How to Talk to Your Therapist About Your Faith
Do you want to begin therapy and want to be sure that your Christian faith is not only respected but also incorporated into the healing process? While choosing a Christian therapist is a great starting point, it’s also important to discuss your faith with the therapist before beginning your counseling sessions.
In this article, you will read about why this discussion is helpful and what this might look like. So, if you’re feeling apprehensive about this conversation, then hopefully you can find some of the answers that you’re looking for!
Why Talk to Your Christian Counselor About Your Faith?
It might seem unnecessary to talk to your Christian counselor about your faith. After all, you are choosing to work with a professional who provides faith-based counseling, so isn’t it implied that your faith will play a role in therapy?
Here’s why having this discussion can be helpful, even if you have already established your intentions to go with Christian counseling versus secular counseling:
- Ensuring That Your Personal Christian Beliefs are Respected: Since there are some variations of belief within the Christian faith, it can be beneficial to you and your therapist to become clear about yours.
- Creating a Plan for Therapy That is Tailored to Your Needs: There are many ways that faith can be incorporated into various therapeutic approaches, and you want to be sure that your counselor can tailor this plan to fit your goals.
- Establishing Your Relationship with Your Therapist: When you work with a Christian counselor, you want to feel safe in this relationship, not only professionally, but also spiritually. Having an open discussion about the faith can help foster an important bond of trust.
Now that you know why you should talk to your Christian therapist about your faith, let’s get into some specific points that you might want to bring up during your discussion.
Tell your therapist that you want to include your faith during counseling.
Even if you are choosing to work with a Christian counselor, your therapist will not necessarily assume that you want to have your faith included during counseling sessions. Sometimes your counselor will ask you about this during the intake process. If not, then don’t hesitate to let him or her know.
Discuss how faith can be incorporated into therapy.
During one of your initial appointments with your Christian counselor, have a talk about how you want to express your faith in therapy. This can include praying before and after sessions, using scripture as it applies to your life goals, and implementing faith-based concepts in general. Feel free to get creative, and ask about how the faith can be included within specific therapeutic disciplines, such as CBT and EMDR therapy.
Share your faith and spirituality history with your therapist.
Don’t be shy about letting your Christian counselor know about your specific Christian beliefs. As mentioned in the section above, this helps your counselor understand your background so that he or she can respect your faith. You might also talk about problems that you’ve had in the faith, like bad experiences with church, harm from spiritual abuse, feeling ostracized because of your faith, or difficulty dealing with doubt. If you’ve had Christian counseling before, then you might also talk about that.
Learn More About Christian Counseling in Raleigh, NC
The goal of every good Christian counselor is to provide their clients with the best experience. If you are interested in speaking with Christian therapists in Raleigh, NC, then reach out to Sojourner Counseling. We offer a variety of options for Christian counseling in Raleigh, all of which can be tailored to fit your expression of the Christian faith. We are more than happy to take the time to discuss your faith with you, and how we can best serve you by including your faith and Christian values during our sessions together.