tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51602444788418171612024-03-13T15:00:09.837-07:00Psychology RenewedEngaging Discussions about Christianity and PsychologyDr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-66131846540239604032018-04-09T07:59:00.002-07:002018-04-09T08:28:12.356-07:00Trinity at 1871 PodcastIn the spring of 2018 Trinity Christian College joined <a href="https://1871.com/" target="_blank">1871</a> as a university partner. 1871 is a highly-rated technology and business incubator within the city of Chicago. The potential connections for our business department may be clear in this partnership. But what about the other parts of a campus focused on the liberal arts?<br />
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Sara Baillie and Kara Wolff, faculty members in Education and Psychology respectively, recruited students to join us in exploring the possibilities for our disciplines at 1871. Two graduate students in Counseling Psychology, Garsca Brooks and Jeanine Bakker, agreed to investigate the space and think some about how a business incubator might interact with people-focused academic areas.<br />
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Out of our conversations and visits to 1871 the idea for a podcast emerged. 1871 has a well-equipped podcast studio for use by members. The students were intrigued by the possibility of sharing with the TCC community more about their work in a previous course focused on multicultural counseling.<br />
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What emerged are a series of three conversations. The first episode centers on how the brain processes novel ideas. This leads to some discussion of what human beings do when confronting issues of difference. The second episode interviews a guest, Christine Scholma, about what it is like to live with health challenges that others might not be able to see. The third and final episode centers on thinking through the ways in which intersecting identities are explored and addressed in daily life. In this conversation Garsca Brooks, a graduate student in counseling psychology, shares her life experiences to illustrate some of the ways in which marginalized and privileged identities interface in her lived experience.<br />
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We look forward to you joining the conversation through these podcasts! After you listen please feel free to leave a comment on this post with questions or comments. We look forward to the conversation!<br />
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Trinity at 1871 Podcast (click the links to listen)<br />
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Part 1: <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OoKXjq2vWln6xwPxGEwajVAqEkgMlvUz">https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OoKXjq2vWln6xwPxGEwajVAqEkgMlvUz</a><br />
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Part 2: <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tS0n178pDDxxHu0bd7ApixruIzM0FvwI">https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tS0n178pDDxxHu0bd7ApixruIzM0FvwI</a><br />
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Part 3: <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=15eIZl37ZeyKxhBRuT5k0j_7n5TozmFTJ">https://drive.google.com/open?id=15eIZl37ZeyKxhBRuT5k0j_7n5TozmFTJ</a><br />
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Any questions can be directed to Kara Wolff at kara.wolff@trnty.edu or Sara Baillie at sara.baillie@trnty.edu<br />
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Thanks for listening!Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-7495926667531934892015-12-15T10:38:00.001-08:002016-06-10T12:16:14.755-07:00Psychology Research:Two Tensions for Christians (Part 1)<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrinknp_200_200/p/4/000/181/047/39e26bd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sherri Lantinga" border="0" class="image photo lazy-loaded" height="200" lazyload="true" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrinknp_200_200/p/4/000/181/047/39e26bd.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif;"><i>Our guest blogger, Dr. Sherri B. Lantinga, is an academic consultant, editor, and adjunct professor at Handong Global University. You can also read her delightful blogs about being an expat in Korea here: http://korealantinga.blogspot.com/</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I taught the seni</span><span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif;">or
psychology research course at Dordt College for about 15 years. Students
didn’t want to take it, dreaded taking it, and were sure it would be the worst
class in their college career (although History of Psych was a close
contender). They were usually terrified of statistics and/or public
speaking, did not feel the joy of APA style, and really wanted to help people by
doing counseling–not wasting their time and talents with independent variables
and ANOVAs and proper DOI citations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But I loved teaching
the course. Because I knew something my students didn’t: researching
people is really fun (ok, not 100% of the time, but more than they
expected). And I knew that even if they never again came within 10 blocks
of a <i>p</i> value, they would turn out the best paper and conference
presentation they’d ever done. In fact, our department staked a fancy
steak dinner on it every year.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Well, that’s nice
for Dordt,” you dear Trinity readers may be thinking. “But WE have to reflect
on Christian Perspective and, really, what does THAT have to do with the size
of <i>t</i> or the insanity program called SPSS?”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Good question–and one
I couldn’t answer myself for many years. But gradually I found at least
two sticking points for Christians doing psych research. The first point
I shall get to indirectly. Imagine that you are in Florida and visiting a
local swamp (just go with me here). Your travel companion wonders aloud:
“I wonder. How many teeth does an alligator have?”* You do not know the
answer. And, lo, there is a dead alligator just yards away! Do you
(a) say “Oh, curious friend, let us adjourn to Disney World and leave behind
your strange nature-y questions!”; (b) open the mouth of said gator to count
the teeth therein; or (c) repeatedly attempt to access Google or your mom or
pastor or anyone wiser than you for the answer?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The method you chose
to answer that question (and many other questions in life) reveals something of
your beliefs about the proper way of finding truth. (Some of you may suspect
we’re nearing the great swamp called epistemology. Fear not.) In the same
way, different academic fields have different preferences for the way they
answer questions like these. By this time you probably know that
psychology is a relatively new discipline (Wilhelm! Wilhelm!) that has
struggled, like a teenager with bad breath, for respect among its academic
peers. Psychology straddled the line between philosophy and biology for a
time, but sometime around Watson and Skinner it opted for scientific, empirical
methods for answering questions and booted out the introspective meanderings of
Wilhelm and Sigmund and others. As a result, neither philosophy nor
biology respect us because they both think we’re using the wrong methods to
learn about human behavior.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now back to the
alligator’s dental situation. If you chose to count its pointy teeth,
that’s akin to using empirical methods: using your senses to make systematic
observations to gain knowledge about the world. (And, if you had time on your
hands, you could rustle up some other alligators to count their teeth and
consider variables like gender, diet, and dental insurance coverage.)
When you, O Student of Psychology, use empirical methods to study human
behavior, you don’t just trust Plato or the Bible or Urban Dictionary for
answers–you look for yourself (in a systematic and unbiased way, of course). </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So where exactly is
the darn “sticking point” this essay is supposed to be about? Here it comes.
God gave us senses and the brainpower to learn about his creation. Very cool,
that. If empirical methods are your <i>only</i> tools for learning about
people, you’d be an empiric<i>ist. </i>From a Christian perspective, empiri<i>cists</i>
miss big opportunities for learning about people in <i>other</i> ways,
including what God reveals through his Word and his Spirit and the wisdom of
other people. My first-year grad professor at UIC was a dedicated empiric<i>ist</i>
who sprinkled even normal conversations with zingers like, “If you can’t
measure it, it doesn’t exist.” But Christians believe in a much larger
universe. <i>Christians believe in unmeasurable things </i>like the twisted
power of sin and the redemptive, unceasing movement of the Holy Spirit. We have
faith in things we <i>cannot </i>see, as the author of Hebrews reminds
us. Empirical methods are very cool God-given tools; but there are other
tools in the bag, too.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Back to our gator one
last time. An empiric<i>ist</i> is sort of like someone who counted that
dead gator’s teeth, took its measurements, carefully documented the terrain and
the goo in its stomach, and then concluded that he/she knew everything there
was to know about alligators. But, of course, this gator is <i>dead</i>:
the researcher would have completely missed learning about some of the most
important aspect of gators (like how they whirl around to attack the Gator Boys
of TV fame). The field of psychology pushes empiric<i>ism</i> in an
attempt to get respect from the natural sciences. But Christians in
psychology must remember the bigger picture: our senses don’t give the whole
story about people. And thus, from the mouth of a gator, we have one source of
tension for Christians doing psychological research; you’ll have to wait for
the next episode, about snowflakes, to learn about tension #2. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">**Thanks to Francis
Bacon for his teeth-in-the-mouth-of-a-horse analogy in the 16<sup>th</sup>
century.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Jessica Cleveringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15102594126114000184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-20187773146211523702015-02-03T14:17:00.000-08:002016-06-10T12:14:15.164-07:00Shalom, Multiculturalism and Christianity<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pxcjs71fuY0/VCQzUfxGZNI/AAAAAAAADd0/FpTeqaZpNBY/s1600/Cleary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pxcjs71fuY0/VCQzUfxGZNI/AAAAAAAADd0/FpTeqaZpNBY/s1600/Cleary.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p><em>Keenan Cleary is a graduate student here at TCC in the Counseling Psychology MA program.</em></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The reason we engage in
multicultural counseling is a direct attempt to restore shalom. While shalom
will never truly be reached, it is something that we should continuously strive
for in order to better humanity. Sin has lead to racism and bigotry, which not
only separates us from shalom, but keeps us from a true sense of community. Shalom,
or the attempt to reach a true sense of shalom, impacts counseling in multiple
ways. Shalom guides how we should approach counseling, and acts as an example
as to what should be achieved through counseling. There are obstacles to shalom
in counseling though, including classism, racism, and an ignorance of culture
and cultural context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Multicultural counseling helps us
reach Shalom in three key ways. First, multicultural counseling helps us
understand the views and motivations of others. When counselors are able to work
with people from a variety of backgrounds, people are able to grow in their
understanding of one another, as well as grow within their knowledge in other
cultural groups, separate from their own. Second, multicultural views help us understand
ourselves in new ways. When encountering other cultures, we are encouraged to
analyze the way we do things, and the way we interact with people, which helps
us grow and develop. The final way is through uniting these different cultures
in their new understanding. Once people are able to understand others
differently, and themselves differently, multicultural bonds can begin to form,
and restore us to this sense of Shalom. This is necessary in the first place
because of how far we have deviated from this idea of shalom in reference to
multiculturalism. Because we have fallen so far from multicultural shalom, we
must work to reclaim it, and a large part of that can be done through
multicultural counseling </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Plantinga, 1995).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">One of the biggest threats to this
multicultural shalom in the USA is the lingering effects of racism and bigotry,
beginning with slavery, and going through the civil rights movement, and even
into today. While racism and bigotry have evolved, both still exist, and all
cultures suffer from the residual effects. In his film </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman italic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Psychological Residuals of Slavery, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Dr.
Hardy discusses the true repercussions of slavery, and how they still, to this
day, effect African Americans, and their relationships with Whites. Feelings of
hostility, as well as deep feelings of shame are usually associated with the
residuals of slavery. These residuals have also kept African Americans separate
from many major parts of culture like television, movies, and even toys. This
has lead to a great psychological trauma, as many African Americans have
reported feeling like second class citizens. This is where sin has fragmented
the true idea of shalom. When Whites are thought of more highly than African
Americans, our true sense of Shalom has been forgotten, and the issues of sin
become evident as a result </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Hardy, 2008).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">This not only shows an oppression of
African Americans, but a lack of cultural knowledge by those who are white.
Many white people do not understand the extent to which separations between white
culture and black culture are made, and this is in part due to the lack of
clarity around white racial identity development. When white people ignore the
culture that they are taking a part of, they enable the disregard of another.
Plantinga says, “To shut one’s eyes to an injustice, to look the other way, to
pretend ignorance of evil - to do these things is to connive. We generally
think of connivance as a case of active conspiracy, but it needn’t be and often
isn’t.” While many white people do not have an understanding of their own
culture, it is often by their own choice that they do not seek out an
understanding </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Plantinga, 1995, p. 182).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> This lack of understanding leads to a
misunderstanding of other’s cultures, and how those cultures relate to one another.
Plantinga is demonstrating that it is this kind of blind ignorance that is
leading to a disruption in Shalom. While people may not be maliciously pursing
racism or bigotry, the lack of knowledge of racial</span><span style="color: #b7b100; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">and cultural differences, and how
those differences effect other races, leads to the subjugation of those
different races (</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Plantinga, 1995).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Multicultural counseling tries to
combat this in a very direct way. The recognition of other cultures, and the
differences that come along with those cultures is imperative to the
psychological empowerment of clients. It is also important for counselors, in
the sense that it may bring counselors to a better understanding of their
client’s issues. Once a client is able to realize what their role within their own
culture is, they can better assess who they are as a person, and realize what
cultural withholdings may be preventing them from a psychological shalom.
Especially when working with clients from different cultures, issues associated
with racial and cultural identity can be directly linked. While workplace
anxiety may be a reality for most working individuals, the additional stress of
racial discrimination could cause many different issues, especially in regard
to diagnosing and treatment options for a client. If these issues are not
addressed correctly by the counselor, a client’s wellbeing may be at risk. It
is important for a counselor to understand these cultural intricacies in order
to develop proper rapport with their client, and to better understand the needs
that go along with a client from another culture. This understanding brings us
closer to a place of shalom because we can better assess the needs of our
client, and help them through the healing process in a way that takes these
events into account </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Ponterotto, 2010).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Justice plays a key role in this..
As Christian counselors, we have a duty to each other and to God to see that shalom
be restored, and the effects of sin be minimized. If counselors are able to
understand those who come from a cultural background that is different from
their own, the Christian ideal of community can be better achieved. A
multicultural understanding will prevent the demeaning of other races and
cultures, as well as help create strong communities that embrace their diversity.
This idea of justice is imperative to the pairing of multicultural counseling
and the idea of shalom. Justice is the motivator that brings change that is
necessary in order for shalom to occur. When justice is the mindset of the
community, change will become something that is part of the culture. This
change is what is necessary especially when racial conditions have become as
askew as they currently are. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Sin applies to every aspect of
multicultural counseling. Sin is something that we must consistently contend
with as mental heath professionals, and from a Christian perspective, it must
also be something that is addressed in counseling. Sin prevents this idea of shalom
from manifesting in every aspect of life, and inversely, sin tarnishes every aspect
of our life and separates us from shalom. When we disregard the importance of a
multicultural perspective to counseling, we are in a way polluting that
therapy, and further separating ourselves and our clients from the possibility
of shalom </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Plantinga, 1995).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kirksey (2009) also pointed to the
idea of a multicultural acceptance being much deeper than a general acceptance
of different races. She shared a story of a group of students from multiple
racial backgrounds coming together. The point that Dr. Kirksey was making was
that, multicultural understanding seems to almost see past these racial
dividers and through to a very human level of understanding. While race, and
the understanding of race still remain important, true multicultural
understanding seeks the individual person, instead of the surface level racial
understanding. It is this deeper level of understanding that will lead us to a
better version of community, as well as a greater understanding of God’s love.
