family for many years.
Living life for most of us is an enormous challenge. As you know, there is one difficulty after another. How do we address these day-to-day challenges and continue to grow and mature as individuals? Having a deep and abiding faith is crucial to successfully navigating the turbulent seas of life. A verse that he holds tightly to when going through these life difficulties is: Consider it pure joy when you fall into trials and temptations…. because this will help you become mature, complete, and not lacking in anything. (James 1:2)
Military Service
Before Larry began his career in psychology, he served for four years in the USCG. (As a crew member, his role was as an Aviation Electronic Technician and Radioman on search and rescue flights out of Miami.) He is so proud of the men and women (and their families) who have worn the uniform of our military. Thank you for your sacrifices to keep our country free and safe. (Here you can get a glimpse into some routine missions: The Cold War: CG Reconnaissance Flights.)