Black Keys on the Piano

Someone recently sent me one of those blast emails with this title. Turns out that it was about some concert at Carnegie Hall, but my mind went directly to the most recent derogatory statements made against primarily Black populated countries such as Haiti and African nations. “Black Keys on the Piano” is the perfect illustration of how integral and necessary these countries are to our world, along with the people living in them or those who are from them. Without their history, we’d have deep depletion of culture and humanity in a far more inferior world.

But the suggestion that this segment of our human population is not worthy of our consideration is severely troubling on its own. Yet this very pretext plays out every day.

Within the realm of therapy, it is noted that the African-American population is vastly underserved by mental health services in this country. Trust is one of the largest barriers to such services, along with the lack of financial resources.

Trust is critical to any therapeutic positive outcome, yet it seems to be undermined so frequently in a myriad of ways. Very often, it is missed without intention or forethought. The purposeful attention to the existence of racism in our society and the permeated value that it has in each of our lives is the only way we have to counter its damaging effects in our current interactions at work or in our personal lives.

This paradoxically means that we need to be able to trust others as well. Our own vulnerability is required to genuinely trust, and our ability to take the step toward trusting those in our midst is required in order to be trusted.

I believe that we owe it to ourselves, our clients, and to our greater global community to rigorously investigate any and all strands of bias or other blockades we hold that impair trust in either direction. To do this takes courage, strength, and untarnished honesty within ourselves to be able to delve deeper and present our most authentic selves in the most trustworthy manner possible.

 

Respect-Focused Therapy (RFT) is a foundation on which all modalities and techniques used in therapy can be strongly grounded, in order to produce sound, effective outcomes. This approach offers clients the opportunity to gain experiential understanding of being respected, possibly for the first time, from the therapeutic relationship and then be able to heal old wounds by creating more respect for self and others in the therapeutic process.

In Faith and Science

On New Year’s Eve, I was sitting in church and heard Rev. Cheryl Broome speak about neurotheology, a term I have not heard before. I am, of course, familiar with neuroscience and neuropsychology. Research tells us much about the brain, and particularly about the ways the two hemispheres of the brain work in tandem with each other and how they differ. Rev. Broome spoke more about the differences, specifically about how the right brain operates in connection with others more freely and creatively, while the left brain works more compartmentally and less in connection with others, often getting stuck in boxes of fear. Her connection to theology was about being more right brain aware, using its ability to connect and relate positively to others and to the Divine.

That same afternoon, I was reading Phil Cain’s blog and was struck by this sentence:

“A scientific outlook, and the healthy skepticism that goes with it, are no reason to ignore the need to form beliefs we can apply. Such beliefs provide us with a rugged, reliable and reassuring guide, like a pocket compass.”

I have long believed that there is room and compatibility for both faith and science. In psychotherapy especially the merging of the two seem to have significant capacity for healing. As a therapist, I need to be consistently mindful of where I am both spiritually and professionally, keeping abreast of the latest scientific literature in psychology and yet growing into my spiritual self. At the same time, I need respectfully pay keen attention to where my client is on the continuums of each measure.

It is my sincerest belief that respect, at its most rudimentary core, is the right brain connection for which we all strive and in the process of learning to connect more  fully in that way, we become stronger, healthier and more fully human.

Wishing everyone the best new year ever for growth and connection!

 

Respect-Focused Therapy (RFT) is a foundation on which all modalities and techniques used in therapy can be strongly grounded, in order to produce sound, effective outcomes. This approach offers clients the opportunity to gain experiential understanding of being respected, possibly for the first time, from the therapeutic relationship and then be able to heal old wounds by creating more respect for self and others in the therapeutic process.

Navigating the Holidays Therapeutically

We know that the clinical data and real life clinical experience clearly support the unfortunate truth that these seasonal holidays bring many clients heightened anxiety, depression, and thoughts and actions of harm to self and others. This phenomenon has been occurring regularly for decades, if not centuries. While we know that some is related to the nature of the actual season itself (i.e. the shorter days of daylight), it is thought that the holidays themselves also contribute to this rough period of time experienced by so many. The expectations of joy and giving often becomes burdensome to those who feel limited on material funds or sources of happiness in their personal lives.

Another area that creates tension for many is the interpersonal context of the season, or more specifically, family. The holidays bring with them some Hollywood, picture-perfect ideals of family get-togethers and, as we know all too well, they’re not always that way. Conflicts and feuds, old and new collectively, intensify and heighten the probability and noted occurrences of domestic violence in the midst of attempted festivities. Illness, physical or mental, or losses, such as divorce or death of a loved one, in the family can produce clouds of sadness and despair. Many do not have any family at all. So trying to create joy around these real life situations are increasingly challenging, if not seemingly impossible, depending on the freshness and intensity of the circumstances.

So therapists have a greater responsibility during these times. It rests upon us to have keener awareness to the possibilities of more difficult and, perhaps, more dangerous times for our clients. We need to more diligently assess for suicidal and/or violent ideations and be prepared to intervene swiftly and effectively as needed. Obviously, this season can and does also cause more stress for us as healers. Therefore our wellbeing is even more vitally significant than usual. As we teach our clients how to be more kind and gentle to themselves and those they love, so should we carefully listen to our own words of wisdom. May this season bring all of us peace and calm reassurance that we are valued.

 

Respect-Focused Therapy (RFT) is a foundation on which all modalities and techniques used in therapy can be strongly grounded, in order to produce sound, effective outcomes. This approach offers clients the opportunity to gain experiential understanding of being respected, possibly for the first time, from the therapeutic relationship and then be able to heal old wounds by creating more respect for self and others in the therapeutic process.

Intersecting Therapy and Religion

Research on the interrelatedness of psychotherapy and religion or spirituality has been relatively sparse historically, but in the last decade or so, it has received greater interest, particularly as it relates to multiculturalism. In a study conducted by Post & Wade (2009), several interesting findings about the differences between therapists and their clients were found. First, most therapists overall were found to have significantly less personal identification with being religious or spiritual than their clients and had very little training in counseling around spiritual issues, yet for the most part, they saw their clients’ religious beliefs or practices as a positive addition to their mental health. However, the belief systems outside of the more traditional western religions, i.e. the Judeo-Christian tradition, were more often seen as being tied to some pathology. Eastern religions, Islam and Native American faiths would be typical examples of such misunderstandings.

As this study continues to point out, the pluralistic approach, that is, the broader willingness to be open to and accepting of all faiths, even those unknown to us, is perhaps the most effective and ethical stance we can have with clients. The key danger in not taking such a position is to fall into the trap of trying, consciously or subconsciously, to make clients become more like ourselves. It is not wise, particularly in therapy, to impose our beliefs on someone else, especially to those who are more vulnerable.

There are those counselors who identify themselves as Christian counselors (or other faiths), who use such spiritual tools as scripture readings and prayers within the context of doing therapy. If this is understood and agreed to by the client prior to implementing these practices, it can be a powerful tool, which may reach into the deeper spiritual needs of the client. If handled with care and respect for the client’s perspective, without judgment, this can truly be an enriching process.

 

Respect-Focused Therapy (RFT) is a foundation on which all modalities and techniques used in therapy can be strongly grounded, in order to produce sound, effective outcomes. This approach offers clients the opportunity to gain experiential understanding of being respected, possibly for the first time, from the therapeutic relationship and then be able to heal old wounds by creating more respect for self and others in the therapeutic process.