I understand that sometimes a faithful person wants a therapist who understands the religion or spiritual practices beyond stereotypes or judgments. Because I was raised in a faith that I still respect in many ways, I know that it is important for many faithful people to find spiritually sensitive therapy.
My Training in Spiritually Sensitive Therapy
I lived in India for 11 months just out of high school and lived with Hindu and Muslim families. In that experience, I met and saw wisdom in people of Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh faiths. This probably informed my choice of undergraduate major in Religious Studies. Although I later turned toward psychology, my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology is from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, an institution dedicated to the psychology of spirituality. Because of these experiences and others, I am familiar with the sometimes complex interactions between psychology and spirituality and how they can be both positive and challenging.
I am happy to coordinate treatment with a religious or spiritual leader from your community.
My Faith Journey
I was raised Catholic, lapsed, returned in college, and lapsed again. But I remained reverently and deeply informed by spirituality all around me, and especially in nature. At this time in my life, my belief system is pretty simple, just three small things:
- There is more.
- It is good.
- We are a part of it.
Because of this, I feel that I can provide spiritually sensitive therapy to clients with the following faith backgrounds:
- Catholic
- Lutheran
- Episcopalian
- Jewish
- Islamic
- Hindu
- Japanese Buddhist
- New age spirituality
- Neopagan
If you are interested in working with a therapist who practices spiritually sensitive therapy, please give me a call.