God called us to love others, but more importantly, to love others as he loved
others. In order to have this kind of love, it is important for us to look past
(but not ignore) those differences between one another that may separate us, to
recognize that there is a person that God has love for, and that we should also
share that love for. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The problem that we face within seeking
shalom is that we can never truly escape from sin. As we are born sinful
people, sin will always be something we must contend with in order to attempt
to reach shalom </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Plantinga, 1995).</span><span style="color: #fb0006; font-family: "times" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Even when presented with
difficult situations, there is something great about fighting for the
progression of shalom. It allows us to truly see the grace and love of God, as
well as be able to experience the tools that have been laid before us to better
ourselves and others. This is something that God has laid before us for a
reason, and it is our duty and obligation as both Christians and counselors to
attempt to restore shalom to the clients that we treat </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(Plantinga,
1995).</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hardy, K. V.
(Producer and Director). (2008). <em>Psychological residuals of slavery</em> [Motion
Picture]. (Available from Alexander Street Press).</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Kirksey, K. (Director).
(2009). </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman italic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christianity and Multiculturalism: Understanding an
Important Dimension of Diversity</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">
[Motion picture]. US: Microtraining Associates.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Plantinga, C. (1995). </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman italic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not
the way it's supposed to be: A breviary of sin</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">. Grand Rapids, MI:Eerdmans.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<div class="FreeForm" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 30pt; text-indent: -30pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Ponterotto, J. G.
(2010). </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman italic"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Handbook of multicultural counseling</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Publications.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-19880407615422897082014-11-06T10:13:00.003-08:002014-11-06T10:13:40.155-08:00Multicultural Counseling and Shalom<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f0twESco9ok/VCQ6kA0jLmI/AAAAAAAADeM/nLci_YWOtYA/s1600/IMG_6260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f0twESco9ok/VCQ6kA0jLmI/AAAAAAAADeM/nLci_YWOtYA/s1600/IMG_6260.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="goog_983399553"></span><span id="goog_983399554"><em>Donna Brown is a graduate student in counseling psychology here at TCC.</em> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Shalom is what God wished for us, His people; and, on our
best days that is what we wish for ourselves. But by our very sinful nature
life is not what it is supposed to be. Comparisons of this group to that group,
this flaw to that flaw, this success to that success leave us as multicultural
counselors open to a variety of cases that will test our ability and our will
to promote shalom. “Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be”
(Plantinga, 1995, p.10). Multicultural counseling is about seeing outside of
your own worldview and through someone else’s to help them create shalom in
their life. At the same time the client’s worldview and sin may disrupt the
shalom in your own life as the counselor. Both shalom and sin create varied
dynamics in the multicultural counseling setting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Plantinga (1995) writes about spiritual hygiene and
corruption and how corruption attacks the spiritually hygienic person. “A
spiritually hygienic person is one who combines strengths and flexibilities,
disciplines and freedoms, all working together from a renewable source of
vitality” (p. 34). It is important that counselors, especially Christian
counselors, strive to be this type of person. This person follows God’s purpose
for their life. To help move things back in the direction in which it is
supposed to be: shalom. One has to be called by God to do so by God. It is in
poor taste for a counselor to be unhygienic spiritually because they would
further disrupt shalom. A counselor promoting shalom in a multicultural counseling
relationship and setting must shun the stereotypes and prejudices that might
disrupt and negatively infiltrate their rationale and emotion. When counselors
fail to do this they fail their culturally different clients because they have
been corrupted. It takes discipline for a white counselor who has just learned
about the residual effects of slavery and what it actually means to be White in
America to withhold racially prejudiced comments that have been imbedded in
them since birth. Spiritual hygiene does not come overnight but with time and
discipline it is absolutely needed in the multicultural counseling setting for
change to occur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Those who promote multiculturalism and social justice are
trying to create shalom in the world and they should be applauded for that. If
Jesus Christ was walking the earth today it seems certain that He would be
trying to break down systemic oppression and institutionalized racism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a call for counselors to help create
shalom not just in the personal lives of clients but to advocate for them
outside of the therapy session. If that means speaking to a school counselor to
coordinate service plans for a child in family therapy, or going down to
Springfield to lobby for an increased budget for government-owned mental health
care facilities, or implementing the social justice organizational development
theory at the college level at the local college then it should be done to help
create shalom. However, sin is never too far away. “God hates sin not just
because it violates his law, but more substantively because it violates shalom,
because it breaks the peace, because it interferes with way things are supposed
to be” (Plantinga, 1995, p. 14). Even in the midst of these great things sin
disrupts it. For example, it is easy for a counselor’s head to get inflated. Any
great man or woman who has been a major contributor to change is at risk for
being puffed up on one’s own accomplishments. With everyone lavishing attention
on them for being so charismatic, taking a stand, and fighting for what is
right it is important to know that they have a personal life. That personal
life outside of fighting for multiculturalism, fighting for shalom can be
filled with sin. Some, not all, cheat on their spouses, go without seeing their
kids, accept bribes, and are highly narcissistic. When anyone tries to create
the life that is supposed to be, shalom, the devil is always lurking around to
tempt people with sin. It is by our own lusts that we are tempted. Counselors
fighting for multiculturalism want shalom but sin is always lurking around so
it is important to watch your motives and to discipline yourself to stay
spiritually hygienic that way shalom is not being created in one area while
simultaneously sin taking over in another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">References:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Plantinga, Jr, C. (1995) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Not the way it’s supposed to be: A breviary
of sin. </i>Grand Rapids,
MI: Wm. B. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eerdmans Publishing Co.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-22598951213088244782014-10-06T09:19:00.001-07:002014-10-06T09:19:59.420-07:00Multicultural Counseling and Sin in a Reformed Perspective<span id="goog_983399555"></span><span id="goog_983399556"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cMEpZvg2XJs/VCQ0lPuPI4I/AAAAAAAADd8/kyVV-tgFLhc/s1600/IMG_6258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cMEpZvg2XJs/VCQ0lPuPI4I/AAAAAAAADd8/kyVV-tgFLhc/s1600/IMG_6258.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<em>Belinda Adame is a graduate student in the MA program in Counseling Psychology here at TCC.</em><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-language: HE;">“Evenu shalom alejem, evenu shalom alejem, evenu shalom
alejem, evenu shalom, shalom, shalom alejem.” This is a traditional song that
is sung at my church in order to greet the congregation. Translated this song
reads:</span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;"> God’s peace be with you, God’s peace be with you, God’s
peace be with you, peace, peace, peace be with you. This song most commonly
reflects the definition that individuals often associate with shalom; peace.
However, shalom, as Plantinga (1995) describes, has a deeper significance.
According to him, shalom is “the way things ought to be” and “a spread of
appropriate thoughts, desires, emotions, words, deeds, and dispositions” (p.
10). This includes relationships between two or more people as well as races
within different nations. However, the problem arises when individuals begin to
realize that the way things ought to be are not the way things are currently.
If everyone imagined his or her perfect world, every individual would paint a
different picture. However, some common themes may include happy, unified
families, spiritual prosperity, and contentment. </span></span><span style="background: white;">When it comes to the topic of shalom and sin, it could be
stated that sin is the absence of shalom. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Sin is Generational <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white;">“</span></b><span class="text"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therefore,
just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all people, because all sinned”</i></span><span class="text"> (Romans 5: 12, NIV).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order for one to label sin as sin, one
should feel a certain degree of culpability. However, this culpability is also
presented in the form of a more structural element, one that is acquired
through social learning;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>generational
sin. The first instance recorded in the Bible of someone sinning against God’s
orders was when Eve ate from the forbidden fruit and shared it with Adam. This
act symbolizes that just as it was that simple for Eve to share the forbidden
fruit, sin is just as easily shared. When it comes to discussing race, there
are many opinions. Racism is a generational sin that has been progressive, even
before the birth of Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">When slavery is mentioned one might
automatically assume that one is talking about African Americans who were until
recently subjected to this traumatic experience. However, in the book of
Exodus, the bible narrates the story of the obstacles Moses had to overcome in
order to release his people from slavery. Sins such as slavery, segregation,
and superiority have not developed over the night, rather they have been
generational. “Recognizing that youngsters not only idolize but also imitate
their heroes… imitation is one of the main ways children sow what they have
reaped” (Plantinga, 1995, p. 71). This quote is a perfect example of what
happen with the fall of humanity. Eve ate from the forbidden fruit, shared the
fruit with Adam, as a result both were released from the garden, where they
procreated, and had two children. Most people who have read the story know that
Cain, Adam and Eve’s son killed his own brother Abel. While murder is a sin,
the sin was caused as a result of what Adam and Eve sowed. Cain and Abel were
conceived in sin; therefore, this was part of their humanity. Similarly, one
could explore how White privilege could also be generational sin. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">According to Sue (2004), White
privilege means to, “inherit and benefit from” and to “knowingly or unknowingly
have a stake in the perpetuation of White Racism.” Simply because one is White,
he or she has been born with the freedom to do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more than</i> individuals of other races. White privilege does not mean
that White people do not also struggle to get where they are in life, it simply
means that in some instances, opportunities have been more readily available to
them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span class="text"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Sin
is Perverse, Polluting, and Disintegrating <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Sin is repulsive because it separates
us from what ought to be. Sin holds us back in terms of spiritual and personal
growth; however, sin has more than just negative effects on the individual.
Just as sin is generational and has the ability to grow, sin also leaks and
spreads onto other individuals much like the flu or the common cold. In chapter
three, Plantinga (1995) describes sin as a father molesting his daughter. While
most of us are quick to reject the idea that we could possibly be compared to a
child molester, sin is sin. Whether that father was lying to his daughter or
molesting her, the fact is that because that father decided to pervert his
relationship with his daughter, other relationships such as other members of
the family, are also polluted. Plantinga claims that pollution is a way in
which relationships are weakened due to the integration of an unknown element
(p. 44). Furthermore, disintegration involves, “The breakdown of personal and
social integrity the loss of shape, strength, and purpose that make some entity
an “entirety” …Disintegration is always deterioration, the prelude and postlude
to death” (p. 47).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many times
individuals do not examine how our sinful actions will cause harm to others
because we tend to be most interested in what is more accommodating to us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Sin is Self-centered<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">We live in a
society that values independence. Being dependent on others and acknowledging
that not everything could be done on our own is difficult to admit. While
self-sufficiency is a trait that most of us value, this can lead to feelings <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of pride, which is a sin that also disturbs
shalom. Plantinga (1995) is very direct when he states, “God wants to fill us
with his Holy Spirit, but when we are proud we are already full of ourselves.
There’s no room for God” (p. 82). This statement is difficult to accept because
even if one is prideful, one is unaware of this characteristic. Having some
pride is not always harmful; however, it is when this pride directs us to
engage in discrimination that it is not acceptable. Much like the Holy Spirit
wants to work within us to restore our lives and simply to be a part of us, God
also desires us to depend on one another. However, an issue arises due to the
development of various assumptions that separate us rather than unite us. For
instance, it may be difficult for some Caucasians to accept the reality of
slavery. And although “moving forward” for some African-Americans would be
ideal, this experience is not a simple task (Hardy, 2008). For some
African-Americans it may seem that Whites are being prideful in not acknowledging
their experiences, and this thought or action is causing disintegration between
one another. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">On one hand
being prideful is a sin, but being envious and holding resentment is also a
cause of sin. Resentment is, “anger aimed at what the angry person regards as
unjust, insulting, demeaning, especially to her personally” (Plantinga, 1995,
p. 166). Resentment may stem from one’s racial experiences or inability to be
accepted or understood at a multicultural level. If one does not allow the Holy
Spirit to work with the anger and resentment that is being stored, this is also
a development of sin. Avoiding the Holy Spirit within us would be to push God
aside and claim that we are self-sufficient individuals, however, God’s
intended plan for our lives was and is to depend on Him, our creator. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 207.4pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Sin is Deceiving
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Sin is
beautiful. After claiming this most individuals would be fast to argue this
statement, however, if sin were not desirable, it would not be difficult to
voluntarily stop engaging in sin. Ordinarily, things would probably being going
the way they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ought to</i>. What attracts
us about sin is, “the goodness in it” (Plantinga, 1995, p. 94). Sin is
disguised so that what is wrong seems right to do. However, how could this be
translated into our society in regards to multicultural counseling? For some
individuals, the way they conceptualize race is normal. Again, this may be due
to the way a person was raised by his or her parents or by the lack of racial
consciousness. However, this does not excuse the behavior that it perpetrates.
Because racism could be as subtle as not feeling any responsibility for
feelings expressed by African-Americans in regards to slavery, it is often
difficult to accept that one is “racist” and therefore, much easier to deny it.
