Counseling Psychology

"It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart."

There's something about the field of psychology that i've always found so intriguing. I think i noticed this back in high school when i had my first psychology class. I find that i really enjoy observing human behavior. Why are we the way we are? What factors make us who we are? Why are our personalities different and unique? How can therapy help us to change, learn and grow? How do we see ourselves? How might others perceive us? I always found sciences like chemistry, biology and physics kind of boring. Throughout college, it was the social sciences that stood out to me. I find it fascinating when psychologist do experimental studies to draw causal conclusions. Even when it comes to conditioning animals with stimulants, we're able to learn more about our human nature and behavior.

In college there was something that attracted me to counseling. But i felt God was leading me more towards serving in ministry. However, in seminary it was the counseling classes that again stood out to me. I used to ask myself, "How can I be of most use to God during my time here on earth?" And the answer i got was loving people and leading them closer to God. But a second realization i was able to make was that i seem to help people at a deeper level through short periods of counseling. Sure a sermon message is great, but most people forget them by the next day. In order to inflict change and positive influence in others, i found that i'm more useful in listening to people's struggles and walking along side of them.

At the core of change and growth, I see this need for God at the center. This relationship with God isn't just a compartment or one aspect to our lives. Our faith shapes our worldview. We live by these values and beliefs. Sanctification or spiritual formation is a term for this continual growth in our relationship with Him and becoming more like Him. Surrounding this there are aspects that can be considered natural formation. I think this is where psychology comes in.  I think our faith somewhat dictates our decisions. If we love God, we should also want to obey God. We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and to make God-honoring choices. All of this is to say that in my opinion, Faith will always trump Psychology in regards to knowing ourselves, growing and helping others.

It's been my first semester in Chaminade doing the Counseling Psychology: Marriage and Family Therapy track. A big chunk of me is super tired of school. All the test, papers, reading, homework assignments, due dates, attendance, long classes, being graded on performance, and all the time, money, and stress that comes with those things. However, i remember what a pastor once told me. He said, "Chris, education is a blessing." Not everyone has the opportunity to learn from these great teachers. Anyways, i wanted to share a little about the stuff i've been learning.

In my personality class, we're learning of all these different ways to assess and measure our personality. What's more interesting is learning different approaches to therapy. Everyone in our class does a presentation on a given psychologist. The main approaches are the Psychoanalytic approach, Trait approach, Biological approach, Humanistic approach, Behavioral approach, and Cognitive approach. A lot of these overlap, and i think the best approach would be something that integrates them.

 Out of these different approaches to therapy I like the humanistic approach in particular. This approach is also sometimes referred to as existential or phenomenological. It's emphasis is on personal responsibility, the here and now, the experience of the individual and on personal growth. The goal is to move closer towards self actualization and becoming fully functional. This means identifying our true self and reaching our full potential. Other needs include meeting and satisfying our physiologial needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs,  and self esteem needs. Three aspects to the humanistic approach stand out to me. One is the person-centered therapy that is focused on just listening, asking concrete questions, clarifying information, matching the intensity of the clients feelings, and reflecting back the content to help them explore their thoughts and feelings. Secondly this approach includes unconditional positive regard. This is setting up a non-judgmental atmosphere so the client feels safe to disclose their personal thoughts and feelings. This includes demonstrating empathy and compassion unconditionally. I think one of my biggest pet peeves in counseling is when you disclose a problem to someone and within a minute that person is already giving you advice on what they think you should do. This can show a lack of understanding and be harmful in therapy.

In my Abnormal psychology class we're learning how to diagnosis certain mental health disorders. These include schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, anxiety, ocd, eating disorders, sexual dysfunctions, gender dysphoria, substance related disorders, personality disorders, etc. So we're going through this workbook that's full of case studies. And basically we're looking for key symptoms and environmental factors that can attribute to these disorders.

I stumbled upon a website called 7cupsoftea , and it's been really helpful. I think it can be helpful for everyone. Basically, within seconds you can talk to someone that's been trained to be an active listener. People are honestly quite helpful and understanding. I've become an active listener on there and try to help people when i have time to kill. I've talked to people with very difficult circumstances. I've talked to people who've been abused and raped. People who have family dysfunctions, People who struggle with homosexuality, People who are angry or hate God, People with thoughts of suicide, to anxiety about possible pregnancy, people who cut themselves, people who have relationship problems, people who deal with depression because of loneliness, and a whole rainbow of different problems. It not only helps others, but sharpens one's skill to actively listen, and to help others cope. It's basically free therapy. Sure it's largely talk therapy but it gives a space to have someone support you regardless of what you may be going through. What's really great about the site is that it has a tab for self help information. They go through all the categories of mental health disorders and offer some useful techniques in overcoming the symptoms.

I've noticed something that seems to be a common thread among those who seek counseling. Most people who are looking for counseling don't have a strong support group of friends/ family members to help them. Usually when we have a troubling problem these are the people we seek for help. But in the absence of that, or with the lack of understanding, people need a trained therapist. And for the most part, people just overall benefit from someone who cares to listen.