About being a Christian and a Therapist:
I am often asked if I do counseling according to the bible or if I am a Christian counselor. Many of my referrals come from pastors and the church community, but a significant portion of those who seek my help do not have any religious affiliation. The issue of Christian counseling is a complex one and has been debated on all levels for decades now, but it might be helpful to explain a little bit about where I am coming from. My Master's level training was at a Christian affiliated institution but my Doctoral education and training were conducted at a secular institution. I am a Christian and have a long history of discipleship involvement, starting with my involvement with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship leadership during college and moving on to leading many small groups, bible studies, and youth ministries. My transition toward becoming a therapist occurred when I began to feel increasingly helpless as some of the adolescents I was working with did not seem to be getting healthier. I began studying counseling at Alliance Graduate School of Counseling in an effort to learn better how to help those adolescents. I soon fell in love with the subject matter and found what I was called to do. I believe that psychology has a lot to offer humanity, much like good nutrition there are general principles that benefit those who identify as Christians and those who don't. I enjoy working with all types of individuals who are struggling and I count it a privilege to help alleviate anyone's suffering.
I am often asked if I do counseling according to the bible or if I am a Christian counselor. Many of my referrals come from pastors and the church community, but a significant portion of those who seek my help do not have any religious affiliation. The issue of Christian counseling is a complex one and has been debated on all levels for decades now, but it might be helpful to explain a little bit about where I am coming from. My Master's level training was at a Christian affiliated institution but my Doctoral education and training were conducted at a secular institution. I am a Christian and have a long history of discipleship involvement, starting with my involvement with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship leadership during college and moving on to leading many small groups, bible studies, and youth ministries. My transition toward becoming a therapist occurred when I began to feel increasingly helpless as some of the adolescents I was working with did not seem to be getting healthier. I began studying counseling at Alliance Graduate School of Counseling in an effort to learn better how to help those adolescents. I soon fell in love with the subject matter and found what I was called to do. I believe that psychology has a lot to offer humanity, much like good nutrition there are general principles that benefit those who identify as Christians and those who don't. I enjoy working with all types of individuals who are struggling and I count it a privilege to help alleviate anyone's suffering.
What is my spiritual/psychological stance?
One theologian stated that the Bible is often prescriptive but not very descriptive. In other words, it often tells us what we need to do but doesn't always explain the best way to go about it. How do we go about loving our neighbor? What do we do with our anger? What do we do when we have trouble valuing ourselves or experiencing God's love? What do we do when we have trouble regulating our thoughts or emotions no matter how hard we pray or recite scripture verses? I think this is where counseling and psychology add a very helpful hand. Understanding how we operate as human beings and how we are designed by God to heal emotionally and mentally, which in turn affects us spiritually, can add deep insight into our journey to be who we were created to be. The Bible talks about the seed and the sower as a metaphor for scripture and our hearts. Jesus describes the word as falling upon bad soil. I like to use that metaphor to describe some of what therapy can do. I work with people's hearts to help till ground so that the "seed" can once again fall on good soil.
"Till We Have Faces" is the title of one of C.S. Lewis' novels. The title came from a line in his book, "How can [the gods] meet us face to face till we have faces?" He was challenging our own self-deception, that we lie to ourselves and fail to perceive ourselves. The result being that, until we know ourselves, we can never truly know God. Often we deny parts of ourselves due to shame or anxiety. We attempt to hack off aspects of ourselves that don't fit our beliefs. Many are afraid that anger or fear will separate them from God or make them a bad Christian, so they shove those parts down so far that they no longer even recognize them. If the psalms teach us anything, its that passion, a full gambit of emotions is an acceptable way to approach God. David clearly had a face when he went before God.
I remember sitting with a friend at a coffee shop while a parade came through. It was lack luster, the crowd was minimal and the actual parade was so minimalistic that it felt just thrown together. My friend said it was like "propping up the dead." The parade was an expression of ideals and sentiments long passed. People were still going through the motions even though the life had left it. Often Christianity is speaking a language long dead and demanding others "prop up the dead" along with them. Ritual and culture can be powerful and life changing but it cannot replace connection and experience. My hope is that I can speak in a language more readily received and challenge in a way that is not so much based upon rigid rules but a commitment to understanding oneself, one's relationship to others, and ultimately their relationship with God.
