Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Christian Spirituality: What to do Between Sessions People are used to getting recommendations when they seek treatment. Physicians, nurses, and therapists offer materials to improve health and well-being outside the office setting. Counselors and Psychotherapists vary in what they recommend to their clients. In this post I summarize another finding from our 2014 survey of Christian counselors and psychotherapists. My quest has been to identify what might be unique about Christian counseling and psychotherapy. My colleague, Chris Arnzen and I listed several possible items then provided a space for clinicians to add other items they recommend for their clients. In the table, I identified common practices by adding together the percentages for recommended activities rated Sometimes + Often + Most of the time. So, as you can see, the most frequent recommendation is some type of Christian Literature. Interventions: What do Christian clinicians recommended clients d...

FUNDAMENTALISTS – SCARY AS HELL “The problem is the extremists,” a Jewish friend said during a discussion about religiously motivated violence.   BBC news story on violence Religious fundamentalists are frequently in the news nowadays—largely because of some threat or horrific act. Recently, a Muslim group made news in France with the murder of Charlie Hebdo magazine staff in Paris (BBC). Hindu fundamentalists are on the rise in India and persecuting Christians according to a story in Christianity Today 23 January 2015. Some 300 clergy and church leaders are targeted. A report from 2014 claims some 7,000 Christians faced aggression and persecution from non-Christians. Muslims have also been under attack by Hindu fundamentalists who seek to convert Muslims and Christians. Muslims are about 14% of the population according to Free Speech Radio News . Popular Pope Francis has seen the need to speak out against all fundamentalists with a challenge to th...

What on earth are Christian psychotherapists doing? What in heaven’s name do Christian psychotherapists do? 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 charismat...