Nun, Pastor, or Therapist?

A couple of months ago, I had a wonderful meeting with a local therapist. We chatted about our shared passions for maternal mental health and how we could support each other's practices when suddenly she said to me, "So your name is Christian and you went to Seminary. Can you help me understand why I should refer to you?" I'm fully aware that I went to Seminary and the connotations that come with my degree. However, I had never considered that even my given name could lead to confusion for those who consider counseling with me. For these reasons, I find it important to clarify what my training is, what my training isn't, and why I'm passionate about the work that I do. Below are answers to the questions I am most often asked.

So you went to a Seminary. Does that make you a pastor? Are you hopeful to be a nun one day?

Interestingly, this is the question I receive the most often. Yes, I am a graduate of Denver Seminary. I currently have no aspirations of being a pastor, nor do I have the credentials to do so. Also, my husband and daughter probably wouldn't appreciate me becoming a nun anytime soon! 

Ohhh so you're not a pastor. Then you must do pastoral counseling! Or maybe you do Biblical counseling? 

This is the second most frequent question I am asked. I do not practice pastoral counseling, nor am I a biblical therapist. 

So if you aren't any of those things, why did you decide to go to Seminary?

In 2012, I moved to Colorado from North Carolina to pursue a degree from Denver Seminary. After being a client to a fantastic therapist and Denver Seminary graduate while in college, I began to think it would be the best postgraduate choice for me. Denver Seminary is unique in that is one of the few seminaries with a CACREP accredited counseling program. CACREP stands for the Council of Accreditation for Counseling and Related Educational Programs, and ensures that counseling programs throughout the country meet national standards for education and professionalism. Participation in a CACREP accredited program in addition to adherence to state regulations ensures my competency for counseling licensure as well as national counselor certification. I chose Denver Seminary because, in addition to a seminary education, I wanted to make sure that I would be eligible for counseling licensure following graduation. 

What does this mean for me as a potential counseling client? How are you different from other therapists who participated in other programs?

This is a great question. My training is unique from other programs because it highly valued the integration of spirituality and psychology. I believe that in order to live fully whole lives, we must honor the ways in which our spirituality informs our mental health. Specifically, I received training that equipped me to integrate the Christian faith into the counseling setting. As a client, if you would like to have your Christian faith be a focus of our time together, I am happy to work from a biblically informed perspective. 

How are you different from a Biblical counselor?

Biblical counseling, sometimes called nouthetic counseling, bases the counseling process solely on the Bible and has a tendency to reject mainstream psychology. While I am happy to utilize Scripture in sessions with your permission, I also highly value the mental health profession and am likely to draw from various psychological principles and counseling techniques in sessions. 

Do you only work with Christians?

No, I work with individuals of all faith backgrounds. While I have some training specific to working with Christians, my CACREP education has prepared me to work competently with individuals of many different traditions in a way that is honoring to each individual experience. As a therapist, it is most important for me that clients feel comfortable expressing themselves in a way that makes them feel most comfortable. My hope is that my counseling space will always be a setting in which people feel freedom to be themselves, and that in that freedom, they ultimately find healing. 

Do you have more questions about my training or about the ways in which I may or may not integrate spirituality in sessions? Please do not hesitate to bring your curiosity into the counseling setting. 

Does Spirituality Matter?

"Would it be preposterous to you that, before we diagnose seasonal affective disorder, we have to rule out first starvation of the spirit, and that before we prescribe serotonin reuptake inhibitors or megalight, we first prescribe courses on Emerson and Thoreau and lessons in cross country skiing?" -Paul Fleischmann, M.D., delivered to the American Psychiatric Association, May 1993

During my undergraduate years in South Carolina, I participated in a sorority. When sorority "rush" occurred every January, we were asked to stay away from the Three Bs: No Bush (the president at the time), Bedroom, or Bible. For many, talk of politics, sex, or religion is viewed to be inappropriate or impolite. By mentioning them, you run the risk of making someone feel uncomfortable or marginalized. There are times in my life when I have understood people's desire to steer clear of these subjects. However, I have noticed a change in my personal life where I now notice an increased comfort around conversations related to politics or sexual themes. Talking confidently about politics can now be seen as a sign of increased education, while speaking of sexual matters demonstrates a confidence in one's self. And yet, even among circles where individuals share a common religion/spirituality, I sometimes experience tension when the topic comes up. Talk of spirituality can easily be perceived as a weakness, or something so intimate that it should not be shared with others.

As I've entered the therapy world, I have been surprised to learn that spirituality is still perceived as an uncomfortable subject. In my practice, I am passionate about including my clients' spiritual beliefs as they best see fit during our time together. After all, if we cannot experiment with topics that make us uncomfortable in the counseling setting, how are we ever going to be able to navigate them in our daily lives?

Before or during my first session with every client, I ask a variety of questions so that I can get a better understanding of who he/she is. Toward the end of my questions, I always ask about spirituality. Personal spiritual beliefs, practices, and past experiences immensely shape one's view the world. "But what if I believe in no deity and have no spiritual practice in my life?" You may wonder. Knowing this about my clients before we begin to do healing work is very helpful to me as a therapist, as it still makes a statement about how you view the world. 

There are times in which one's spirituality can be an asset in counseling. For example, consider an individual who professes to have few friends and is new to Denver. As a therapist, one might assume that this person has a limited support system and operate accordingly. But what if this same individual feels very connected to God and finds comfort in daily prayer and Scripture study? Knowing this about a client is very helpful in assessing the client's support system and also in using the client's perceived closeness with God as an asset in the therapeutic work. 

On the other hand, consider an individual who has recently experienced a trauma. While she felt connected spiritually before the event occurred, she now confidently proclaims that she doesn't believe in God and feels frustrated that she spent so much time investing in her spirituality in the past. It is important for me to know this information as a therapist in order to factor this individual's loss of a previous support system into her healing. 

After I ask about a client's spiritual background, I may ask follow-up questions. Specifically, are there ways that we can integrate your spirituality into our sessions to enhance your healing? It is important to me that we integrate your spiritual background to your comfort level in our time together. 

Does spirituality matter in the healing process? Yes. However, you get to be the one to decide the extent of its integration.