According to the AMCD Multicultural Counseling Competencies, counselors are
expected to have certain skills, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs in regards to
their own understandings of cultural values as well as a worldview perspective
(Arredondo, 1996). However, in order to do so one has to ask the Holy Spirit
for guidance and let go of pride, regardless if one believes he or she is
subjected to it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">
<o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
References:</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Arredondo,
P., Toporek, M.S., Brown, S., Jones, J., Locke, D.C., Sanchez, J. and Stadler, H. (1996).<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Operationalization of the multicultural
counseling competencies</i>. AMCD: Alexandria, VA.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Hardy, K. V. (Producer
and Director). (2008). <em>Psychological residuals of slavery</em> [Motion
Picture].(Available from Alexander Street Press).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Plantinga,
Cornelius. (1995). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Not the way it’s
supposed to be a breviary of sin. </i>Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Sue, D. W. (Producer
and Director). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(2004). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What does it mean to be white? The invisible
whiteness of being</i> [Motion Picture]. (Available from Alexander Street
Press). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-53218773166931578142014-09-02T12:48:00.001-07:002014-09-02T12:48:54.987-07:00Anxiety and the Christian Life<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
following blog entry is adapted from a chapel meditation given by Dr. Wolff on May 7, 2014. <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I John 3:18-24 The Message<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My dear children, let’s not just talk about love;
let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly,
living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating
self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our
worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no
longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re
able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing
what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe
in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in
line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and
surely in him and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and
abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave to us. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a
psychologist I have spent many years being trained in how to be aware of
people. Really much of my academic work has been to think about how people’s
feelings, actions and perceptions all work together to form them. And perhaps
you’ve heard the jokes that people tell psychologists when they’re introduced;
“Don’t analyze me,” “I better watch what I say around you,” or “can you read my
mind?” To me those oft-repeated jokes, while funny and corny, also betray an
inner sense of worry that we have, “what will happen if I’m truly seen by
someone? Will I be unmasked? What will really be known about me?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 John seems to
speak to that a bit, he reminds us that, hey, we all have that debilitating
self-criticism, that inner voice that can plague our thoughts with reminders
that we aren’t any good, or aren’t very capable. I don’t know about you, but I
am visited by those kinds of thoughts on occasion. I suspect most of us live
with some worry about our ability to measure up. We’re frequently aware of the
ways in which we aren’t good enough. This is a paradox, though, for the
generation of the “selfie”, that despite our focus on ourselves and our usage
of things like social media to “announce” the smallest detail of our lives, we
still live with uncertainty and insecurity about our worth and value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The author Anne
Lamott puts it quite well in her book, Bird by Bird (1995). This is a book on
how to write, but as is characteristic of Lamott, there is a fair amount about
the human experience as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“If you are not careful, station KFKD will play in
your head 24 hours a day, nonstop in stereo….Out of the left speaker will be
the rap songs of self-loathing, the lists of all the things one doesn’t do
well, of all the mistakes one has made today and over an entire lifetime, the
doubt, the assertion that everything that ones touches turns to shit, that one
doesn’t do relationships well, that one is in every way a fraud, incapable of
selfless love, that one has no talent or insight, and on and on and on” (p.
116). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I suspect that
many of us can relate to Lamott’s radio station analogy, that in the very
moment we ready ourselves to do something difficult or challenging we are
plagued by negative thoughts about ourselves. I know that I have had those
moments when preparing for class or even before getting up to share this chapel
meditation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe like me you’ve heard
the phrases in your head “Why did they ask me to do this? I don’t have anything
to offer. This is going to be a disaster!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of this is
what we psychologists often call negative self-talk, and some of us struggle
with it more than others. And as I John references, it’s even harder to shake
because often pieces of it contain truth. When 5% of our critical thoughts contain
some truth, we hear that 5% amplified as through loud speakers blaring
throughout our minds, often blocking our ability to do or think about much else,
leaving us stuck. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What follows
this critical attack on our sense of self? Well, many of us shake it off, we
combat it with good thoughts or reminders about our capabilities. Perhaps we
even remind ourselves about our worth in Christ as the scripture suggests. But
for others of us this negative thinking will lead to feelings of depression and
anxiety. Worry might overtake us for a while, and we find our belief in
ourselves shaken. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what is
anxiety? Most professionals agree that anxiety is a series of worries about
everyday events, fears about the future and apprehension regarding social
interaction. All of us will experience brief periods of worry in our lives. In
fact, as I often quote to my students before an exam, a moderate amount of
anxiety can be motivating! It helps us to study harder and become more
prepared. But once that worry becomes more extreme and excessive, it can become
paralyzing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The statistics
suggest that a great number of us are familiar with feelings of worry.
According to the National Institutes of Mental Health 40 million Americans over
18 in a given year could be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. That’s about
18% of the population over 18 years old (Anxiety Disorders, 2014).
Additionally, the Association for University and College Counseling Centers
continues to note that anxiety is the most predominant presenting concern among
college students who are seeking help from college counseling centers (2013).
And these numbers don’t include those of us who just get caught in the grip of
worry occasionally. What this suggests to me is that I John’s acknowledgement
of our self-debilitating criticism is an accurate reflection of our human
condition. Most of us know how that feels. We can relate to feelings of anxiety
because we have known them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A band I enjoy
is the Wailin Jenny’s; they have kind of a guitar folk style, and as a preface
to one of their songs, they offer this introduction:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“But even if you don’t consider yourself a chronic
worrier, I think there are times in all of our lives where we find that our
mind is not with us at a particular moment. It’s not seeing anything that is
actually going on in front of us. Its running the little films of our lives in
our head you know of what maybe shouldn’t have happened a few weeks ago or what
is going to go wrong a couple of months from now or go right a few months from
now. It’s just not with us, and I think that the antidote to worrying is being
in the moment. So I wrote this song to remind us to be mindful.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The singer goes
on to offer a song called, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Begin</i> that
focuses on staying present where we are at any given time. Mindfulness is an
increasingly popular term within the psychological community. It’s been
integrated into several mainstream treatments for anxiety, like Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy. Over and over studies of the effects of mindfulness in
psychology say, yes it works! It helps people cope with feelings of worry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what is it?
It’s a practice of staying present in the moment and really focusing on the
what is going on around you rather than letting your mind wander off ahead of
you into the what if’s. I also hear a nod to a practice of mindfulness in 1
John. It’s a specific kind of acknowledgement that abiding in God’s presence
keeps us grounded and mindful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I read this
passage in I John, I can’t help but feel openness, a sense of space enlarging
before me and an awakening hopefulness. It’s sort of the same feelings that I
have had during the last few weeks when it became clear that spring is sticking
around. The life-giving greenery around me in contrast to the cold, snowy, dark
winter that we’ve just come out of is refreshing to my spirit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That feeling of
freedom that the passage suggests is in direct contrast to the chains that
anxiety shackles us with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such freedom
seems to be possible both due to the acknowledgement of our struggle and a
response that God knows us better than we know ourselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Does this lay
out a formula for eliminating anxiety and worry from our lives? No, it does
not. The organic methods of the Holy Spirit are much more complex than that.
What I see instead is the offering of hope for our troubled and weary selves.
The wonderful line, “truly living in God’s reality,” feels like a promise to
me, one that I’m not even sure I can fathom. I’m encouraged by it, but also
left wondering, what does that mean? What does it look like? Especially when we
are weighed down by troubles, what is God’s reality? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The passage
seems to suggest that there is something that can change simply by living in
God’s knowledge of us, rather than our definition of self. It’s a good reminder
that our sense of our own identity is ultimately limited. As is our vision of
the world. God’s is greater and much clearer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is also
the reminder to love one another. The passage doesn’t use the word “authentic”,
but it’s a good word for our era. To love each other authentically. To really
see each other, worries and imperfections and all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the great privileges of being a
psychologist is sitting in a space with people that eliminates the need for
social convention. Therapy often allows us to simply be present with each
other, to sit in the moment and really listen. It’s always remarkable when
strangers allow me to enter in to some of the messiest parts of their lives.
It’s an act of truly being seen and heard by someone else. One of the things
I’m most grateful for is the way it has changed me, and taught me to really
look at the person in front of me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And outside the
therapy room in all aspects of our lives, we are presented with opportunities
for authenticity, or to worry about how we are perceived or we worry about
taking relational risks. Will the other person reject our attempt at
authenticity? Or will it be received with love and tenderness? I find myself
worrying about those things in my day-to-day life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this passage
in I John is a good reminder that God’s promise is real, and it’s inviting us
into freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anxiety disorders. (2014). Retrieved April 17, 2014
from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Association University and College Counseling Center
Directors. (2013). <i>Annual survey</i>. Aurora, IL: Author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lamott, A. (1995). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bird by bird: Some instructions on writing and life.</i> New York, Anchor
Books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
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Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-91703409941769945732014-08-09T12:39:00.003-07:002014-08-09T12:39:59.846-07:00The integration of Christianity and Psychology<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Molly Johnson is a recent graduate of TCC who would like to work with children, in particular through the Department of Children and Family Services or an adoption service. </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe that the best way to look at
Christianity and psychology is through an integrated lens. My overall synopsis
would be that Christianity and psychology should be integrated and work
together in order to heal patients as well as guide them in the right direction
to living a happy and healthy life through the glory of God. I feel as though
Christianity and psychology cannot be separated into their own separate realms
because they need to incorporate the insight of the other in order to function
as a key component in understanding how life works. This type of integration
can bring us one step closer to an even better understanding of God’s kingdom
through the knowledge He has given us about it through His word and through the
scientific knowledge we have been blessed with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a specific definition of psychology, I
would say that psychology is the knowledge and understanding of our cognitive
processes. It is these processes that we study and our attempt to explain them
leads to even more linked discoveries. It is the study of human nature as well
as the study of human cognitive processing. Psychology is aimed at not only our
cognitive processes but our behavior as well. It requires careful observation
and thought and is interconnected to other aspects and areas of scientific
knowledge such as biology, physiology, chemistry, etc. Our description of the
psychology that is unique to us as humans helps us differentiate between other
living things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Psychology serves the purpose of being able
to understand <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i> we do the things
that we do and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i> certain things
affect how we live and experience our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is also the means through which we help people work through their
disorders, conditions and problems. We study psychology in general to be able
to improve our well-being and to gain a better understanding of our
capabilities as human beings. We should study the discipline of psychology in
order to engage with the world in our surroundings and other people while doing
it in a way that glorifies God. We strive to help others better understand
themselves and show them the ways that explain how and why they are the
children of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The relationship between Christianity and
psychology should be that they have the potential to be separate but when they
are brought together they bring us one step closer to knowing even more about
ourselves and the world we live in. Psychology helps us to understand the
individual while using Christianity as a means to answer the questions we
cannot scientifically prove. In the same breath, a Christian psychologist
should play a role that seeks to provide scientifically sound therapy or
counseling while also addressing those ‘unknown’ bits of knowledge through a
Christian perspective. They should be able to provide a place of welcoming
peace and remind the patient that they are one of God’s people and that He
always has their best interests in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We would be able to recognize work in
psychology as “Christian” by acknowledging that it is faith-based with the goal
of providing evidence that shows that we are doing this work ultimately through
and for God. All work in psychology should strive towards the common goal to
better God’s kingdom and help His people be the best that they can be. Some,
but not all evidence should be scripturally-based since the Bible is not a
textbook and we should not use it as such. We can recognize work in psychology
as being Christian by seeing that it is centered in God and that the person who
is involved in that particular work has a strong faith background.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anything in life can be looked at through a
Christian perspective and it is important for us to not have all of life’s
answers because that is where faith comes in. It brings mystery and enchantment
into our lives and it will always provide us with God’s love no matter what we
encounter. We must leave it up to faith in order to answer the questions that
cannot be proven by science. The questions we have simply cannot all be answered
but at least we may have some peace of mind that everything in life happens for
a reason. Psychology brings us closer to knowing more about the world,
ourselves and God, but only just so much that we don’t obtain all of the
world’s answers. Those answers we cannot have are God’s and God’s alone. We
must put our faith and trust in Him because in the end, all that matters is
that we are blanketed in His unconditional love.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-25668895101136621982014-07-18T04:52:00.000-07:002014-07-18T04:52:40.911-07:00Religion and postpartum depression<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Kaleigh
Velasquez is an </span>undergraduate</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i> student here at Trinity Christian College. </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The article that I reviewed deals
with postpartum depression and how religion may play a role in overcoming this
disorder (Zittel-Palamara, Cercone & Rockmaker, 2009). Postpartum
depression is a form of depression that happens after a woman gives birth. The
symptoms are similar to major depression and are characterized by anxiety,
having a short temper, feeling hopeless or guilty, a decrease in appetite,
inability to focus, decreased interest in the baby, and having trouble
sleeping.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Postpartum depression is more likely
in disadvantaged communities than in advantaged communities and also higher
within African American and Latino communities rather than Caucasians. This
type of depression affects between 15% to 25% of woman annually, but there are
also reports of 34% to 55% of woman suffering (Zittel-Palamara, Cercone &
Rockmaker, 2009). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it comes to treatments, the
most common is medication and specifically antidepressants. Even though
antidepressants may work for a certain client, many clients claim they take
them without knowing their other treatment options. Other medical treatments
include alternative medicines and hormone treatments. A medical perspective
also uses hospitalization, as well as day and visitation programs. Another form
of treatment is psychological based interventions. These include individual and
group counseling. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are different types of
treatment that combat postpartum depression, some of them with the use of
religion and spirituality. It is said that nearly 60% of the women struggling
found strength in religion. There are different ways in which a professionals
may introduce spirituality into a treatment. One way is having the professional
bring spirituality into the session directly. Another way is having the client
bring spirituality into the session willingly (Zittel-Palamara, Cercone &
Rockmaker, 2009). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In one study almost two-thirds of
the participants disclosed that they found strength from their religion. Of the
women in the study, the vast majority reported having limited ability to access
postpartum depression care. Over 50% of the women in the study that wanted
spiritual guidance reported that it was not hard for them to find postpartum
depression care. This study found that a lack of desire to seek spiritual
assistance could actually be linked to these women’s longer exposure to mental
health issues in their lives before their pregnancy (Zittel-Palamara, Cercone
& Rockmaker, 2009) . <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Women who believe that they find
strength in their religion would be well served to seek treatment for postpartum
depression that includes spirituality. When a person is under great stress and
feelings of desperation, it is wise to turn to religion and spirituality
because it appears to be a positive strategy to cope with these issues.
