Catholic therapist vs secular therapist

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Thanks for you (name removed by moderator)ut. However, if I decide to see a secular or non catholic therapist I don’t think that means I don’t want to be an “authentic Christian.”
 
Yeah, even if I see a Catholic therapist, I’d want to make sure they were well qualified and used good methods. If I wanted strictly spiritual I’d go to a spiritual director (which I probably will hopefully soon!). Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut!
 
I don’t want the main focus to be my religious beliefs. But I have gone through some things that have been worsened because of what I believe, so that’s why I’d want someone who understood my faith instead of brushing those concerns aside.
 
Speaking as a devout Catholic, I would seek and select a Catholic therapist who would best enable us both to begin from a similar ‘world view’ and life perspective. Jmho.
 
Then I would suggest you call your Diocese and ask to speak to Catholic Charities. They should have info on Catholic therapists.
 
In my experience (not having had Catholic therapist) I’d suggest having a Catholic therapist if you can. The reason I say that is that many therapists ascribe to non Christian therapy practices and by that I mean things which could lead you into more trouble with regards to your faith issues. Firstly and this is all my opinion, but society has all got it wrong on how to live, they listen (let me put it bluntly) to the devil quite openly and follow his lies… so if you are feeling vulnerable through depression and anxiety, putting yourself in the devils hands is quite literally the worst thing you can do. Sorry to be so direct. I have been in therapy before due to a bit of ptsd and depression before too and believe me, the father of lies can use this against you to either keep you from God, to move you away from God. God will give you free choice, so if you want to choose to leave Him, even though it is breaking His heart, He loves you so He will never enslave you, the devil has no such concerns and is quite happy to use anything to enslave you. I am not saying all therapists are the devil or even using the devils techniques or that they won’t help you get better, no not at all. But they will not help you get closer to God or stay close to God while getting you better. Oh and by the way, therapists aren’t going to judge you or guilt trip you. Remember one thing, you are in control of your therapy, if you dont like them or how it goes, tell them, even if you just write a note/email cos you are shy, that’s ok and you don’t have to go back you can go to another one though I’d say part of therapy is a bit of feeling uncomfortable talking at some point so stick it out if you can. God bless you and do try trust Him, He does love you 😉
 
When I was in therapy for anxiety and panic attacks I had a very good Psychiatric Nurse for the sessions. She was most understanding and I was able to talk about church related issues with her. It didn’t matter to me if she was a Christian or not, her role was to be professional and offer solutions in an empathetic way. You may have to try one or two therapists before you are satisfied with the care you are getting, but personally I wouldn’t place a priority on secular-vs-Christian.
 
I have a Catholic Therapist (one I found on catholictherapists.com). I highly recommend one because they are going to share your world view and understand you better, ESP if some of your issues have a faith issue.

For example: sometimes the state of politics in our nation causes me lots of stress, to the point I discuss it in my therapy appointments. Its nice to know that I can express my worries and concerns to the therapist who shares my Catholic world view, not someone who is going to advise me to consider a comprise on something that would break my religious views.

God Bless
 
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This is just my opinion, but if you go to someone who will take a religiously oriented approach, your problems will be viewed through a religious aperture. And while religion may be at the root of some of your problems (as you have said), religious answers may only complicate your problems. My guess is that your depression and anxiety aren’t grounded in religion, although religion may add another dimension to it. I would go to a person who takes a secular approach, because life can get pretty complicated and there are probably a lot of factors involved which are being punctuated by religious beliefs.

Of course this is just my opinion, but it may resonate with you.

All the best!
 
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TheLittleLady said:
A therapist has a professional code of conduct. They will respect the boundaries that you set “my religious beliefs are not part of this therapy”.
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This is precisely it.

Find the therapist who, secular or religious, will respect the boundaries you set. A therapist who is skilled at this is worth his or her weight in gold.
 
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Thanks for the link! I’ve seen that website before but unfortunately not many listed were near me or take my insurance. :confused:
 
Yes for the main part I don’t think my issues are grounded in religion, but for the ones that are associated, I want them to be taken seriously. (As opposed to the therapist telling me I shouldn’t feel that way because religion is wrong or society says it’s fine etc)
 
w4c said:
Yeah, even if I see a Catholic therapist, I’d want to make sure they were well qualified and used good methods. If I wanted strictly spiritual I’d go to a spiritual director (which I probably will hopefully soon!). Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut!
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This is why I recommend catholictherapists.com. It’s a network of Catholic Therapists who support the magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church.
 
Unfortunately none of them on the website are close to me or take my insurance.
 
Sedona said:
This is just my opinion, but if you go to someone who will take a religiously oriented approach, your problems will be viewed through a religious aperture. And while religion may be at the root of some of your problems (as you have said), religious answers may only complicate your problems. My guess is that your depression and anxiety aren’t grounded in religion, although religion may add another dimension to it. I would go to a person who takes a secular approach, because life can get pretty complicated and there are probably a lot of factors involved which are being punctuated by religious beliefs.

Of course this is just my opinion, but it may resonate with you.

All the best!
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FYI - this is NOT how a Catholic Therapist works. They do NOT approach therapy from a spiritual or religious approach. They are legit therapists who have the same training as secular therapists.

The difference is that they simply share your world view and religious beliefs and will not suggest something that goes against the faith (at least theoretically).

And if there is a truly faith based issue that is part of your therapy, they will be able to reply as a member of the Church, not as an outsider.

God bless
 
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Cor_ad_Cor said:
My experience has been that it’s somewhat irrelevant if you have a Catholic/Christian therapist or not. I’ve known some who are very good; I’ve known others where you would have been better off not knowing anything about their faith and views. What it really boils down to is finding a therapist that meshes well with you and your personality and will then respect your thoughts and ideas rather than passing judgment on them, regardless of their personal faith persuasions.
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Can’t emphasize this part enough.
 
Receiving treatment is the most important part! Any therapist should be willing to work within your belief system. Some may be better than others, which only means it may be neccessy to screen a few therapists to find a good match.
 
Well, sometimes our world views play a prominent role in the problems we end up with. If a particular philosophy, religion, dogma or world view holds any value or truth, it will stand up to pragmatic scrutiny and an outside view.

All the best!
 
yes, and a Catholic Therapist will be able to point that out very well. Again, they are not “religious therapists.” They are therapists who practice the same religion.
 
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