MY PROFILE AS COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST

WHO I THINK I AM:
I see my counseling work from my theological, spiritual as well as psychological background. And from this perspective, I consider myself to be a RELIGIOUSLY and PSYCHOLOGICALLY INTEGRATED PERSON. That is a person who has come to a deep understanding and appreciation of SELF the devine. In other words, someone who is comfortable with his or her own spirituality. Also a person who has had some understanding of the mystery of the human nature.
For in my opinion, spirituality and psychology are the two faces of the coin of the inner self. Soul and spirit are intimately linked so that the journeys of both are, essential for the development of full personhood. SO I APPROACH OTHERS WITH A SENSE OF MYSTERY.

WHAT I AM DOING
So I am trying to help others reach a good level of spiritual and psychological integration in their lives. I see myself taking care of the soul as well as the spirit. In theological terms, I am facilitating RECONCILIATION with self, others and God. It is reconciliation in a broad sense, as the Webster defines it, namely:
• To restore to friendship, harmony, and communion.
• To adjust, settle differences.
• And to make congruous.


WHO AM I DOING IT WITH
I am doing the journey with anyone who seeks a sense of healing, balance, fulfillment and growth. Using a metaphor, I would say my client is a baby whose spiritual and psychological development have been stopped.

Or a wounded person whose wounds are still bleeding …


WHAT MAKES ME THINK IT WORKS
What makes me think it works is when I start seing reconciliation taking place. That is when I see my clients begin to have a honest self-assesment….they start moving in the direction of greater openess and freedom as they listen to what is going on within them.The result would be things like accepting and owning feelings they had previously denied.

Also when they start reconciling with others (dead or living ) if need be. It might result in re-affirmation of commitment to friendships or to other relationships. Or they might begin to see humor in situations that previously would have led to conflict.

Probably some reconciliation with God might be needed too. So in this case, when we see that the client who was very angry with God for some reason, though he or she still doesn’t understand God’s ways (in fact none of us does ), he or she begins to experience a kind of inner peace…and anger decreases.

WHAT IS PASTORAL ABOUT IT?
Two aspects of my approach make it pastoral.
The fact that, as a counselor I am interested and sensitive to the transcendent strives of my clients. Since it belongs to the nature of the human person to be open to the world. And this openess pushes us beyond every experience and creates in us a dependence on (what we Christians call) God.

Also the awareness that I am a copilgrim with my clients in their journey. For when clients move into areas that transcend the present experience, areas that deal for instance, with issues of conversion, trust, surrender, faith, love, forgiveness … as a therapist, I feel personally engaged, because these are human longings.