Opinions on Christian based therapist

[dogmom]

To me this says that this therapy group would not be a good fit for you. Especially as you say that you are not comfortable with religion being brought into mental health. Completely agree with others who state that being Christian and a therapist is different than advertising as a Christian based practice with all of the cousnselors being committed Christians. I know some have seen therapists who advertise as Christian counselors and they were able to keep religion out of it upon request. However, if you know that you don't want religion brought into therapy/mental health, I would encourage you to see someone who is clear that they don't do it (by not advertising in the way this agency is). To be clear, if this is what someone is seeking, than that would be a good fit for them.

I think you have already been given some options on how to find a different therapist, so I wont repeat them. Agree that if your child is willing to do telehealth that also opens up state-wide options. Best of luck in finding the best therapist for your child!

I would general agree with this assessment, but I would add a qualifying statement. If you are in an area that is predominantly Christian, and mostly a narrow swath of Christianity, you may need to look at her more closely. I know there are places where one of the first questions people ask is “what church do you go to?” and it’s like asking someone what they do for work. If the area is overwhelmingly Christian it may be more of a business decision. Having said that I have also heard stories about Christian providers that believe they are being neutral, but they aren’t. Honestly trying to monitor it would be exhausting for me, so it would not be my first choice. But the reality is there isn’t much to choose from right now.

[Liziz]

I'd look for a therapist that doesn't advertise Christian as part of their counseling. I am religious, but I do not like to mix my healthcare and my religion, and I consider counseling to fall under healthcare. (I'm not against religious-based counseling in general, I think it's a great fit for many people -- just not everyone!)

To me there's a big difference between a counselor who happens to be Christian, but promotes their counseling/work as simple "Counseling" vs. a counselor who actively promotes their counseling as Christian Counseling and describes themselves professionally as a "Committed Christian". I believe it's 100% possible to find a Christian Counselor that still does a great job of leaving religion out of it when the client desires, but I do think there's also more of a risk that they won't (even if it's unintentionally) separate the two completely.

I would be comfortable trying a Christian Counseling practice for myself, if it seemed like the best option for other reasons. I'd know that if it felt like the counselor wasn't doing a great job of keeping the counseling secular, I would just move on. However, I would not be comfortable having my child try a Christian Counselor if what I/my child wanted was secular counseling, because I wouldn't actually be hearing the conversations and able to gauge if the counseling was in fact staying secular.

[bisous]

I consider myself a religious person so I'm coming at it from the reverse situation. Put in those terms, I'd be completely comfortable with a counselor for me or for my children that had agnostic or atheistic religious beliefs. But I wouldn't be comfortable going to a practice that said, I am an atheistic counseling practice because I would worry that my beliefs might not be respected. Does that make sense? So I can see why you might have hesitation there!

FWIW, we did seek out a counselor in our own faith tradition for my DS. He was nervous about counseling and had all kinds of anxiety and it was reassuring to him to go to someone with whom he felt he could confide and would affirm his faith. We saw this counselor for maybe a year? And it was a good relationship, probably a really good start but ultimately we left that practice to find someone who had a stronger background in CBT therapy. We have no idea what his religious affiliation is but he's in a position now to accept his counselors authority and he's working through his anxiety. Both counselors were really helpful for DS!

[DualvansMommy]

It would be a hard no for me to see any health practitioner who advertised their faith and described themselves as being part of practice that identified with any faith. It’s a dog whistle.

Keep looking. There are other options.

Same for me. A hard pass.


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[georgiegirl]

Yep, hard pass. I agree with the distinction between a Christian counseling practice and a counselor that happens to be Christian. I would worry if your child expressed views that were different from conservative Christian views (LGBTQ).


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[mmsmom]

Thanks everyone for your feedback- it is all very helpful. I am in the “bible belt” but a large diverse city and there are dozens of not hundreds of counselors. I have seen other counseling practices that mention being Christian but there are plenty of choices of ones that do not mention religion. I am going to look for other non-religious options. Thanks again for everyone’s input!