As a therapist I have grown to appreciate how disconnected we are from ourselves and how powerfully that affects our relationships, including our relationship with God. We lie to ourselves, live in denial and try and create a sanitized version of our relationship with God and the result is that we go to God and others without a face.
My experience with religion and psychology have led me to explore the psychospiritual truths of an authentic faith. My therapy is a deliberate and conscientious attempt to integrate what I know of cognitive, behavioral, relational, and psychodynamic principles in light of current neurological understanding while acknowledging that all healing occurs in safe relationship, all while acknowledging the spiritual principles by which I live. My years of experience, training, self reflection and relentless enquiry have led me to the Internal Family Systems therapeutic model. I am convinced that it aligns well with the Christian faith, adheres to our current understanding of neuroscience and most importantly has assisted my clients in finding true healing and freedom.
One theologian stated that the Bible is often prescriptive but not very descriptive. In other words, it often tells us what we need to do but doesn't always explain the best way to go about it. How do we go about loving our neighbor? What do we do with our anger? What do we do when we have trouble valuing ourselves or experiencing God's love? What do we do when we have trouble regulating our thoughts or emotions no matter how hard we pray or recite scripture verses? I think this is where counseling and psychology add a very helpful hand. Understanding how we operate as human beings and how we are designed by God to heal emotionally and mentally, which in turn affects us spiritually, can add deep insight into our journey to be who we were created to be. The Bible talks about the seed and the sower as a metaphor for scripture and our hearts. Jesus describes the word as falling upon bad soil. I like to use that metaphor to describe some of what therapy can do. I work with people's hearts to help till ground so that the "seed" can once again fall on good soil.
"Till We Have Faces" is the title of one of C.S. Lewis' novels. The title came from a line in his book, "How can [the gods] meet us face to face till we have faces?" He was challenging our own self-deception, that we lie to ourselves and fail to perceive ourselves. The result being that, until we know ourselves, we can never truly know God. Often we deny parts of ourselves due to shame or anxiety. We attempt to hack off aspects of ourselves that don't fit our beliefs. Many are afraid that anger or fear will separate them from God or make them a bad Christian, so they shove those parts down so far that they no longer even recognize them. If the psalms teach us anything, its that passion, a full gambit of emotions is an acceptable way to approach God. David clearly had a face when he went before God.
I remember sitting with a friend at a coffee shop while a parade came through. It was lack luster, the crowd was minimal and the actual parade was so minimalistic that it felt just thrown together. My friend said it was like "propping up the dead." The parade was an expression of ideals and sentiments long passed. People were still going through the motions even though the life had left it. Often Christianity is speaking a language long dead and demanding others "prop up the dead" along with them. Ritual and culture can be powerful and life changing but it cannot replace connection and experience. My hope is that I can speak in a language more readily received and challenge in a way that is not so much based upon rigid rules but a commitment to understanding oneself, one's relationship to others, and ultimately their relationship with God.
As a therapist I have grown to appreciate how disconnected we are from ourselves and how powerfully that affects our relationships, including our relationship with God. We lie to ourselves, live in denial and try and create a sanitized version of our relationship with God and the result is that we go to God and others without a face.
My experience with religion and psychology have led me to explore the psychospiritual truths of an authentic faith. My therapy is a deliberate and conscientious attempt to integrate what I know of cognitive, behavioral, relational, and psychodynamic principles in light of current neurological understanding while acknowledging that all healing occurs in safe relationship, all while acknowledging the spiritual principles by which I live. My years of experience, training, self reflection and relentless enquiry have led me to the Internal Family Systems therapeutic model. I am convinced that it aligns well with the Christian faith, adheres to our current understanding of neuroscience and most importantly has assisted my clients in finding true healing and freedom.