How does spirituality fit in to counseling?
In today’s culture, it’s natural to have a reaction to some or all of the following words: God. Religion. Atheism. Christianity. Spirituality.
Over the course of our lives, we have all inevitably bumped up against many ideas, concepts, beliefs and practices around spirituality. Some or all of those things have rubbed us the wrong way. Others have maybe changed or evolved or always felt natural. Based on what we have seen and experienced and what has been nurtured by ourselves or others, our own beliefs have solidified. In the same way that we learn behavior and emotional intelligence from those around us when we are young, we learn about our likes, dislikes, aversions and preferences in relation to the spiritual realm. And we ALL have baggage around spirituality.
I’m in the business of helping you to assess all of your baggage. :)
In the context of therapy, when I hear someone say things like, “I don’t need to talk about (fill in the blank)” or “X has nothing to do with Y,” I know that we’re actually on to something relevant. In the same way that our interests and things that we focus our attention on shape our life’s direction, our aversions and the things we avoid actually tend to mold us even more, albeit subconsciously. In other words by Jean de la Fontaine: “A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.”
Sorry to say it, but all of those things you’ve been avoiding over the years are going to come up in therapy. ;)
It’s not just about whether or not you’re disinterested in spirituality or motivated by it. A spot-on Buddhist philosophy teaches that ‘the way you do any one thing is the way you do all things.’ There is no piece of your puzzle that exists outside of everything else. Good therapy needs to be holistic.
That all said: if you choose to work with me or any of my associates, you are hiring a counselor first and not a spiritual leader.
I myself am Christian. I have taken steps toward becoming a pastor through the PennDel School of Ministry and I am happy to offer Biblical-based counseling. But none of my beliefs influence the quality of your therapy. I have happily and successfully worked with agnostics, Buddhists, atheists, Jews, wiccan and a few others over the years; we’ve done great work together. The role that spirituality plays in therapy is only ever as much as we see fit together. It is relevant because it informs who we are and how we make decisions. My goal is simply to gain clarity, understanding and direction on how spirituality influences the way you make meaning of your life. If we decide it doesn’t relate to what brings you in, we don’t have to touch it with a ten-foot pole!
Above all else: it’s only ever important to me if it’s important to you. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all-counselor.’ But rest assured: any and all expressions of spirituality are welcome in my office. Thanks for reading!
If you have any further thoughts or unanswered questions about spirituality or the role it could play in your counseling journey, please just ask! I always look forward to finding new ways to tailor our time together to meet your goals and help you grow in the ways that you need most.
