Therapy as Church

The counseling room is a sacred place. Not only is what you say confidential, you are expected to share your deepest secrets. So connecting the therapy room with a sanctuary is not a great stretch. But is therapy an outstretch of church? Can it be? Perhaps we should discuss first what therapy is already doing to aid the work of the church and then we can discuss what it could potentially do for the church if it was oriented that way.

Therapy is confession
Somewhere along the line we have learned that what makes us grow is something which the church has taught for years: confession. It is hardly surprising that confession was encouraged as a spiritual discipline given that it seems to produce some definitive life changes. There is something about confessing secrets that breaks the power of shame. In this sense, therapy acts as a church because it provides a place where people can learn how to confess. The ideal is that the client will learn to confess as a life practice outside of therapy and that the church will then equip the individual with the theological teachings that can allow the person to change, whether it is their behavior or their identity.

Therapy teaches self-awareness
Another gift of therapy is that we learn to be more aware of how we are feeling and what we are thinking. By doing so we learn to recognize our internal states more readily. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that the commandments against murder, adultery, covetousness, and idolatry were about the attitudes and not just the actions. As such church is concerned with what is inside the individual. Therapy empowers the person to recognize their defects rather than ignore them. By doing so, therapy is empowering the person to surrender their attitude earlier before the attitude becomes action.

Therapy is about a life-story
Therapy helps the individual create a comprehensible narrative on their life. As a result, the person can learn to recognize themes and conflicts within their own life. One of the church's primary modes of teaching is through the stories of the Bible. If a person is more aware of their own lifestory, they can use the Biblical narratives as a way of understanding themselves and God. Since therapy has taught them how to create their own autobiography, they can learn to relate to stories as well as commandments and facts.

What therapy can be:

• Therapy can be a place where fellowship can be encouraged. The therapist can teach the person to search for confessional relationships of grace.

• Therapy can be a place of theological discussion. A theologically competent therapist can discuss faith issues in ways that help solidify faith rather than tear it down.

• Therapy can be a place of morality. Therapy can help people see the intrapersonal and interpersonal ramifications of actions.

• Therapy can be a place of personal growth. More than just being a place where people can find relief from mental illness, therapy can be a place where people become better people.