Therapists often get lots of requests for therapy clients that we can’t actually take, which is why we are ethically expected to develop a network of other therapists to whom we can refer clients. It may be scheduling, payment, or expertise issues that cause us to look for someone else to take a client. Because of my position as a leader in my church, I get lots of requests of people looking for a therapist who can honor their Christian beliefs. So I’m frequently doing the work of reaching out to therapists in my community. If the potential client is part of my family, friends, or church family, I also want to make sure that they get a therapist who can line up with their values.
Faith integration is such a big part of who I am and how I operate, that sometimes it catches me off guard when I receive a response to my inquiry that goes something like this: “Hi Ann, Thank you for the referral. I am personally a Christian but I do not do Christian counseling. I can incorporate it if the client wants that, but it’s not something I offer.” I’ve received many variations of this response by email or voicemail. I’m always curious about the reasons why a Christian would choose not to integrate faith into their therapy practice.
A few months ago, when I was preparing to create my course Faith Integration for Therapists, I put out a survey to other therapists who identified personally as Christians. I asked what are the main reasons they are hesitant or resistant to integrate faith in their practices. Although there are several reasons, I think the two main reasons boil down to this:
- Therapists are not adequately trained to integrate faith into practice.
- Therapists feel uncertain and wary about legal and ethical implications of bringing faith into the counseling room.
So how do therapists get trained to integrate faith into practice? There are a few different routes, so I’ll describe mine. I attended a seminary with a counseling program to earn my Masters degree. I purposely sought out a Christian program with an emphasis on integration because I believed that counseling needs to be holistic, and that healing happens best when the spiritual side is included. My program had counseling classes, bible and theology classes, and a set of specific classes for integration.
Other therapists may have attended a secular or Christian university that did not offer faith integration course work, but they are still able to do good integration work because they have pursued training outside of grad school. Probably the best option for therapists in this situation is to work under a licensed therapist who already does faith integration, thereby learning during supervision how to do it. Organizations like the American Association of Christian Counselors offer online programs as well as conferences to help clinicians build skill in integrating faith.
Of course, there is a “self-study” method, in which the therapist would need to piece together an integration strategy through reading books about faith integration, or watching videos and listening to podcasts. This seems to me like the loneliest and riskiest road, given that there is little feedback or support. It would be the method most likely to leave blind spots.
In my course Faith Integration for Therapists, I provide a solution for clinicians who possess both of these foundational criteria: first, they trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and second, they already know how to do therapy, as proven by licensure (or pre-licensure) in their field. I cover some of the main aspects of integrating faith, including using the major counseling theories with a biblical lens. I help them with communicating what they are doing and understanding how it fits with their unique personalities and experiences.
Now how about that big scary topic of legal and ethical issues? Every licensed therapist was required to complete coursework in grad school about the legal and ethical requirements of our field. We’re also required to complete additional coursework every two years to maintain our licenses, making sure we’re up to date on the standards and any new changes in the law. For example, this year, many therapists are receiving extra training in the legal and ethical considerations around telehealth (online therapy sessions) since most of us moved to online therapy when COVID closed our offices in March. It is very rare, however, to find a legal and ethical seminar that covers the topic of faith integration. This leaves therapists feeling exposed, like there will be too much liability if they include faith in their practices.
It’s not just the lack of specific information about legal and ethical issues that makes therapists hesitant, it’s also a part of age-old counseling theory. Remember those antiquated images of therapists in tweed jackets sitting behind a patient lying on a leather couch? Back in the days of old (ok, maybe even just a handful of years ago), therapists were taught that our personal values needed to stay out of the counseling room, and that we needed to have unconditional acceptance of the client’s values. Christian therapists challenge this bit of counseling theory, because we’re already practicing “self-disclosure” by acknowledging our personal Christian faith. Then we go on to help the client evaluate their own personal faith, and it seems a bit too values-driven for traditional therapy.
In Faith Integration for Therapists, I show how both types of fears are unnecessary, with the appropriate caution and discernment. First, it is easy to find the specific legal and ethical requirements of your state board or association, and I explain in the course how to round out the bare bones of the ethical guidelines to ensure that your practice avoids liability. Second, I discuss why “value bracketing,” or leaving your own values out of the counseling room, is unnecessary, and indeed, impossible.
Now perhaps your main issue with faith integration is not one of the two I’ve described above. Maybe you don’t know how to operate within your agency or school setting while integrating faith. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll go overboard in marketing and then Christians are the only clients you’ll attract. I’m covering all this and more in the course, and I hope you’ll join me!
If you’ve been following along the past couple weeks in the blog, you will have noticed that I’ve been talking more about my online course, Faith Integration for Therapists. Coming up next week (if you’re reading this the week it’s posted), you’ll have the opportunity to register for my FREE 5 Day Challenge: Integrate Your Christian Faith into Your Therapy Practice. Spend a few minutes a day with me for five days, and I’ll get you ready to start integrating faith into your practice. If you’re following me as a friend or therapy client, reach out to the therapists you know so they can take advantage of this challenge! Challenge participants will have the opportunity to purchase the full course, Faith Integration for Therapists.
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