For the last several months, I've been working with a substance abuse therapist at a local community mental health center as a part of an internship. She is very experienced and has a uniquely effective way of relating to the clients. I have learned a lot from her professionally and personally.
One day when I was sitting in her office, I noticed several great Christian books on her bookshelves, such as Love and Respect, The Five Love Languages, Changes That Heal, and The Secret Things of God. I was initially stunned. I mean this is a room where clients come for therapy and there are items indicating Christianity!
I subtly (or not so subtly because I do not do subtle very well) asked her if she uses spirituality with her clients. As she responded, I continued to be stunned. She told me about how she went to a Christian university, and they talked frequently about how to appropriately and ethically use their faith to help clients.
God bless my secular, liberal education.
In fact, she said that she would be remiss if she ignored spirituality. In her ten years at this agency, she has found that faith has allowed more clients to thrive than any other technique or psycho-therapeutic theory. She's not pushy or confrontational. She does not proselytize or have an ulterior agenda. Just like any good missionary, she uses doors that the client opens.
Community mental health is the nitty-gritty, the bottom of the barrel. This therapist has struggled here and has had to combat burnout. She has considered moving to a comparatively cushy job in the private sector or a Christian agency. But her calling is to serve the neediest, the least of these.
Community mental health is her mission field.
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