Numerous studies done with people of color and individuals suffering from
mental health issues have shown that people who turn to spirituality reported
decrease in symptoms, a better outlook, and increased positivity
(Zittel-Palamara, Cercone & Rockmaker, 2009). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My understanding of depression leads
me to think that even with all the treatment options out there it is hard to
find one that relieves the depression. Based on this article, I have learned
that religion is a big part in the treatment process for some women. I feel
like being prescribed antidepressants could have variable results and finding
the strength through religion could be a stable base for some of these women
struggling. Many people may need to be prescribed medications but can also
focus on religion as part of their treatment plan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This article leaves me wanting to do
more research on the medical based treatments to see how
effective/non-effective they are in comparison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, a critique would be for them to do more follow-up studies so they
know their results can be repeated. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References:
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zittel-Palamara,
K., Cercone, S.A. & Rockmaker, J.R. (2009). Spiritual support for women
with postpartum depression. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of
psychology and Christianity,</i> 28(3), 213-223.</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-58867813320842936612014-06-02T11:00:00.000-07:002014-06-02T11:00:51.809-07:00Self-of-the Therapist in the Living Moment: Dr. Aponte<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AoaqIR11QAk/U3ODNeCetoI/AAAAAAAADb4/7M5h4uUPFYg/s1600/Kiser.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AoaqIR11QAk/U3ODNeCetoI/AAAAAAAADb4/7M5h4uUPFYg/s1600/Kiser.jpeg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Jeannette Kiser is a
graduate student in the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program here at Trinity
Christian College.</em> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the Marriage, Couple
& Family Counseling class offered at Trinity Christian College my then
professor Dr. Mike Ideran, assigned the class a choice of a written final or a
final presentation. My cohort member, Terry Jones, and I felt we would learn
more through putting together a presentation on one of the concepts that we
learned in class rather than regurgitating information on a test. During one of
our subsequent class sessions, Dr. Ideran came in with an article entitled, <i>“Training
of the Person of the Therapist in the Academic Setting” (Aponte, et al, 2009).</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The article offered many
indications of how important family of origin issues are in the life themes of
individuals. The article also introduced Terry and I to a rather fascinating
individual, Dr. Harry Aponte. Dr. Aponte is a Structural Family Therapist who
also teaches at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The article further
introduced us to his work on the concept of <i>signature theme </i>and the
Person of the Therapist Training Model (POTT Model). The POTT model is a
training program where one spends a year exploring, working, and resolving
their signature themes. Signature themes are struggles or wounds that permeate
through an individual’s being without them being aware of them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In October of 2013 Terry
contacted Dr. Aponte to ask if he would be willing to spend 15 to 20 minutes
being interviewed by us so that we may further understand his concept of
signature themes and the POTT Model. About a month later Dr. Aponte granted our
interview. This gracious man provided us with one hour and fifteen minutes of
his valuable time. This interview was an amazing experience. The understanding
that Dr. Aponte has of working with clients and the therapeutic experience
aligns quite well with my view of therapy. We discussed everything from
cultural influences (he is Puerto Rican and Catholic “raised in the slums of
New York”) to the use of the self-of-the therapist. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The use of the “self-of-the
therapist” is realizing that the client gets us (the therapist) <i>as we are</i>.
It is the therapist’s responsibility to be aware of what it is that they bring
to the therapeutic process (or the living moment). Dr. Aponte suggested a question
that therapists should often ask themselves, “What of me is affecting the
therapeutic process?” That question is really what the POTT model and signature
themes are all about. What about us, good, bad, ugly, indifferent is affecting
our therapeutic presence in the living moment?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dr. Aponte states, “I
have to take something from my human experience that relates to the core of the
other person’s humanity. Yes, I have to recognize our differences. But if I am
going to do this work we have to discover our sameness. We all suffer, we all
get lonely, depressed, discouraged. We all are longing for love and somehow or
other I have to find that very essence of what it is to be human and vulnerable
and fallible.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We as therapists have to
get in touch and <i>feel </i>“our common humanity” so that we can feel what our
clients are feeling, cry when they cry, hurt when they hurt, smile when they
smile, etc. In order to do this Dr. Aponte says that we have to open ourselves
up to our own brokenness, our own <i>woundedness</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As therapists we must
know about ourselves in order to develop the skills and discipline that will
allow us to tap into our experiences and figure out how those experiences will
fit into our model of therapy. “How do we use ourselves to maximize our
effectiveness in the therapeutic process?” When our clients come to us we are
joining them in their journey, in that one particular life moment and we are
offering to aide them in overcoming the hurdle they are presently facing. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dr. Aponte offers his
perspective on the human condition and the role of the therapist. “People are
not broken or in need of being fixed. People are on a journey of their own and
we are merely meeting them in a moment of their life history.” –Dr. Aponte<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Aponte, H.J, Powell,
F.D., Brooks, S., Watson, M.F., Lizke, C., Lawless, J. & Johnson, E.
(2009). Training the person of the therapist in an academic setting. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of Marital and Family Therapy,
35(4), </i>381-394.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-10224157854739845762014-05-01T12:12:00.000-07:002014-09-02T12:47:47.305-07:00Creation, Fall, Redemption and the Naturalistic Fallacy<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In Christian colleges
that have developed from Reformed denominations you will often hear the words:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creation, Fall, Redemption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the general framework that guides our
studies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God created the earth and it
was good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The physical creation was good
and the societal, psychological, spiritual aspects of life were also good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Adam and Eve sinned and the earth was
cursed and filled with brokenness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
God sent his Son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He died for our sins
and started the whole creation – human beings and all – back toward the good
and the unbroken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He redeemed and is redeeming
his world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Opportunities to
reflect on creation, fall, and redemption often arise in the field of social
psychology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Social psychology looks at
how an individual affects and is affected by others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The topics in social psychology include
romantic relationships, prejudice, persuasion, conflict, and conformity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psychologists have unearthed some well-supported
findings on these topics. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One finding is
that men everywhere are more likely than women to be found in socially dominant
roles; things like CEOs, politicians, and religious leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women, on the other hand, are overly-represented
in more help-giving roles; things like nursing, education, and counseling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So is this role distinction an intentional
part of God’s creation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or does it exist
because of the fall?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or is it part of
God’s ongoing redemptive work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another well-supported
finding is social facilitation:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we do
easier tasks better when we are around other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can get a better work-out when you jog
with a friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can lick 200
envelopes faster if you’re not alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
is social facilitation part of God’s creation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Part of the fall? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or part of
God’s ongoing redemptive work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is tempting
to say that because it is universal, well-supported, and scientifically sound
that it must be part of God’s creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s easy to say that something exists because God made it that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I think this
temptation stems from our acquaintance with other sciences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you learn about the biological processes
of photosynthesis you know that because it is universal, well supported, and scientifically
sound that God probably created it that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet we must be careful not to fall into a naturalistic fallacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We mustn’t say; “that which is, is good.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just because you find something everywhere
does not mean that it is God’s original creational intention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, researchers in the biological
sciences have discovered that skin cancer is naturally occurring and can be
found everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does that mean that
God included cancer in his creation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
the sixth day, did he survey all he had made, and did his eyes fall on skin
cancer, and did he say, “It is very good”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Now consider an
example from psychology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the most
well-supported findings in social psychology is the self-serving bias.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We think highly of ourselves to an
unreasonable degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When something good
happens it is because we brought it about, when something bad happens it is
because of factors beyond our control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we get an “A” it is because we studied hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we get an “F” it is because the teacher
is too hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psychologists have found
time and time again that most people have a self-serving bias.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So is this part of God’s creation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of the fall?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or part of God’s ongoing redemptive work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did God create us to always take credit for
the good and never take responsibility for the bad?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Our world is so
entirely affected by the fall that it can sometimes be difficult to pull apart
what exists because it was part of God’s plan for the world, what exists
because of the fall, and what exists because of God’s grace to us after the fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Understanding Gods good and perfect will for
our world is no easier than understanding God’s will for our own personal
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must be careful and prayerful
when we consider these things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must
not assume that because we have discovered a scientific fact or law that it is
thereby God’s law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be the law
of sin working in our own members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <em>Jessica B. Clevering, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Trinity Christian College</em></span></o:p></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-29615463069478207832014-04-01T15:33:00.000-07:002014-04-01T15:33:28.771-07:00Psychological impact of self-forgiveness<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Authored by Rebecca Schichtel, who is an undergraduate student here at Trinity Christian College. </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a cognitive process is disrupted, it can cause an abundance of problems. As sinful human beings, it is important for us to learn to forgive ourselves. We are imperfect and flawed. Without the ability to forgive ourselves, we can fall into an unhealthy pattern of negativity and self-depreciation. Two psychologists, J. H. Hall and F. D. Fincham studied some factors that could affect people’s likeliness to forgive themselves (as cited in McConnell & Dixon, 2012).. This article focuses on how perceived forgiveness from God affects self-forgiveness (McConnell & Dixon, 2012).
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before focusing on how perceived forgiveness affects self-forgiveness, this article began by briefly analyzing a few other factors. In comparing guilt and shame in this context, shame appeared to have a more negative effect on self-forgiveness than guilt. This could be because guilt seems to center around other people, whereas shame tends to center around the person feeling guilty. This focus on oneself could lead to self-disapproval and evasion, which could lead to a damaging cognitive pattern. Hall and Finchman (as cited in McConnell & Dixon, 2012) also compared empathy and conciliatory behavior. Empathy was found to be only slightly related to self-forgiveness. Surprisingly, when attributions were studied, they were found to be completely separate from self-forgiveness. Hall and Fincham had thought that inner attributions would have inhibited true self-forgiveness because the person would place a great amount of responsibility on him- or herself. Moreover, Hall and Finchman studied how the severity of transgressions affected people’s ability to forgive themselves. They found that altering the perception of the severity of transgressions did have an effect on self-forgiveness because the offenders may have seen more severe wrongdoings as too terrible to allow self-forgiveness (as cited in McConnell & Dixon, 2012). Finally, the authors dove into the idea of perceived forgiveness, particularly perceived forgiveness from God, as increasing people’s likelihood of forgiving themselves.
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When people experience guilt and shame, they “can experience guilt and/or shame ‘internally’ in relation to their selves and ‘horizontally’ in relation to other persons, but also ‘vertically’ in relation to God” (McConnell & Dixon, 2012, p. 32). It has been shown through studies that people who feel guilt and shame will be more likely to forgive themselves if they receive forgiveness from other people, such as the person who had wrong done to them. Spinning off of that idea, Hall and Finchman tested “the hypothesis that self-forgiveness is a possible antecedent variable of perceived forgiveness from God in personal instances” (as cited in McConnell & Dixon, 2012, p. 33). They did this by presenting three questionnaires to “evenly distributed” (McConnell & Dixon, 2012, p. 33) groups of participants. The participants also received the questionnaires in varying order to eliminate order as a variable. One questionnaire asked about adjective ratings (ARG), one asked about God image inventory (GII), and the other was about self-forgiveness. In the end, they found that personal “perceived forgiveness from God is significantly correlated with self-forgiveness” (McConnell & Dixon, 2012p. 36).
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If people are forgiven by those they hurt, by other people around them, and by God, would it not make sense that they would have an easier time forgiving themselves? If people hurt others around them, and those who were hurt will not forgive them, it would be more difficult to forgive themselves. The good news is that we do have a forgiving God, a God who will forgive all our sins no matter what we have done. Seeing God in this light can help people forgive themselves because if the Creator of the universe is willing to forgive them, why should they not forgive themselves? Unfortunately, many people do not see God this way, and many have a contradictory belief that even though we have a forgiving God, God would not be willing to forgive them personally.
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps the knowledge that perceived forgiveness from God can help people forgive themselves, ultimately allowing them to live a more comfortable and more joyful life, can be used in therapy. People who cannot forgive themselves may have illogical thinking processes involving thoughts about how terrible they are, that there is nothing that they can do to change that, and because they are so dreadful, God would not possibly be able to forgive them. Perchance this type of faulty thought process could be stopped through cognitive therapy. If people could see the areas that do not match up, maybe they could come to see they are forgiven and then eventually be able to forgive themselves.
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thought stopping could also break the chain of actions that can come from this type of thinking. If people think they are terrible, they do not think they deserve to be forgiven. That could lead to them feeling there is no point in trying so they do more things that make them feel worse. Stopping those thoughts would also stop that chain of disagreeable actions (McConnell & Dixon, 2012).
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This article helped me understand more about the cognitive side of therapy. It made me think about how people think and how those thoughts can be changed. It made me think about why certain processes of thought should be changed and how just faulty patterns of thinking can change your whole life. I can completely see how this would be related to depression or possibly post-traumatic stress disorder. How we think and what we focus on can have such a greater impact than I thought.
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, it seems the forgiveness of self might be closely connected with perceived forgiveness from God. If this is the case, it could be very beneficial to bring people’s spiritual and religious views into the light of conversation in therapy. If people are able to work through the difficult feelings of shame and guilt vertically, they might have an easier time doing the same internally. I wonder whether those who have not been forgiven by those they hurt would be able to forgive themselves without the knowledge that God forgives them. This makes me wonder what is the best way to help people through situations where they might never be forgiven entirely by those they hurt. They still need to learn to forgive themselves.
