What on earth are Christian psychotherapists doing?
A Christian woman follows the recommendation of her doctor to see a counselor. Her friends advise her to see a Christian therapist. She shows up in the waiting area. What should she expect?
Most of us who work or have worked as psychotherapists
are familiar with the fact that in the U.S. most people believe in God and most
of them identify as Christian. A significant part of those prefer to obtain
counseling or psychotherapy from a Christian psychotherapist. And they have
many to choose from. But Christian psychotherapists are as diverse as people
who identify as Christian.
Christian counselors range the full spectrum from
conservative to liberal based on their church affiliation and their social
values. Add to that conservative-liberal spectrum differences in faith practice
by Catholics and Protestants. And if you consider Pentecostals and charismatics
you can get an interesting mix of spiritual beliefs. Then there’s the
Mormons—still suspect by some conservative groups but certainly invested in psychological
research and interventions that integrate Christian spirituality.
The above mentioned variation in Christian faith should be
enough to make clients wonder what they might experience when they get a
Christian counselor or psychotherapist. But there’s more. So what if the
therapist identifies as a Christian, what exactly will that Christian psychotherapist
do in psychotherapy that’s different from what a secular psychotherapist does? And
what if they were to be assigned to a psychotherapist from another faith—say Islam
or Buddhist for example? Does faith make a difference when it comes to
treating depression or anxiety?
Research
There is not much research out there. In a book published
last year, I came across a startling quote from the editors (Eric Johnson,
Everett L. Worthington, Jr., Joshua N. Hook, and Jamie D. Aten) in a summary
chapter:
“…there is a good deal of confusion and little
agreement in the field today regarding what exactly constitutes Christian
psychotherapy and counseling (p. 337).”
The editors referred to a previous study from 2007. I
looked up the article and found that the researchers looked at the
effectiveness of Christian therapy in a sample of 51 therapists and 220
clients.
That’s not a lot of Christian therapists or clients but
it is a start. And as an agency based field study the team was able to look at
some detailed comparisons. Of course these scholars recognized the problems in
identifying exactly what is Christian
therapy. For the purposes of the study they considered two minimal
criteria. The therapy was identified as Christian by the therapist or the
agency and there was an intent to provide the client with a Christian therapist
who shared a similar commitment to Christian beliefs.
Some findings
From the discussion on page 102:
“The results of the current
study suggest that clients who seek and receive explicitly labeled Christian therapy,
as well as those who seek and receive secular therapy, tend to feel close to
their therapists and perceive therapy to be effective. Those clients who have
strong religious commitments respond particularly well when therapists use
discernible religious interventions.
But what did they
do?
Well, the researchers asked about six interventions. Most agreed that knowing a client’s religious
background was appropriate. The other five occurred less frequently for a
secular counseling center compared to therapists at Christian Centers. But the
interventions were broadly stated: Pray with a client, Pray privately for a
client, Use religious language or concepts, recommend religious or spiritual
books, and recommend clients participate in religion.
Thoughts
As I mentioned above, the study published in 2007 was
referenced in the book of empirically based practice that was published near
the end of 2013. The book contains several interventions that could be called Christian. But who uses them? Perhaps
more important, who even knows about them? And how would psychotherapists learn
about such interventions if they went to secular graduate programs?
The authors of the 2007 study note the value of religious commitment. That seems important to developing rapport. And religious commitment can be measured. Likely that would not be unique to Christian counselors though. I suspect highly committed Christians, Muslims, and Jews would also feel a closer connection to therapists who demonstrate a high commitment to their respective faith traditions.
The authors of the 2007 study note the value of religious commitment. That seems important to developing rapport. And religious commitment can be measured. Likely that would not be unique to Christian counselors though. I suspect highly committed Christians, Muslims, and Jews would also feel a closer connection to therapists who demonstrate a high commitment to their respective faith traditions.
Christian counseling just means you pray
together and consult the Bible. Right?
I know there is
more.
But what on earth are Christian counselors doing?
Clearly it’s time for a lot more research. I and my colleague
Chris Arnzen are in the process of collecting data from Christian Counselors
and Psychotherapists (all related professions). We want to know what these
therapists do and what they believe. We also want to know how they were
educated – where did they get their degree and how did they learn about the
Christian faith? A survey won’t answer all the questions but we think it’s a
start.
Although many clinicians identify themselves as
Christian, many are graduates from secular universities and professional
schools. It is not clear how much they know about Christianity or explicitly Christian
interventions. Also, many enter two-year Master’s Degree Christian counselor
preparation programs with little or no coursework in biblical studies yet they
are expected to integrate their faith with their counseling practice.
If Christian
counseling means something unique, then people need to know what that is.
For those of you who do not know the mental health professions,
I’ll offer a quick overview. A Master’s degree is the basic entry degree for
counselors and psychotherapists, including Social Workers. Those degrees often take
up to two years and students take somewhere between 50 and 65 credit hours,
which includes supervised experiences. Before getting a license for independent
practice, they must pass a national test and have post-degree supervision from
an approved supervisor. A common minimal standard to become a professional counselor
in the U.S. is 60 graduate hours covering a defined set of objectives.
Psychologists usually have some 120 graduate hours and usually have two years
of supervised experience.
In future posts, I will cover some of the strategies
that might be considered Christian. So, stay tuned. For now, if you plan to see a Christian Counselor or Psychotherapist because you have specific expectations, it might be good to find out what that person believes and how she/he understands Christian counseling.
Meanwhile, if you know of a Christian Counselor, Social
Worker, or Psychologist do refer them to me to complete our survey so we can
better understand what it means to be a Christian Counselor or Psychotherapist.
Research Contact
for the counselor survey:
Provide an email in the comment section;
by email SuttonGPhD@gmail.com
or on
Related post
References
Johnson, E.L., Worthington, E.L. Jr., Hook, J.N., &
Aten, J.D. (2013). Evidenced-based practice in light of the Christian
traditions: Reflections and future directions. E. L. Worthington Jr., E. L.
Johnson, J.N. Hook, & J.D. Aten (Eds.), Evidenced-based
practices for Christian counseling and psychotherapy (pp. 325-346). Downers
Grove, IL: CAPS/IVP Academic.
Wade, N.G., Worthington, E.L., Jr., & Vogel, D.L.
(2007). Effectiveness of religiously-tailored
interventions in Christian therapy. Psychotherapy Research, 17, 91-105.
Whereas I affiliate myself with an atheistic perspective, I have extensive training in Christian theology and have no small level of success integrating it into my practice for those who are heavily entrenched in their faith. I feel it becomes much more about speaking a different language to the client to meet them where they are; that language is scripture. I can utilize evolutionary principles to explain the brains propensity to be a meaning making machine, or I can state that "God" has created you for a purpose. Either way, I am communicating Victor Frankl's ideology of logotherapy, but I am doing it in such a way that the client is able to digest the information without resistance. Ellis encouraged REBT practitioners to utilize scriptures and faiths as a way of communicating the scientific in a way that is palatable to the religious. Even Frued viewed religion as useful in treatment, if for no other reason than as a defense mechanism. In modern times, it is my opinion that Christian methods can be used to communicate scientific truths for populations which would be otherwise distanced by science in psychoeducation, and used to communicate other coping skills in a way that allows for the individual to feel safe practicing it (mindfulness meditation turned into "mindful prayer" comes to mind specifically, where some extreme groups see such practices as yoga to be demonic, even.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your atheistic perspective and illustrating how you accommodate Christian clients. I do think it interesting that the researchers in the 2007 article referred to religious language as an intervention. I hope someone conducts a study on how effective that would be.
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