Why You May Not Need a Christian Therapist: Integrating Faith and Psychology
Abstract
Christians can have reservations about psychotherapy, perceiving that secular therapists or psychological services may disregard or demean their faith. While Christian mental health providers are an invaluable resource, this article seeks to address why and how Christians can benefit from psychological services that are not overtly Christian. A theology of work is presented to demonstrate how the field of psychology is a reflection of God’s providence, common grace, and natural revelation. Ethical guidelines, psychological research, and foundations of psychological practice (e.g., evidence-based practice, competence, mental health literacy) are reviewed to further demonstrate that non-Christian mental health providers can provide respectful and competent care, that therapist matching (i.e., seeing a Christian therapist) and faith-based psychotherapies (i.e., incorporating elements of faith into therapy) do not result in better mental health outcomes compared to their standard psychotherapeutic counterparts, and to discuss the ways in which faith can and should be incorporated into therapy to honour client preference. Recommendations are made for the psychological and Christian communities.Keywords
psychology, evidence-based practice, therapist matching, faith-based psychotherapy, mental health literacy, theology of work, Christian counselling
Author Biography
Kirstyn Krause
Kirstyn Krause, PhD, R. Psych., obtained her MA and PhD degrees in psychology from Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Ontario. Her graduate research focused on optimizing cognitive behaviour therapy for anxiety disorders. Dr. Krause works full-time for Recovery Alberta at a specialized clinical psychology service in Edmonton offering psychological assessment and individual and group therapy. She is a clinical supervisor for PhD residents completing their predoctoral residency at the Edmonton Clinical Psychology Consortium. She also has a clinical academic appointment at the University of Alberta where she provides supervision to psychiatry residents completing a course in cognitive behaviour therapy.