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">McConnell, J. M., & Dixon, D.N. (2012). "Perceived Forgiveness from God and Self-
Forgiveness." Journal of Psychology and Christianity 31 (1), 31-39.</span>
</span></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-70616930416526401152014-03-25T12:10:00.001-07:002014-03-25T12:11:07.565-07:002014 Psychology Renewed Conference<img height="640" id="docs-internal-guid-b961b5fc-faa4-126f-ef67-03285596eac7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/quSjkJ-7x5P9mVyJ9eddp4F6zxoqwFnTua6qo6BoxOEXtPobXr00u5Rciux9DbyqxQeHtnqig3mxNTVR073VCazXoYaLPDOh2WrehV4kRzeYJOlSkGXp2FGy7IMbhA" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: currentColor; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="492" /><br />
Additionally, CEUs will be available for LPCs and LCPCs for a small processing fee. Please contact Michael DeVries with questions at michael.devries at trnty.eduDr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-12731082966749271022014-03-02T12:58:00.000-08:002014-03-02T12:58:16.957-08:00Loving the Deviant of the Group<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
following blog entry was adapted from a chapel speech given by Dr. Clevering on
October 30, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the great things
about finding a major in college is that you get insight into the Bible from a
whole new perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A history major
might learn more about ancient Mesopotamia and therefore have a better understanding
of the culture and customs of the people surrounding Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An English major might learn about syntax and
parallelism and have a better appreciating of the poetry of the psalms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a psychology major may have insights into
Jesus’ social interactions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One passage which I feel I understand
better as a psychologist is Luke 19:1-10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the story of Jesus meeting Zaccheus, the tax collector, and
going to eat with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To understand the psychology
in this story we also need to understand the historical setting of the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zaccheus was Jewish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he collected taxes from the Jews on
behalf of the Romans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that weren’t
bad enough, the taxcollectors in those days were allowed to charge people whatever
they wanted so long as the Romans got their portion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That meant the tax collectors got to line
their own pockets with a lot of extra cash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So we can’t think of these tax collectors as just an ancient version of
the IRS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tax collectors were pretty
shady characters and they fraternized with the enemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, because of their interactions with
the Roman gentiles they were considered to be unclean by their fellow Jewish
countrymen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a tax collector, Zaccheus
is what we would call an in-group deviant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In-group deviants are in your in-group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They have an association with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When you use the pronoun “we” it includes them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They belong to one of the groups you belong
to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other people make a connection
between you and them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they are
different, and weird, and just not normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They don’t go along with the group norms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are an embarrassment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The term deviant refers to the fact that they
deviate from what is expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
deviate from how everyone thinks they should behave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deviants don’t do what they’re supposed to do
and don’t think how they’re supposed to think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zaccheus was an in-group
deviant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was Jewish, he lived among
his fellow Jews and counted himself as a belonging to the Jewish people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet he collected taxes for the Romans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He associated with gentiles and took money
from his own people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So nobody liked
him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Studies show that people
tend to dislike an in-group deviant even more than someone from a rival group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One interesting study was conducted at a
university which was known for being a party school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not cool to be studious at this
university.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The students at this
university were asked to rate how much they would like to be friends with
several types of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One type was
someone at their own school who spent a lot of time studying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another type was someone from a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rival </i>school who spent a lot of time
studying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people at that university
said they would rather be friends with the studious person from the rival
school than someone from their <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">own</i>
school who was studious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words,
it is easier to love a Roman than someone from your own group who collects
taxes for the Romans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is why Jesus’ behavior
is so fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the book of
Matthew Jesus verbally commanded us to love our enemies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is really hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we can often get away with thinking we do
this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, an enemy is an abstract
concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enemies are not in your in-group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They aren’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i> people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t feel a
connection to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t come into
contact with them often so it’s easy to love them in theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then in the story of Zaccheus, Jesus
commands us by example to love our in-group deviants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is so much harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just think how easy it is to
talk about accepting each other’s differences and how hard it is to love that
guy who always sits with you in the cafeteria making awkward comments and asking
you to explain all your jokes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How easy
it is to accept the guy in the cool car driving by you on the road and how hard
it is to love your clueless upper-class roommate who has no idea what it really
means to work hard for something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
easy it is to attend a civil discourse presenting both sides of a political
debate and how hard it is to love your best friend from high school who insists
on posting the most ridiculous, biased, political nonsense on facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How easy it is to volunteer at an agency
working with people recovering from addictions and how hard it is to love and
forgive the person in your own family struggling with addiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How easy it is to have an international-style
worship service and how hard it is to love that member of your church who let
slip a racist comment the other day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those people just don’t get
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are so embarrassing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are so frustrating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">are so hard to love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The passage ends with
Zaccheus having a change of heart – He gave half of his possessions to the
poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus then declares “Today
salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of
Abraham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the Son of Man came to seek
and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:9-10) Jesus reminds everyone that Zaccheus
is a son of Abraham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reminds everyone
of who Zaccheus belongs to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must seek
the ability to love our in-group deviants because they belong to us and we
belong to them.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-55454875713414843522014-02-04T13:06:00.000-08:002014-02-04T13:06:00.164-08:00Christians and help seeking behaviors<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-48un0jBDmAo/UvFV8EvGE3I/AAAAAAAADbA/WnAdDMnQ7ks/s1600/MHM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-48un0jBDmAo/UvFV8EvGE3I/AAAAAAAADbA/WnAdDMnQ7ks/s1600/MHM.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Megan Hanfee-Major is a sophomore at Trinity Christian College double-majoring in
Psychology & Communication Arts/ Theatre. Originally from New Richmond, WI,
Megan plans to continue her education in Psychology by pursuing a M.A. degree
with an emphasis that has not yet been determined. She hopes to eventually
serve God's people through a career in counseling, perhaps integrating her love
of theatre into the therapeutic process</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In an article in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Journal of Psychology and Christianity</i> entitled “Measuring Protestant
Christians' Willingness to Seek Professional Psychological Help for Mental Illness:
A Rasch Measurement Analysis” (2012) researchers Kenneth D. Royal of the
University of Kentucky and Juan Michael Thompson of the University of
Louisville attempt to see whether or not self-professed Christians that attend
a Protestant- based church are likely to seek professional help with mental
illnesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a particularly
interesting topic considering the differing views within Christianity
concerning the classification of mental disorders as illnesses or demonic or
the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The authors’ methods are
fairly simple; they conducted a survey within churches regarding the likelihood
of seeking professional psychological assistance when dealing with a mental
illness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">The survey used was a simple 10 question one with
statements such as “If I were experiencing a serious emotional crisis at this
point in my life, I would be confident that I could find relief in
psychotherapy,” that the participant reacted to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall the results showed that, generally, the group of 540
was not likely to seek professional help although the majority believed that
professional intervention could help with their psychological problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the respondents generally did feel
that if they had been feeling depressed or distressed for a long period of time
or if they felt as if they were having a mental breakdown that they would seek
help (Royal & Thompson, 2012).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">The researchers reflected upon previous work done in
this area and concluded that “religious” people are less likely than the
average person to seek out treatment when a psychological problem arises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They cite that the most commonly held
reason why people in general do not seek help is the stigma attached to
receiving psychotherapeutic assistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Does this mean that Christians feel this even more strongly?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">This would make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps Christians feel that they should be equipped to
manage any sort of distress they encounter in their life because Christ has set
them free from bondage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while
this is true, many people know and are realizingthat just because Christ has
gifted us with freedom in His name we can still face tri<a href="https://www.blogger.com/" name="_GoBack"></a>als.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact He assures us we will face
trials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And because He knows this
He encourages us to lean on our brothers and sisters in the faith for
support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is unfortunately <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>still a commonly held belief (especially
for Christians) that we should be able to handle our problems on our own and
reaching out for help is a sign of weakness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Another factor that should be considered is that
Christians will often reach out to leaders in their churches (pastors, elders,
etc.) for assistance in a crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A person of this standing may not be equipped and trained to handle
situations involving some mental illnesses, but <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>may provide valuable insight when dealing with problems such
as depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although this may
not be the most effective solution it is one many people feel more comfortable
with (again, it has less of a stigma attached).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to wonder how this study would be able to consider
this in their data.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">It doesn’t seem like the people involved in the
survey were against the idea of seeking treatment altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The majority said that they would
consider it- as a last resort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What causes this mindset?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why do Christians (those who should understand somewhat the level of
human fallibility) especially shy away from seeking out psychotherapeutic help
during times of trial and when concerning mental illness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the most important question, I
think, is how do we combat this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How can we remove as much as possible the negative connotations
associated with receiving psychological help when needed and make it a better
option in the minds of people, but especially Christians?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we show Christians that dealing
with their problems professionally is not a sign of weakness or incompetence,
but of faith in that they care enough about their whole-body health to seek
support?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">References:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Royal, K. D., &
Thompson, J. (2012). Measuring protestant Christians' willingness to seek professional
psychological help for mental illness: A Rasch measurement analysis. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of Psychology & Christianity, </i>31(3),
195-204.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-3708194870401581392014-01-07T12:37:00.001-08:002014-02-04T13:09:23.759-08:00What do we teach in our graduate program?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently, I was invited to visit
one our undergraduate courses to discuss the Christian perspective that is
taken in our graduate program. The
framework for this conversation was taken from Johnson’s (2010) book, “<i>Psychology and Christianity: Five Views, 2<sup>nd</sup>
Edition.</i>” After consultation with my faculty colleagues and reflection on
our goals in the program two perspectives arise as the most salient, <i>levels of explanation</i> and <i>integration</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">levels-of-explanation</i> perspective asserts that there are unique
means and methods to studying psychology that differ from other disciplines
such as philosophy, theology or physics. This perspective endorses a belief
that it is important for Christians to learn how to examine constructs of human
behavior from a psychological point of view including such things as the
scientific method and biological bases for behavior. In our graduate program
this means that we study and explore many of the empirically validated
treatments such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also reflected in our emphasis on
ethical practices within the field and the development of a strong professional
counseling identity. A levels-of-explanation perspective exposes our students
to a wide range of information and leads to more prepared and informed
practitioners. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">integration </i>perspective more clearly blends the study and practice
of psychology and Christianity. Integrationists value science and rigorous
study but do so from a distinctly Christian perspective. Those using this
perspective often examine psychological science and explore its direct
relationship to Christian theology. In our graduate program conversations about
the impact of Christian faith on the practice of counseling are commonplace. In
one of my courses on Social and Cultural Diversity we spend time exploring the
impact that Plantinga’s (1995) text, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Not
the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin”</i> has on our understanding of
human pain and difficulty. Examining our clinical and scholarly work within a
worldview shaped by Christian thought is an ongoing practice. Working within an
integrationist perspective allows our students to deeply engage with biblical
values while considering their application to the wider world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I consider what goals our
faculty have for students who complete our graduate </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">program two main ideas
emerge:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you complete
TCC’s Master’s Program in Counseling Psychology our faculty aim for you to be a
competent and qualified beginning counselor whether you want to work in an
explicitly Christian setting or not.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you
complete TCC’s Master’s Program in Counseling Psychology our faculty want you
to be able to articulate a holistic view of human nature, including a
perspective on how a Christian worldview impacts the practice of counseling. <o:p></o:p>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These two goals align clearly with our Christian perspective
in the master’s program. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We value
the application of science and the study of psychology from a research based
perspective. In addition to that we explore the unique perspective that a
Christian worldview provides on psychology. This flexibility suggests a
well-rounded and thorough perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ultimately
our perspective in the graduate program is a reflection of our reformed and
ever reforming theology. As we
seek to prepare well-rounded and well-prepared helping professionals we are
also responding to the call echoed throughout the bible that “the Kingdom is
coming and the Kingdom is here.” Both
are true, that we long for the coming of the day when God’s kingdom rules every
corner of the world and that we know that God’s hand is at work within every
part of creation right now in the midst of brokenness. Our philosophy within the master’s
program in Counseling Psychology seeks to honor and respect those realities.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Johnson, E.L. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5160244478841817161" name="_GoBack"></a>(Ed.). (2010). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psychology & Christianity: Five views.</i>
2<sup>nd</sup> ed. Downers Grove: IVP Academic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plantinga, C. (1995). <i>Not
the way it’s supposed to be: A breviary of sin.</i> Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-56975530601098138552013-12-02T05:00:00.000-08:002013-12-02T11:10:49.121-08:00Christianity and depression<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J-JGd-cWzKE/UobZDNykwOI/AAAAAAAADBQ/q_tMDj6sFj8/s1600/photo-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J-JGd-cWzKE/UobZDNykwOI/AAAAAAAADBQ/q_tMDj6sFj8/s200/photo-8.jpg" width="150" /></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ashley Roberts is a junior Psychology
and Theology major at Trinity Christian College. She is currently a Resident Assistant for upperclassman in
Alumni Hall. She has just begun to
look at graduate schools; she hopes to study Psychology at graduate level to
eventually become a Licensed Clinical Professionals Counselor. Ashley has a huge heart for service and
hopes to love and serve God’s people for the rest of her life<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5160244478841817161" name="_GoBack"></a>. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the Heart Cry Biblical Model of Depression (HCM), David P. Armentrout (2004) attempts
to persuade researchers that depression is a normal, God created response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Armentrout, depression is
a response that is spiritual function, as well as biological and
psychological.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He assumes that
this response was originally intended by God to propel corrective action in a
way that furthers wisdom, sensitivity, resilience, and hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as with all things in a fallen
world, the depressive response has been distorted and thus has devastating
effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Armentrout (2004) introduces
this model with empirical data comparing those suffering with depression who
believe in God and those who do not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In general, studies have found that religious involvement is positively
correlated with lower levels of depression and suicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, another study has shown that
