How is a Christian Psychologist Different?
Choosing the right psychologist can be a difficult, lengthy process. You may look for a provider based on whether you think you’d feel comfortable talking to them about your deepest emotions, or it may be very important for you to find a psychologist who shares your value system.
Perhaps you’re Christian, or you were raised in a Christian household. Or, maybe you’re struggling with what you believe, and you’re wondering if a Christian Psychologist might be a good fit for you.
While all psychologists are trained to be objective in perspective, they still enter the field for personal, as well as professional reasons, and they still carry their values and perspectives with them when they enter a therapy session. Because therapy is such an intimate profession, it provides room for the professional to engage the client from the perspective of their value base for helping and treating, such as women’s centered therapy.
Christian Psychologists receive the same foundation of education and training as other psychologists. Just like other psychologists, the further they went into their training, the more specialized their training became. They increasingly learned how to incorporate Christian values into their therapy practices and treatment methods.
Aside from specialized training, one of the key differences a Christian Psychologist brings to the table is a spiritually rooted perspective on life. Whereas a non-religious or non-spiritual psychologist would view, for example, talking with God or dreams with religious symbolism as potentially delusional, a Christian Psychologist would be more likely to explore the spiritual meaning and significance of those experiences to Christian life.
Another key difference a Christian Psychologist brings to a therapy session is recognition of spiritual experiences for overall emotional and mental well-being. They will be more likely to encourage spiritual experiences, and to help you heal parts of your psyche through faith in God, to reduce your fears through trust in God, and to engage in forgiveness of others and self as an act of expressing faith in Christ.
To find a psychologist who is a good fit for you, contact us today, and we’ll help you with that important process.