A Biblical Perspective on Faith Based Therapy
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Ah! What excitement it is to start blending my two favorite things in the whole world together. Jesus and therapy. If your journey has been anything like mine I am sure you have wondered whether or not you can combine the two. “Is it ethical?” “How do I incorporate the two ethically?” “How do I approach clients from different denominations?” “How do I not sound like I’m giving a sermon?” etc. etc. I have had so many questions and to be honest been met with a significant amount of resistance. I currently hold my therapy license as a LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker), and to be completely frank I have felt like such an outcast. I am constantly told that my faith and therapy, let alone social work, have no place together in the same room. To be honest, I don’t blame them. There is a big misunderstanding of what therapy and Christianity can look like, and it’s not the abusive unlicensed counseling we have all heard stories about. However, that is not the faith based therapy I do. Despite what the current political climate has been saying over the last few years therapy and Jesus do go together, better than bread and butter. I have seen my clients have rapid healing when incorporating their faith into our sessions. It took a lot of trial and error, and a LOT of confusion on how to navigate this journey with my clients.
Where to begin?
From the very moment I got into private practice I knew I wanted my niche to be faith based counseling. However, after my case load started to quickly fill up I had a hard time finding some good structure for incorporating our faith. So, I started with my ethics of course. A big part of the social work ethics is “client lead treatment and self-determination of the client”. Having the client lead the sessions prevents any fears of overstepping or pushing my own faith onto the client. I like to think of the sessions as the client driving the bus and I am the GPS. The client tells me where they wanna go, and we find the best route to get there. Once a client would state they were specifically interested in faith based therapy, I would provide a survey to get a better picture of what they envision our sessions would look like. The survey would include their denomination, if they want to be connected with a chaplain, what their walk with the lord currently looks like, if they want to pray in session, and how much of their faith they want incorporated whether it is minor conversations or the primary blueprint. I have attached that survey HERE if you would like to start utilizing one for your sessions. It is extremely important to understand the culture of your clients faith because there are so many things that can be overlooked if you do not properly educate yourself on their faith. For example, if I am working with a client from the orthodox faith it is important to know I cannot pray with them/or lead prayer unless I am a part of the orthodox faith. When the client feels their culture is understood it also creates a beautiful connection within the therapeutic relationship. There are many youtube videos, books, and resources available to help you better understand your client’s faith. It can also be a great icebreaker to start your therapeutic relationship off with them explaining what their religious background looks like.
The Bread and Butter
After getting an understanding of the client’s faith and their goals, now it comes to the really fun part. Incorporating some Jesus into your therapy. My go to method is always finding the best modality for the client’s goals and plugging in some Jesus along the way. For example, if I’m doing EMDR, utilizing the positive role model exercise and having them pick someone out of the bible or within their church whose characteristics they want to display within themselves. Radical acceptance? Having them find scripture that helps them fully accept that goal we are working towards. Coping skills? Tailor them to one’s personality and faith. There are so many opportunities to blend the two together. You just need a strong foundation – the modality, and dropping some Jesus in along the way.
Let’s Be Real…
Once you have a good structure and goal, the flow for incorporating the two will be easy. However, we have to be real for a second. Your relationship with God needs to be a priority. Obviously I know, but there have been so many times I have been memorizing scripture and the Holy Spirit was preparing me for a conversation with a client. Being strong in your relationship with Christ can make or break the therapy sessions. If your client asks “How do I honor an abusive parent?” and you give a generic answer that doesn’t take into consideration the depth of trauma and danger the client could be in, you have just put a huge wall up between you and your client. (and maybe done more harm in the process of giving a weak answer). I am not saying you need to know it all. No, not at all. In fact, I think it is good to say “You know I don’t know the answer to that question. Let me get back to you next session.” The humility of showing your client I’m human too, opens so many beautiful doors. But it’s crucial we are prepared to answer these deep questions. “How do I honor abusive parents?” “Why did God allow something so evil to happen to me?” “Where is God?” “What does He sound like?” “Will He forgive me if I can’t even forgive myself?”. So many good questions, but hard no doubt. Keeping your relationship with God a priority is something every Chrisitian tries to maintain, but it is a heavy responsibility we must understand.
Get a Community
When doing faith based counseling it is so important that you have a team behind you. Finding others within your field and specific licensure so you have a sound board to keep you ethically on track and to just get some of the weight off your shoulders. Finding a good Father, Pastor, or spiritual mentor to go to when you have hard questions is crucial. Most importantly, having your own private walk with the Lord so your cup gets filled. You will be (or already are) pouring so much into your clients, so it is crucial you are getting the same in your personal life.
Final Thoughts
I’m sure I missed a few things or stated a few things you already thought of. However, I really hope this was beneficial to you even if it was just a reminder. But if you are new to incorporating the Christian faith into your practice or if you have been doing it for years just remember you belong here. Therapy and faith do go together despite what the current political and social climate might say. We get it within the field “Your faith has no place here!”. We also get it in our own churches. “True christians don’t need therapy.”. It can feel isolating and overwhelming, but there is a reason God brought you and I to this field with such a deep passion for the Lord and His people. I hope you will join me for many other great conversations about therapy and the Chrisitian Faith.
Sierra Stratman MSW LMSW U/S PhD Student at Liberty University