depression levels are higher in religious youth that have lost a sibling than
those who are not religious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the same study, approximately twenty-four months after the loss, the
participants were re-interviewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Researchers found that those same religious youth had significantly
lower levels of depression, while nonreligious youth were still significantly
more depressed (Armentrout, 2004).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Armentrout thus concludes with the HCM, “that a Christ softened heart
may make an individual more susceptible to depressed feelings, the course of
recovery should be faster and less likely to multiply into destructive
depression” (p 41).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Armentrout
highlights that many symptoms of depression align with symptoms of spiritual
distress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He centralizes HCM
around 70 Hebrew words found in Scripture and the many references that describe
a spiritual loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This spiritual
loss can be produced by physical or cognitive events that decrease one’s
awareness or God or an event that creates perceived separation from God such as
enmeshment in sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Armentrout also
states an individual with a Christ softened heart may experience feelings of
depression when mourning with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In both schools of thought, the depressed response promotes the loving
of God and neighbor if delivered from such feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normal feelings of depression can thus be seen as
motivational in some circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, depressed feelings are maladaptive when they become persistent
and recurrent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Armentrout
recognizes here that there are some biological preconditions that might make
depression reoccur, especially if underlying neurochemical disturbances are
occurring during the depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Analyses show, once an individual is depressed he or she is vulnerable
to become depressed again.Depression is spiraling in nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, Armentrout does not want to
simply credit depression to biology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He cites studies that indicate that pharmacology and cognitive therapy
may yield the same results in decreasing symptomology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He thus concluded that when depression
proceeds as God designed it, it will be resolved, self limiting, and usually have
some form of enlightenment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, when it does not follow design, whether due to chosen habits or
predisposed unconscious cognitions, depression will be processed on a
destructive and self-repeating path (Armentrout, 2004).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
I consider my development in understanding depression, this article could prove
to be very formational.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Depression
is so multifaceted and complex that it is hard to explain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even harder to explain is that an
individual seems to truly feel the absence of God during such times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conceptually, this is a lot easier to understand
if the Lord uses depression as a normal and adaptive response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This solidifies the fact that Lord
works in mysterious ways, and it all brings Him glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
further research, I would be interested in two main questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How should a clinician engage someone
who does not love the one true God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If depression is a spiritual issue at its core, then a clinician’s goal
would be ultimately to share the gospel with their non-Christian clients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would that actually look
like?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How would Armentrout
proceed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would also like him to
continue to flesh out the biological context of depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some individuals do seem to be clearly
predisposed to depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that
case, is it more of a biological issue than a spiritual one?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As one considers depression
and Christianity, the tensions are easily recognizable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How often has a clinically depressed
person been told they are not having enough faith in the Lord, or that he or
she just needs to “pray it out”? For whatever reason within the church,
depression is often associated with faithlessness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the HCM, Armentrout combats this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A major strength of this model is that
he reframes how depression should be viewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If depression is a response designed by God it allows for
more understanding and grace on behalf of the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would hope that it takes the cultural shame found within
the church out of depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
strength I see in his article is that Armentrout does not use Scripture to
supplement his findings, but instead uses Scripture as the foundation of his
model.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a Christian psychologist,
integration is a long life-challenge; Armentrout successfully exemplifies
integration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is something I
hope to strive for as I continue in the world of psychology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Armentrout, D.P. (2004). The normal and
pathological genesis of depression: The “Heart Cry” biblical model of
depression revisited. <i>Journal of Psychology
and Christianity,</i> 23(1) 40-50. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-55508011555177951382013-11-02T21:06:00.002-07:002013-11-02T21:06:49.127-07:00An apologetic for a Christian practice of mindfulness<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">In April of 2013 the psychology department of Trinity Christian College hosted it's annual conference. The conference, entitled Psychology Renewed, focused on the concept of mindfulness. The following post reflects one of the presentations at the conference. </i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I told Christian people that I was writing a blog on mindfulness I can imagine the looks I would get. Some would be purely quizzical – others, queasy. Mindfulness sounds too “out there”, too wishy-washy, too new-age, too Buddhist. However, if you look at how mindfulness is defined and discussed in many psychological circles it is possible to see mindfulness as a practice of certain orthodox Christian attitudes.<br /><br />First, mindfulness involves holding a non-judgmental attitude toward one’s thoughts and experience (Carmody, 2009).<br /><br />A Christian practicing this aspect of mindfulness is accepting the forgiveness of their thoughts. Many scripture passages speak of God knowing the hearts of men. Psalm 139:1-4 says that God knows our actions when we sleep, when we sit, and when we go out, but he also knows our thoughts and knows the words on our mouths before we say them. Not only does God know our interior life but he knows that we can sin in our interior life as Matthew 5:28 explains about committing adultery in the heart.<br /><br />It is important to remember that Christ died for all our sins, those of the heart and mind as well as those of behavior. Many Christians get caught up in works-righteousness, trying to be perfect before God to the point of trying to perfect their own thought-life. Guilt is then suffered over bad thoughts and pride is committed over good thoughts. A Christian practicing mindfulness can recognize that some thoughts are just thoughts and those thoughts that are sinful are nailed to the cross at Calvary and hold dominion no more. Christ forgives us and forgives our thought life. An acceptance of this fact looks a lot like mindful non-judgment.<br /><br />Second, mindfulness involves being in the present moment (Carmody, 2009).<br /><br />A Christian practicing this aspect of mindfulness realizes that God created us so to live one moment of our lives at a time. Christians who dwell on the past find it difficult to mature and grow and work toward the kingdom of God. Christians who focus on the future may forget to acknowledge who holds the future. God gives us one moment at a time and if we constantly think about our lists, our schedules, and all the things we have to do we run the risk of not fully honoring and respecting God, his creatures, or his creation. For example, when talking with a friend we honor that person as a creature of God by listening attentively, asking questions, and showing we care rather than thinking of the errands we need to run that day. When sitting at a child’s soccer game and the sun shines brilliantly in the sky and the birds are calling to each other in the trees we honor God’s creation by sitting still and enjoying it rather than immediately responding to emails on our smart phones. By living in the present moment we honor God, who, existing outside of time, also lives in an eternal present. This too is a practice of mindfulness.<br /><br />Last, mindfulness involves giving up control (Mace, 2008).<br /><br />A Christian practicing this aspect of mindfulness recognizes that we are not in control but God is. Many Christians feel burdened by responsibilities; they feel responsible to bring others to Christ, to raise a family with Christian principles, to be good examples at their workplaces, and to be engaged in their communities. It is important to recognize that the outcomes of these activities do not depend on us. We are not ultimately in control. God is not our co-pilot; he is our pilot. We must always hand over the reins, submit ourselves to God, recognize that it is Christ who lives and works through us, act as servants of God, and repeat the words of Jesus: “not as I will, but as you will.” Acknowledging God’s sovereignty can be a form of mindfulness.<br /><br />Mindfulness is essentially a practice. For Christians who want a discipline for practicing these spiritual truths they should not be deterred by the wishy-washy sounding name and Buddhist associations of mindfulness. In fact, I think we could all do with a little more Christian mindfulness.<br /><br /><em>References</em><br /><br />Carmody, J. (2009). Evolving conceptions of mindfulness in clinical settings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 23(3),</em> 270-280. Doi:10.1891/0889-3891.23.3.270</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mace, C. (2008). <em>Mindfulness and mental health: Therapy, theory and science.</em> New York, NY:Routledge/Taylor& Francis Group. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Jessica Clevering, PhD Assistant Professor of Psychology, Trinity Christian College</em></span></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-66505329852256984332013-10-01T10:03:00.000-07:002013-10-01T10:03:45.772-07:00Mindfulness in reformed perspective
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><i>In April of 2013 the psychology department of Trinity Christian College hosted it's annual conference. The conference, entitled Psychology Renewed, focused on the concept of mindfulness. The following post reflects one of the presentations at the conference. </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Recently the
Trinity Christian College Psychology Department held a conference on the topic
of “Mindfulness in Life and Clinical Practice”. As a psychologist in the Reformed theological tradition I
wanted to share my own connection with this highly influential idea in the
field of contemporary psychology and counseling. Mindfulness in its contemporary form is largely associated
with the meditative practices developed in Eastern cultures. Way back in the 1970s the work of
Herbert Benson achieved considerable attention under the rubric of the
Relaxation Response and what was then referred to as Transcendental
Meditation. At the time I made
some clinical use of Progressive Relaxation Exercises as a treatment for stress
but did not explore meditative practice to any depth. My sustained contact with meditative practice came later
through my familiarity with the work of my departmental collogue, Dr. Colosimo
in yoga. As many in our community know,
Dr. Colosimo is a highly proficient yoga instructor and has shared with her
colleagues and our entire campus the gift of yoga practice for many years
now. I have supported Dr. Colosimo
work over the years but I have not been an active student of yoga—not yet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">My own therapeutic work and
training has been largely from Western cultural sources: psychoanalysis, existential, and
humanistic. Eastern meditative
practice seemed far removed from the insight oriented therapies in which I was
trained. During the last 20 years
however, meditative and mindfulness practices have gradually made inroads into
mainstream therapeutic practice not through the psychodynamic paradigm, but
mostly through the cognitive-behavioral perspective. Through another department member, Dr. Hassert,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5160244478841817161" name="_GoBack"></a> I was introduced some years ago to Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy developed by Stephen Hayes and it was through ACT that I
first encountered what I consider to be a clinical approach that integrated
Eastern concepts of mindfulness with Western therapeutic concepts of cognition,
emotion, and behavior. What
do we mean by “mindfulness”? A leading mindfulness proponent defines it simply as: “A
way of paying attention to the present moment, on purpose and without judgment”
(Kabat-Zinn, 2005). Mindfulness is
a way of being present to the world and others without control or avoidance of
what comes to consciousness. To
practice mindfulness is to release the demand/need to control our conscious
experience, focus upon what is present, and develop acceptance of that which
emerges to consciousness.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Postmodern persons seek a way of life
that offers a functional context of purpose and value and can be embodied
through practicing concrete patterns of behavior. For postmoderns truth is not anchored in a tradition
believed to be the one and only way. Rather than seeking a dogmatic orthodoxy,
postmoderns describe themselves as pursuing a “spiritual journey”, searching
for shelter under a “sacred canopy” (Berger, 1967). Mindfulness works because it facilitates the spiritual journey. It offers a way of being present in the
world without rigid control or schematic filters that lead to behavioral avoidance
and mental suffering. Mindfulness
must be practiced as an ongoing effort to be conscious in a manner that
promotes resiliency in the day to day struggles of life. When Christian counselors employ
mindfulness techniques in therapy these liturgical practices from Eastern
religious traditions are transformed into therapeutic exercises and then
ingrafted into the Christian community as one might take cuttings from one
species of apple tree and graft them into another species of apple tree. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The emphasis on “practice”
in mindfulness and meditation training links up with a growing scholarly discussion
about the formative role of practices in shaping a way of life. Learning a catechism of propositions, “truths”
or “worldview” is insufficient in a world marked by fragmentation, plurality
and multiple voices from diverse perspectives. The gap between rationally
formulated principles and the application of principles to action and behavior
has widened to the point of disconnection. As philosopher Jamie Smith suggests, persons living in
advanced industrial societies need to integrate truth with action through the
training of “desires”, the most important of which is the shaping of what we “love”
(Smith, 2009). Postmodern persons have
needs that do not benefit from more information, intellectual activity or more
material “stuff”, but yearn for formative structures that help bring order out
of chaos and provide a way through the fragmentation of contemporary life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Therapeutic techniques
rooted in mindfulness offer many benefits. First of all, they make available a set of counseling practices
based in theory and validated through empirical testing. It is desirable for therapists to “secularize”
liturgical practices taken from eastern religious communities and functionally
validate through clinical practice.
To do so is not necessarily practicing idolatry as a narrowly
Augustinian perspective might suggest.
Psychotherapy typically operates in a professional space of “functional
secularity” even when housed in a religious organization, community or
institutional context. Secondly,
Mindfulness practices offer client-specificity, that is, practices tailored to
the needs of the individuals in distress and caught in dysfunctional patterns
that often are widely understood to be inappropriate and emotionally
unhealthy. Thirdly, spiritual
practices can be explored apart from authority structures in which specific
rituals are organized into orthodoxies that may not be directly linked to functional
values of personal flourishing or emotional well-being. Finally, spiritually oriented practices
in professional counseling occur in the context of a supportive relationship
with a mentor/therapist who is exclusively dedicated to the needs of individual
clients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It would seem
right then to argue that in the context of Christian communities eastern
meditation and mindfulness practices can be identified as psychological
techniques that purport to achieve therapeutically valid results capable of
empirical and experiential verification.
They are in fact extra-ecclesiastical, apart from the liturgical
structure of the church. Their
value and effectiveness lies in their relationship to creational structures
given to all humankind or in terms familiar to Reformed thinkers gifts of “common
grace” like the warmth of the sun or the blessings of marriage. What about techniques such as yoga,
ACT, DBT or Mindfulness Stress Reduction?
All of these techniques employ mindfulness and meditation in the
practical context of efforts to relieve human suffering and distress. The
application of these techniques does not require assent to a larger framework
of religious dogma. Nor is it
necessary to understand or believe in the transcendent meanings assigned to
these practices in the religious systems from which they originated. Rather taken as psychological
techniques their validity is measured through empirical testing of their
effectiveness in reducing psychological dysfunction and distress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It is incumbent
upon Christian communities and individuals to responsibly articulate this
posture in the context of their employment of meditative and mindfulness
practice so that misunderstanding can be avoided. To achieve this requires sensitivity
to the concerns of those who are skeptical regarding these techniques. Exploration of these techniques must be practiced in dialog
with the faith communities in which they are located but ultimately the proof
is in the fruit. Growing numbers
of counselors and clients testify to the benefits of meditation and mindfulness
practices. We ought to embrace and
celebrate these gifts of healing and life-enhancement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><i>References</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Berger, P. (1967). The Sacred Canopy: Elements of
a Sociological Theory of Religion. Garden City, NY: Doubleday
Publishers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Kabat-Zinn, J
(2005). Coming to our senses: Healing the world and ourselves through
mindfulness. New York: Hyperion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Smith, J.K.A.
(2009). Desiring the kingdom. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><i>Further Reading
of interest</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Boykin, K. Zen for Christians. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jones, J.W. (2003). The mirror of God.
New York: MacMillan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><i>Michael J. DeVries, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Trinity Christian College </i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-60397041255493189572013-09-01T17:38:00.000-07:002013-09-01T17:50:31.324-07:00The socio-cultural perspective versus the Christian perspective of psychology<i>Rebecca Felten currently works as a Documentation
Control Assistant at Sargento Foods, Inc in Plymouth, Wisconsin. She is
currently attending Trinity Christian College, pursuing a major in Business
with a minor in Psychology. She plans on graduating in the Winter of 2014. She
hopes to use the skills and knowledge she gains to begin a career in human
resources. She has a passion for working with others and utilizing the talents
of various people. Also, she wishes to revisit Vicente Guerrero, Mexico,
and serve at the orphanage there. The following is an excerpt from a
larger paper written as part of the author’s participation in an Introduction
to Psychology course. </i><o:p></o:p>
<br />
<br />
The Christian
perspective unmasks a person’s heart and mind, which were created by God. God
created each of us with a specific purpose and plan. He created us with brains
and hearts in perfect states. Our mental activity and behavior became
misdirected when humans chose to sin. This separated us from perfection, and
affected the way we think and act now. He provides our families and cultures to
impact us, though not always in the way that is honorable to God. We have
become misdirected because of our sinful nature.<br />
<br />
God has redeemed
us though in sending His son on the cross, which gives us identity and
foundation in Christ, rather than solely on our cultural and social background.
Ephesians 1:4 says; “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to
be holy and blameless in his sight.” The examples of moral attitudes and
cognitive development mentioned before can be evident in this perspective as
well. God created us with different capacities, gifts, and tendencies as a part
of his perfect plan. Each individual was sovereignly and perfectly created in
His image. The negative influences of culture and society are due to the fallen
world. Since God redeemed the world, His grace is poured down on us and can
transform our mental processes and behavior.<br />
<br />
Psychology is
defined as the science of behavior and mental processes (Myers, 2011).
