For more than forty years, Christian
mental health professionals have been writing about Christian psychology.
Though these writers share many values and view points, there are significant differences
amongst leading thinkers. (Most readers of this newsletter are well aware of
the sizeable differences. If you are new to Christian psychology, you might try
reading recent publications such as Eric Johnson’s Foundations for Soul Care or the edited volume, Christianity and Psychology: Five Views).
If some of the variations in our core writings are the result of different
views on ultimate reality, most are due to divergent definitions regarding the
nature of problems and the subsequent path to healing. What should we make of
these differences? Are these differences a tempest in a teapot? Are they real
differences that influence how one might assess and intervene with a particular
counselee?
To this point, much of the work done by
members of this Society has been at
the intellectual or theoretical level of Christian psychology. And rightly so.
Without constructing a frame of reference to evaluate constructs such as life,
pathology, and health, therapists would blindly choose interventions without much
understanding of what they hoped to accomplish.
It is time, however, for Society members to begin developing
Christian psychology from an intervention standpoint. Frankly, we will fail our mission, which reads in
part “The Society exists to promote the
development of a distinctly Christian psychology (including theory, research,
and practice) that is based on a Christian understanding of human nature.” if
our intellectual pursuits make no difference in the act of soul care. The
following recommendations may help to jumpstart the Society’s clinical research agenda.
Just Do It
Society members with
clinical backgrounds could submit text and multimedia examples of their current
work. These might be in the format of single sessions, case studies, video
vignettes, or samplings from a number of clients suffering from similar
problems. Observing the clinical work of several “master” Society members might reveal common, but yet unexplored, patterns
of practice and open up discussion regarding stated versus observed theories of
human change.
Illustrate the Center
Just as there is no single model of
clinical psychology, we should not expect a single model of clinical Christian
psychology. However, divergent models of counseling share many features such as
collaborative relationship techniques, professional boundaries, and so forth. Counselors
can provide case studies revealing how specific core doctrines (e.g., nature of
persons, doctrine of sin and weakness, sanctification, role of the Holy Spirit
in change) influence clinical work.
In addition, Christian psychology need
not re-invent the wheel. Thus, Society members
might provide commentary on classic case materials (e.g., Carl Roger’s work
with “Gloria”, Allyn & Bacon’s Psychotherapy
with the Experts series, etc.) for the express purpose of describing how
Christian psychology work might parallel and/or diverge with goals and
interventions presented in these classic psychotherapies.
Explore the
Edges
In recent years, clinical researchers
have been exploring the use of mindfulness in the treatment of problems such as
anxiety, depression, addictions, and more. Society
members desiring to extend the edges of Christian psychology may wish to
explore certain interventions, like mindfulness, that appear to originate from
other religious or epistemic bases. How might these interventions critique
current theory and/or be translated into a consistent Christian practice?
Final
Thought: Integrated Faith and Practice
If Christian psychology, as proposed by
this Society, is best constructed as
a combined and embodied theory and practice, then treatment modes must emanate
from each of three domains (theory, technique, and personal character of the
counselor). Teasing apart these domains is necessary and natural in the
development of a new field, but let us remember that such work is artificial
and ineffective as therapy. Consider these words as a reminder of what we seek,
Becoming
a psychotherapist is not about assembling a bag of tricks and learning the
formula for matching tricks (i.e., techniques) with problems. What you do as a
therapist emerges from who you are in the therapy room. And, when an
intervention comes from who you are, it is no longer a technique…. Who one is
as a therapist in the therapy room arises from many aspects of our being, and
certainly includes our theory of psychotherapy…. Although
‘theory,’ ‘technique,’ and ‘person’ by definition are distinct, in good
psychotherapy they become so integrated that separating them feels arbitrary. (Leitner,
2007, p. 33, 36)
References
Johnson, E.L. (2007). Foundations for soul care: A Christian
psychology proposal. Downers Grove,
IL: InterVarsity Press.
Johnson, E.L. (Ed.) (2010). Psychology & Christianity: Five views (pp.
132-136). Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press.
Leitner, L. M. (2007). Theory,
technique, and person: Technical integration in experiential constructivist psychotherapy. Journal
of Psychotherapy Integration, 17(1), 33-49.
Phil Monroe PsyD
Professor
Biblical Seminary
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