Ellen is a faithful Christian woman, wife, and mother. She is also same-sex attracted. While growing up in a Christian home, Ellen and her family had to navigate the nuances of her sexual orientation and struggles with gender identity. Now married and a mother, she continues to navigate the unique realities of her sexual orientation and her past as a lesbian.

Ellen is the author of Love Covers Over: A Guide for Christian Parents Raising Kids in an LGBTQ+ World and the founder and President of Heart Set Above, a nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping Christians to navigate life’s most challenging topics with both truth and grace. Through courses, books, blogs, and podcasts, Ellen provides biblically sound and psychologically informed tools to help Christians engage life’s difficulties, while strengthening their relationships with God and others.

She also serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Strength in Weakness Ministry, a para-church organization dedicated to bridging the gap between the LGBTQ+ community and God’s church through awareness, education, and support.

Ellen holds a BA in Interpersonal Communication from East Carolina University and an MA in Counseling from Harding School of Theology. Since 2010, she has walked alongside individuals, couples, and families navigating the joys and challenges of pursuing sexual integrity in alignment with the historically Christian perspective of the Biblical sexual ethic.

As a marriage and family therapist and a clinical mental health counselor, Ellen has helped countless individuals and families work through tender topics such as sexuality, gender identity, grief, fear, and conflict. Her unique combination of personal experience and professional expertise allows her to journey with people in the messy middle—the space where truth and grace meet—to help them move forward with clarity, compassion, and conviction.life