Christianity digs right into the inquiry of human nature, what our problem is
and how we react. The Christian perspective of psychology explains behavior and
mental processes in the knowledge and understanding that God is sovereign. That
point cannot be emphasized enough. Jesus Christ, once and for all, saved us.
Psalm 66:5 says, “Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s
behalf!” Our entire life and development is shaped by His grace, whether we
come to believing in Him or not.<br />
<br />
As human behavior
and mentality are studied, it is evident that the socio-cultural perspective
emphasizes cultural influence while the Christian perspective emphasizes God’s
sovereignty and influence over society and culture. God provides our families
and cultures to impact us, but within God’s will. They cannot on their own
explain our formation, being, and why we act or think as we do. God created us,
knowing who we would be and how we would act. We were created for a purpose and
by God’s grace. He has ultimate authority over everything. Everyone can feel
the force of God’s will – his goodness and order. Society doesn’t always accept
it, but everyone experiences it. Within His will, there is freedom to receive
Jesus Christ. Humans are free and responsible through the Holy Spirit to turn
their direction towards the one who created them.<br />
<br />
While some of the
cultural and social values we are surrounded with can parallel with God’s,
there are many that are not according to His will. Knowing the sovereignty of
God’s will, a person’s culture or social background do not stand in His way or
take sole influence over individuals. God can choose to completely overrun
every standard for culture we have experienced and even believe, and call
someone to faith in Him. It is His pleasure to magnify the glory of His free and
sovereign grace in choosing people that they might bring Him praise and glory.<br />
<br />
To assume that
our mental processes and behavior are impacted solely by culture leads to an
unpredictable, misleading path. This perspective limits the power of God and
leads to the belief in an inconstant foundation. To put our trust or faith in the culture or family around us
as a determinant of our being is not stable, reliable, or true. As said before,
moral attitudes can be greatly influenced by the culture we live in and how we
were raised by our parents. The concept that people often overlook regards the original development of our moral sense. The discernment of
what is appropriate in our thinking and acting comes from God and Him alone.<br />
<br />
In conclusion,
the socio-cultural perspective explains the role of our upbringing and
environment as the sole source of our psychology, but the Christian perspective
unmasks the heart and mind that were sovereignly created by God and behavior
within His will. The socio-cultural perspective on psychology focuses on how
behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. The Christian
perspective stresses the basis that God created each of us with a specific
purpose and sovereign plan. He created us with brains and hearts in perfect
states. Our mental activity and behavior became misdirected when humans chose
to sin, but He redeemed us and called us to Him within His will. Isaiah
40:13-14, 28 explains the sovereignty and constant nature of our Creator who is
not limited by culture and who sets the standards for morality:<br />
<br />
<i>Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed
him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who
taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him
the path of understanding?... Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is
the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired
or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.</i><br />
<br />
To say that
humans are influenced and molded solely by their society and culture would
diminish the power of Jesus Christ. Christianity explains behavior and mental
processes in the knowledge and understanding that God is sovereign.<br />
<br />
References<o:p></o:p>
<br />
<br />
Light, P.,
Sheldon, S., & Woodhead, M. (1991). Learning to think. London: Routledge.<br />
<br />
Myers, D. G.
(2011). Exploring psychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.<br />
<br />
The Holy Bible:
New International Version.. (1984). Colorado Springs, CO: International Bible
Society.
<!--EndFragment-->Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-65255252247479326142013-08-02T20:25:00.000-07:002013-08-02T20:25:51.109-07:00Martin Luther and mindfulness<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><i>In April of 2013 the psychology department of Trinity Christian College hosted it's annual conference. The conference, entitled Psychology Renewed, focused on the concept of mindfulness. The following post reflects one of the presentations at the conference. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The German theologian and
reformer Martin Luther famously told the story of a young man who came to him
seeking counsel concerning intrusive and troubling thoughts of a sexual nature.
In response, Luther told of a monk who gave advice to a man with similar mental
intrusions: “'You cannot keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can
keep them from building nests in your hair.’ It is all right to have these
thoughts, but let them remain just that—thoughts”(Luther, 1998). In this
instance Luther provided an insightful example of how certain elements that we
seek to control in our experience (such as unwanted thoughts) can become more
disruptive when we attend to them and ruminate on</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5160244478841817161" name="_GoBack" style="line-height: 115%;"></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> their
possible significance. Instead, Luther says to those troubled by such thoughts:
"Let them pass by." Our tendency is too often to allow the thoughts
to nest in our minds, take up residence, and provide us with subsequent
opportunities to focus on them. In so doing we are often kept from exercising
those behaviors that would be in greater accord with our values. What Luther
was requesting of the young man was to be “accepting”--but not “embracing”--of
the unwanted thoughts that were passing through his conscious mind. However,
the question remains “How do I develop this skill to ‘let the birds pass
by?’” </span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
For the young man who came to Luther, the behaviors that he valued may have
been broadly defined or centered on the concept of "becoming more like
Christ," the process of sanctification. The behaviors that were in accord
with this concept may have been activities such working with the poor, loving
others, Scripture reading, engaging in communal prayer, partaking of the
Eucharist, etc. Perhaps the young man thought that if he had such intrusive
thoughts repeatedly that he, by logical necessity, would be forced to act upon
them: If he was the sort of person who could entertain such thoughts and
feelings leading to overt behaviors he may have believed that this precluded
him from engaging in the behaviors that were more Christ-like. Luther's mindful
admonition points out the fallacy with which we usually work: Our feelings and
our thoughts dictate our actions and our thoughts will result in overt
behavior. Since we have already failed in our minds perhaps we shouldn’t try to
live our valued life. Christ reminds us that “. . .nothing outside a person
that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person
are what defile him” (Mark 7:15, English Standard Version). We have a choice in
the path of action we take and our behavior is not decided solely by what has
come before: What has entered our minds does not, by necessity, dictate how we
will behave now or in the future.</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>References: </i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Luther,
M. (1998). <i>By faith alone: 365 devotional
readings updated in today's language</i>. Iowa City, IA: World Bible
Publishers.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Derrick Hassert, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Trinity Christian College. </i></span></span></div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-82366829009966876182013-07-01T06:51:00.000-07:002013-07-01T06:51:22.736-07:00Reflections on an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><i>In April of 2013 the psychology department of Trinity Christian College hosted it's annual conference. The conference, entitled Psychology Renewed, focused on the concept of mindfulness. The following post reflects one of the presentations at the conference. </i></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I have been
involved in the study of mindfulness, particularly mindfulness meditation, for
many years as part of my yoga training and teaching. I came to this study after experiencing the following
quotation from Eastern mindfulness practices on my journey: “Imagine that every person in the world
is enlightened but you. They are
all your teachers, each doing just the right things to help you learn patience,
perfect wisdom, and perfect compassion.”
This quote is attached to the computer in my home office. As I read this quote on a daily basis,
I am humbled and encouraged to move forward and bring mindfulness to every
thought and action.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My
colleagues and I shared some insights into mindfulness at our recent Psychology
Renewed Conference during the spring semester at Trinity Christian College. My part was to reflect upon the major
research findings of an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program,
one at Montana State University and the other at the University of
Massachusetts. I thought
that this information was timely, since I was involved in this particular
program for a second time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
program began at The Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and
Society at the University Of Massachusetts Medical School, dedicated to
furthering the practice and integration of mindfulness in the lives of
individuals, institutions, and in society through a wide range of clinical,
research, education, and outreach initiatives in the public and private
sector. According to the program’s
founder, Jon Kabat-Zinn, since its inception in 1970, more than 18,000 people
have completed the program at the University and learned how to use their
innate resources and abilities to respond more effectively to stress, pain, and
illness. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Based
on the Kabat-Zinn model, Montana State University incorporated this program
into their graduate program in counseling, arguing that few counseling programs
directly address the importance of self-care in reducing stress and burnout in
their curricula. A course entitled
“Mind/Body Medicine and the Art of Self-Care” was created to address
personal/professional growth opportunities through self-care and mindfulness
practices, including meditation, yoga, etc. Most students reported intentions of integrating mindfulness
practices into their future professions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
research findings at both universities noted some important information. Researchers have been evaluating MBSR
(Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) as a tool for helping university students
cope with stress and have discovered decreased levels of depression. Other researchers found similar
reductions in state and trait anxiety, and increased scores on measures of
spiritual experience and empathy in the program. Researchers also discovered an increased quality of life due
to program participation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Based
on this information and others, I enrolled in an eight-week mindfulness course
for the second time. I discovered
what a student from Montana State noted, “I suppose it is the experience of
connectedness that has affected my thoughts and questions about healing most
significantly. Contemplation
remains at the center of my life and I continue to realize that every person in
the world is my teacher, each doing the right things to help me learn patience,
wisdom, and compassion.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5160244478841817161" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>References</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baker,
E.K. (2003). <i> Caring for ourselves: A therapist's guide to
personal and professional well-being</i>, Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bickley,
J. (1998). Care for the caregiver: The art of self-care. <i>Seminars
in Perioperative Nursing</i>, 7, 114-121.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kabat-Zinn,
J., Lipworth, I., & Burney, R. (1985). The clinical use of mindfulness
meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. <i>Journal of Behavioral
Medicine</i>, 8, 163-190.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lawson,
K., & Horneffer, K., (2002). Roots and Wings: A pilot of a
mind-body-spirit program. <i>Journal of Holistic</i> <i>Nursing</i>, 20,
250-263.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roth,
B., & Robbins, D. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and
health-related quality of life: Findings from a bilingual inner-city
patient population. <i> Psychosomatic Medicine</i>, 66, 113 - 123.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Schure, M., Christopher, J.C., &
Christopher, S.E. (2006). Mind/body medicine and the art of self-care:
Teaching mindfulness to counseling students through yoga, meditation and qi
gong. <i> Journal of Counseling & Development</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Shapiro, S., Shapiro, D., & Schwartz, G. (2000). Stress management
in medical education: A review of the literature. <i> Academic Medicine</i>,
75, 748 - 759.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Mary Lynn Colosimo, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Trinity
Christian College</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-92177035193514897952013-06-04T11:45:00.000-07:002013-06-04T11:45:06.734-07:00Considering mindfulness in trauma recovery<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In April of 2013 the psychology department of Trinity Christian College hosted it's annual conference. The conference, entitled Psychology Renewed, focused on the concept of mindfulness. The following post reflects one of the presentations at the conference. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We live in a world that is plagued by violence, destruction and catastrophe. Unfortunately, it would seem that opportunities to experience trauma are all around us. From a Christian perspective this can be seen as a result of original sin entering into God’s perfect creation. Trauma is characterized as “a serious injury or emotional wound that creates substantial, lasting damage to the psychological development of a person” (</span><a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.thefreedictionary.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). In fact the word trauma comes from the Greek word for “wound”. Psychologically we use it to refer to experiences that overwhelm a person’s ability to function (Follette & Vijay, 2009). Psychologists have long recognized that the psychological effects of experiencing traumatic events can be significant and long-lasting. Individuals can develop maladaptive coping patterns, the extreme of which is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is characterized by re-experiencing the trauma through nightmares, flashbacks and physical reactions. Symptoms of PTSD often result in major impairments to an individual’s relationships and quality of life. Exposure to trauma does not always result in the development of maladaptive stress reactions, but when it does individuals experience a tremendous amount of pain and suffering.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Usually individuals with exposure to trauma attempt to cope with it by avoiding painful or provoking stimuli. However, paradoxically when we attempt to avoid thinking about something it actually increases its frequency. This leads to more exposure to the traumatic event instead of less. Experiential avoidance is characterized by a psychological unwillingness to remain present with particular emotions due to their difficulty or intensity (Follette, Palm, & Rasmussen Hall, 2004). Individuals who employ experiential avoidance as a primary coping strategy also tend to show cognitive inflexibility and increased symptoms of PTSD (Thompson, Arnkoff, & Glass 2011).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>So what can help lead to healing?</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a psychologist I am interested in understanding what can help to heal the brokenness that often results from trauma. I wonder where is the hope for hurting people? This question comes from my belief that hope is crucial to growth and change.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mindfulness practice offers an alternative to experiential avoidance. Mindfulness can be defined as the “moment to moment awareness of one’s experiences without judgment” (Davis & Hayes, 2012). Mindfulness stresses the importance of paying attention to the moment but also recognizing that the moment is transient. Its goal is to change one’s relationship to one’s thoughts. Instead of seeing difficult emotions such as pain and fear as permanent using mindfulness allows the possibility that thoughts and feelings can shift over time (Thompson et al., 2011). It is a unique way of thinking and attending to one’s thoughts that often results in greater calmness and stability (Follette, Palm, & Pearson, 2006). Mindfulness operates as a mechanism for sustaining a “moment to moment focused awareness and openness to one’s internal experience and immediate environment” (Briere, 2012). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Survivors of trauma can benefit from attempts to notice and attend to painful feelings while also allowing them to transform into something new. Mindfulness encourages acceptance rather than avoidance as a primary coping strategy (Follette et al., 2009). Acceptance does not critique one’s experience of something painful, but rather notices it and offers an opportunity for it to pass.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mindfulness also offers an opportunity for trauma survivors to relearn the ability to manage and process difficult emotions. By practicing mindfulness an individual is actively enlarging her capacity to review and notice emotions (Follette et al., 2006). This is crucial for the psychological health of trauma survivors because “emotion regulation skills are necessary for individuals to modulate the frequency and intensity of their emotions in order to safely and fully experience the wide range of trauma-related thoughts, feelings and memories they have been working diligently to avoid” (Follette et al., 2004, p. 202). It appears that by noticing one’s emotions in a non-judgmental manner there is increased ability to tolerate distressing and painful memories. This means that a trauma survivor can spend less time attempting to suppress difficult memories and more time engaging with the world around her (Follette et al., 2006).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mindfulness practice results in fewer symptoms of trauma exposure and an increased ability to hold painful emotions (Follette et al., 2006). It actually changes our relationship to our thoughts, instead of seeing thoughts as fixed and impermeable we can shift to seeing our thoughts as momentary reflections of the present reality. As we increase our contact with the present moment through mindful thinking we decrease rumination on the past (Thompson et al., 2011). By attending to the present moment our minds are more in tune with the emotional content of the moment and less concerned with controlling or avoiding it. Practicing these skills results in a greater ability to regulate one’s emotions.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to acceptance and emotional regulation developing increased psychological flexibility is associated with more adaptive engagement to the world. Psychological flexibility is the ability to contact the present moment as a conscious human being and make choices about behavior based on what the situation affords in line with one’s chosen values (Follette et al., 2009). More simply put it is the ability to recognize that our emotions can also be short-term in nature and it is critical to make decisions based on longer-term goals and objectives.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>What are the implications?</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trauma reflects one of the most broken areas of humanity. It is in this overwhelming and tremendously difficult place that we can find opportunities to see God’s healing powers. While trauma is devastating finding hope can change our entire orientation to the world. As a psychologist who is of the reformed tradition of Christianity I look in both the psychological world as well as the religious to find paths of hope and change. Based on the possibilities it appears that mindfulness practice offers survivors of trauma an opportunity to develop a place of healing. For that I am grateful and encouraged. </span></div>
