Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

" Thank God for psychologists and Lexapro. Without them, I might be dead today." --Jonathan Merritt ( 2018, February 16 ) Jonathan Merritt's body vibrated. Then he had difficulty breathing. He grips us with his story of a panic attack. Then he shares his story of faith and psychology. Friends diagnosed a spiritual problem. A professor advised against a professional therapist saying, "you already have a wonderful counselor in Jesus." Merritt has more to say about Christian beliefs and mental health so, I suggest reading his post. I now move to related thoughts on Christianity and psychology. ***** I was sitting in a church pew one Sunday evening when a pastor launched into a rant against psychology. I left and never went back. At the time, I was in the process of earning a master's degree in Counseling at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Since those days, I find that my profession is still unwelcome in many conservative church...

Self-Forgiveness vs. God’s Forgiveness Pope Francis made news when he said priests can forgive women who seek forgiveness for having an abortion. “ The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented," the Pope said, adding that he has met "many women" scarred by the "agonizing and painful" decision to have an   abortion .” The Catholic Church considers abortion serious enough that it can lead to excommunication. Ordinarily, only a bishop can reduce the penalty. ( CNN ) To Christians, the story reveals the Pope’s compassion. But the statement can seem strange to evangelicals and secularists. And, as a psychologist I’m wondering about the importance of self-forgiveness and where Christians insert God into their views on forgiveness. God, Priests, and Psychotherapists Growing up in conservative protestant churches, it was a badge of self-righteousness not to call pastors “Father.” And we sure didn’t need to confess...

Christian Therapist – Christian Client Matching:  Is it important? Answer #1: Yes. Matching is probably important. Seven reasons why matching Christian clients to Christian therapists might be important. (Gleanings from Stegman and colleagues, 2013). 1. Psychotherapists know little about religion and spirituality. 2. A large number of Psychotherapists associated with Christian counseling professional groups graduated from non-Christian programs. 3. The spiritual beliefs of Christians can seem like psychopathology to non-Christian clinicians. This is especially true when the beliefs are different from the typical beliefs in a culture. 4. Christian clients consider religious and spiritual issues important to psychotherapy and many wish to talk about these matters. 5. Conservative Christian clients expect their beliefs to be a part of psychotherapy. 6. Not addressing Christian beliefs can lead to early termination. 7. There is a general c...

Faith, Hope, and Marriage I’m at that age when my wife and I attend weddings again. The children of our friends are getting married. We've known one or both members of the loving couple for years-- sometimes since they were children. What a great occasion! Old memories mix with the present celebration. For a day or two dozens of us are transported to a world where there is only joy and love. Smiling young people sing and dance, kiss and hug. And colorful pictures tag their way along digital corridors. A new marriage has begun. Most people enter their first marriage because they are deeply in love and want to be together forever. Some obtain premarital counseling and some do not. If they think ahead, they have high expectations that they will have a great marriage. On occasion, close friends and family members can’t imagine a relationship working out. But love is blind. And sometimes the skeptics are wrong. When trouble looms, many couples try to work things out. ...