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</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>References</em><br /><br />Briere, J. (2012). Working with trauma: Mindfulness and compassion. In C. Germer & R. Siegel (Eds.), <em>Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy: Deepening Mindfulness in Clinical Practice</em> (pp. 265-279), Guilford Press.<br /><br /> Davis, D.M. & Hayes, J.A. (2012, July/August). What are the benefits of mindfulness? <em>Monitor on Psychology</em>, 64-70.<br /><br />Follette, V., Palm, K.M. & Pearson, A.N. (2006). Mindfulness and trauma: Implications for treatment. <em>Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 24</em>, 45-61.<br /><br /> Follette, V.M., Palm, K.M. & Rasmussen Hall, M.L. (2004). Acceptance, mindfulness, and trauma. In S. Hayes, V. Follette and M. Linehan, (Eds.), <em>Mindfulness and acceptance: Expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition</em> (pp. 192-208). Guilford Press.<br /><br /> Follette, V.M. & Vijay, A. (2009) Mindfulness for trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder. In F. Didonna, (Ed.), <em>Clinical handbook of mindfulness</em> (pp. 299-317), Springer Science and Business Media.<br /><br />Thompson, R.W., Arnkoff, D.B., & Glass, C.R. (2011). Conceptualizing mindfulness and acceptance as components of psychological resilience to trauma. <em>Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 12</em>, 220-235. doi: 10.177/1524838011416375</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Kara E. Wolff, PhD Assistant Professor of Psychology, Trinity Christian College</em></span></div>
Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-15022746226777293952013-05-01T13:30:00.000-07:002013-05-01T13:39:47.554-07:00Free will, the Holy Spirit, and the best predictor of future behavior<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I assign a compare/contrast essay to my Introduction to Psychology students I usually get certain responses. I ask the students to pick a perspective that has influenced the field of psychology (e.g. biological, behaviorist, cognitivist, humanist) and compare it to a Christian perspective. Students will often choose the behaviorist or biological perspective and rightly point out that these perspectives are very deterministic in nature while a Christian perspective supports the existence of human free will. Some students will also insightfully note that materialist worldviews like behaviorism ignore the possibility of the Holy Spirit acting in people’s lives to instigate change. </span></div>
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My students are right, but sometimes I worry about them. As Christians we hear stories of dramatic conversions. We hear of people who were addicted to drugs and lived on the streets but who have turned their life around through Christ’s power. We talk about Chuck Colson who became a Christian and completely changed his life after being involved in the Watergate scandal. We read of the apostle Paul who went from persecuting Christians to preaching the gospel. These are powerful stories. They show that hearts can change, that God is mighty, and that no one’s future is determined by nature or nurture. However, there is a reason we treasure these miraculous events. It is because they are extraordinary. Extra-ordinary. Not ordinary. Usually change is very, very difficult. </div>
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This is where my concern for my students comes in. It is somewhat of a psychological truism that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. If I want to predict if a man will smoke a cigarette tomorrow the most important information I can get is not his age, not his attitude toward cigarettes, not even his faith in God, but whether or not he smoked a cigarette today. If I want to predict a woman’s attendance to a particular class session the most valuable information I can get is not her attitude toward class, not her Meyers-Briggs personality type, but her prior attendance record. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While it is true that people can change, and that the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of mankind, it would be unwise for us to ignore all of the useful insights that psychologists have gained while working under biological and behaviorist perspectives. Just because we reject the worldview of materialist perspectives like behaviorism we should not reject the research that came out of those perspectives. There is a lot to learn by studying brains, genes, learned behaviors, and early childhood experiences. We must not ignore the effects of neurotransmitters, the influence of inherited traits, or the power of learned behaviors. </span></div>
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If we fail to take to heart the lessons learned from these perspectives through the over-emphasis of free will and change we run the risk of making bad decisions. As my dedicated students work hard to reject the anti-Christian ideas in some psychological theories I can’t help but fast-forward in my imagination to their futures. What if student X finds herself in an abusive relationship? Will she stick with him and believe that with enough love he will change? Or will she remember that nature, nurture, and learned behaviors are strong forces, highly resistant to change? What if student Y bends to the temptation to view internet pornography a handful of times? Will he remind himself of human free will and tell himself he can stop at any time? Or will he understand that such images are acting as powerful reinforcers and he is leading himself into a habit that has all the hallmarks of an addictive behavior?</div>
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God can change hearts and He can change minds and He can do these things in radical ways, but sometimes God allows us to struggle through the character-building life-lessons of slow and difficult change. As we struggle we can use the information God gave us through studies in psychological science. I always hope my students are enabled to do just that. </div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jessica Clevering, PhD., Assistant Professor of Psychology, Trinity Christian College</span></i></div>
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Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-2101768515771846332013-04-02T07:06:00.000-07:002013-04-03T12:31:29.761-07:00Psychology, Christianity, and Gender<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Megan Regalado currently works in a residential program
as an Eating Disorder Counselor in Southern California. She graduated from
Trinity Christian College in December ’12 with a Bachelor of Arts, in Psychology and a minor in
Sociology. She hopes to attend graduate school in the Fall in order to obtain
her Masters of Science in Counseling, and become a Marriage and Family
Therapist. She plans on spending her career focusing on working with teens
struggling with addictions.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Psychology, Christianity, and Gender</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Differences
in gender can be seen through social dominance, aggression, and sexuality, but
as Christians we should understand the topic of gender differences as
differences that are created in order to demonstrate the need for one another
in a fallen world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Social
dominance can affect an individual’s
view of a person’s social rank, and can overall affect the hierarchy pattern in
which males are most often viewed as possessing more social dominance.
Psychology examines reasons that the need for dominance is apparent in society.
Ainsworth and Maner (2012) suggest
that males have an underlying need for dominance among one another as well as
among females. Some psychologists suggest the role of men has been to be more socially
dominant than women and to express this dominance through positions of
authority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Men
and women differ in their styles of aggression, where men are viewed by
psychologists as being more aggressive. Aggression then spills over into
relationships among men and women. Ross’s (2012) findings suggested that
physical, sexual, and psychological abuse tended to co-occur in the
relationships of women with highly violent or controlling partners. Aggression and social dominance are often
spoken of in the same breath when psychologists discuss the need for a male to
obtain a mate for reproduction. This negative view of the aggression of
men is discussed in terms of a man’s sexuality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sexuality
is another area where men and women differ in terms of emotional involvement
and arousal. “Men’s sexuality revolves around physical factors, in which nature
is predominant and the social and cultural dimension is secondary. For women,
social and cultural factors play a much greater role, and the role of physical
processes and biological nature is relatively smaller” (Baumeister, 2000, p.
368). Baumeister (2000) also suggests that women are more creatures of meaning
while men are relatively creatures of nature. The evolutionary psychology view
about the sexuality of men describes their motivation for sex as being driven
by their need to pass on their genes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From
a Christian standpoint, God is the creator of man and woman. Differences in
social dominance and sexuality can be seen through the initial creation of man
and woman, but is affected by the sin that they fell into while in the garden.
“Eve was in no way inferior to her husband, but she was nonetheless given a
role that was subordinate to his leadership…The relationships within the
Trinity illustrate perfectly how headship and submission can function within a
relationship of absolute equals” (Macarthur, 2005, p. 7). Adam and Eve were
created to produce offspring and those offspring were to fill the earth. They
were naked in the garden together as man and wife, and were not ashamed. Upon
sin entering creation through Adam and Eve, they saw themselves merely as
individuals who were naked and ashamed, emphasizing their own knowledge of
their bodies and how different they were from one another by attempting to
cover themselves. The relationship between man and woman is affected by sin,
but that also allows us to see how man and woman complement each other with
their different qualities. Man and woman are created in order to demonstrate
the need for one another in a fallen world and to glorify God through their
interactions and relations with one another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ainsworth, S.E., & Maner, J.K. (2012). Sex begets
violence: Mating motives, social dominance, and physical aggression in men. <i>Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 103,</i> 819-829. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Gender differences in
erotic plasticity: The female sex drive as socially flexible and responsive. <i>Psychological Bulletin, 126</i>, 347-374. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Macaruther, J. (2005). Twelve Extraordinary Women:
How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What he Wants to do With You. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ross, J. M. (2012). Self-reported fear in partner violent relationships:
Findings on gender differences from two samples. <i>Psychology of Violence, 2</i>, 58-74. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160244478841817161.post-48558165895536529472013-03-01T09:18:00.000-08:002013-03-26T11:27:42.342-07:00Research shows: Christians should take a pass on tackle football<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oftentimes
clinical psychologists and mental health counselors like myself shy away from
political issues and public advocacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
often define our work as a-political and even sometimes as morally non-judgmental
especially in relation to political controversy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phillip Rieff, in his influential and
insightful work, <u>The Triumph of the Therapeutic</u> suggested that it was Freud
who introduced to the modern world the basic ideals of a therapeutic culture
that avoids moral judgment, is largely anti-institutional, and retreats from
public life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rieff suggests that Freud’s
pessimism about social progress and his emphasis upon exploring the
intra-psychic life appeals to modern persons who seek to retreat from the larger
questions of social and political life and prefer to enjoy an expansion of
their personal freedom and private interests. The fact is, in addition to
functioning as therapists, psychologists are also citizens, parents, consumers
and some are even church-going believers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To avoid the issues arising from these roles is quite impossible—to
remain silent and seek to remain merely private in one’s work and cultural life
is itself a political stance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course
many psychotherapists have recognized the social and cultural origins of the
mental health problems afflicting the client they see in their practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However the largely individualistic approach
remains the dominant model for psychotherapy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Public approaches to mental health do not focus on social or cultural
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mental health institutions manage
individuals largely through medication and confinement of persons who pose a
danger to themselves or others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Due to
the widespread acceptance of the non-political, non judgmental, individualistic
focus of psychotherapy it is difficult and sometimes awkward for psychologists
and counselors to take public positions on social and political issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems inappropriate to one’s professional
identity and doing so may be detrimental to one’s ability to attract clients. In
this post, I am crossing the threshold into the public domain at the risk of stirring
up a part of American culture that increasingly has taken on a religious
aura.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am talking about the sport of
tackle football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Superbowl games of
recent years have taken on the character of a “holy day” or holiday for many
Americans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Football games in many
college and universities are festivals and grand events attended by hundreds of
thousands each year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Football is played
in high school and can begin as early as elementary school for some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Football has become America’s game displacing
baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While baseball may be
America’s pastime, football has become its passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leaving
the religious elements of football aside, the dark side of the game in terms of
its dangers and long-term destructive effects upon the players has become a
growing public issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once just a quiet
whisper confined to training rooms, the players themselves have finally begun
to speak up and take action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In several
high-profile cases their voices has come from the barrel of a gun while others
have turned to the courts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some 3,500
former NFL players are suing the league for damages resulting from football
injuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has taken suicides and lawsuits
for the public to begin to reflect on the nature of the game itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What sport, other than boxing, is essentially
focused on aggressive contact with opponents? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sport is brutal and glorifies
violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The New Orleans Saints were
recently punished by the NFL when it became apparent that players were being
encouraged and rewarded for intentionally injuring other players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the “Saints” behavior was extreme it
exposed a mentality that has been part of the league and part of the culture of
football for many decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Football
players “put the hurt” on their opponents and the more aggressive, the
better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this approach merely
resulted in busted knees and broken ankles it would be perhaps tolerable, but
recent research has given clear evidence of significant short-term and long
term cognitive and emotional dysfunction resulting from playing tackle
football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cognitive deficits appear
not only when concussive injuries occur, but increasingly evidence points
toward negative cognitive effects upon players from just one football season in
which no apparent concussive injuries were reported.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The long-term effects are even more
devastating resulting in higher incidence of Parkinson’s disease, major
depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s among football players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These medical effects are often associated
with other psychological and interpersonal dysfunction—domestic violence,
alcoholism and other forms of violent behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Efforts to respond these issues from the NFL all the way down to high
school football have included greater attention to concussions, lighter
practices, penalties for grossly intentional and dangerous tackling, etc. along
with well-funded public relations advertising highlighting how concerned the
football establishment is about protecting players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">However,
the fact remains that the risks now evident from playing football are endemic
to the game itself and unavoidable given the nature of tackle football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is what makes the game what it is--attractive
and exciting to play and to watch.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because of this evidence I have begun to publically call for
a ban upon tackle football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given what
we now know, I counsel any parent concerned about the health of their children
to boycott football for their kids and at their schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based
upon the research, I believe it to be a public responsibility for colleges and
universities to terminate their tackle football programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And because I am a Christian psychologist I
especially call on Christian institutions of higher learning to cease
participation in a sport that poses such great risk to their students and
offers up a set of values so contrary to a life of peace and good
sportsmanship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p>Michael DeVries, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Trinity
Christian College<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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Dr Kara Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894868054457541409noreply@blogger.com0