Musings on Faith and Psychology

In the last substantive chapter of Integrative Psychotherapy, McMinn and Campbell explore relationship-focused interventions. As we have seen in previous chapters, their therapy model begins by addressing problems at the level of symptoms and ends with considering transformation of the person via soul care. Before describing soul care interventions the authors want to set out a few of their beliefs:

• “One does not have a soul but is a soul” (p. 349)
• The soul is not another word for personality or self or even person. Rather it is bigger because it encompasses meaning and relationship 
• Soul care is based on the life AND work of Christ. Some use Jesus as an example for healthy relationships but stopping with Jesus’ behaviors misses out on Christ’s atoning work in redeeming us. His work is based on both grace and truth–both necessary in any human to human soul care work
• There are multiple forms of soul care but one should not confuse or integrate spiritual direction and psychotherapy. “Christ is central to all soul care” (p. 356) but each version has differing goals and methods. They suggest these as some of the differences between the two:
  Spiritual Direction                         Therapy
  spiritual functioning                          psychological functioning
  lifelong spiritual transformation        transforming a specific problem area
  spiritual advising                               guided discovery
  spirit centered                                   problem centered
  God focused                                      client/counselor collaboration
  under church authority                     accountable to professional standards

Relationship interventions, per the authors, must be founded on therapeutic alliance (a safe trusting and collaborative relationship between counselor and client), therapeutic frame (“a setting conducive to change”–predictable, with clear expectations, roles, etc.), and relational dynamics (the inevitable “dance that occurs in any close relationship” (p. 363)).

The relationship oriented therapist pays attention to the alliance, the frame, and the dance because they do not merely talk about the client’s life but client and therapist experience life in the session and this experience enlightens, informs, and recreates patterns in the client’s life. These dynamics are commonly referred to as transference and countertransference.

While discussing alliance, frame, and dynamics are indeed therapeutic interventions (my view), McMinn and Campbell go on to discuss 4 relational interventions designed to, “provide simultaneous support and confrontation (grace and truth) designed to promote psychological growth” (p. 372).

• Empathy. Having the capacity to experience the client’s world “as if” it were one’s own–and so communicate understanding. Why is this important? M & C say it provides, “safety necessary to keep the client’s defenses down” (p. 374).
• Confrontation. “Gently pointing out inconsistencies or discrepancies to the client” (ibid). The authors remind the reader that individuals do not do well when they feel their whole person is being confronted. One suggestion is given to focus on the impact of one’s words or behavior more than intent (folks are much more likely to emphasize their intent and defend against impact).
• Interpretation. “…Connecting current behavior, feelings, and images to previous ones in the client’s life….Whne clients re-create their interpersonal problems in therapy through reenactment, testing or transference, they are not aware usually of the connection between their current reactions and the coping strategies learned in childhood” (p. 376).These interpretations are not merely made to correct thinking but to be used in the counseling relationship.
• Role behavior changes. We learn to play certain roles in life. While these roles may be adaptive or understood as part of a larger family system, they may become maladaptive later. When clients experience and understand their role rigidity, they then have the opportunity to try on new roles within the safety of therapy.

My thoughts? Notice the difference in details and concrete interventions between the treatment of automatic thought problems in domain 1 and relationship interventions here in domain 3. It’s no wonder some counselors are more attracted to “doing something” with cognitive therapy and so avoiding the vagaries of interpesonal processes. And yet, McMinn and Campbell are correct that the therapeutic relationship between therapist and client allows both to move beyond talking about problems to experiencing stuckness and healing–and so to have the opportunity to experience a different response to the self and the world. Boundary setting is an intervention and provides wonderful fodder for healing conversations. Far too many students see boundary setting as something to be done to avoid trouble rather than a primary tool for change. Second, these 4 interventions for a good start but we need much more exploration of relational healing interventions than is possible in this introductory work. One such deepening would be Marsha Linehan’s work in validation and irreverence as means to allow the “here and now” to provide feedback to the oft invalidated client.

While I am very supportive of their primary goal in this chapter I do have a couple of questions:

• Can we really separate psychological growth and spiritual growth from each other? I think not. This makes it messy when trying to define the roles of a spiritual director and professional therapist. But, I think any role differences are somewhat artificial, based on “turf” wars. Wise and careful directors and therapists use the same frame, neither gets too far with exhorting (McMinn and Campbell call this advising), and Christians in both fields ought to submit themselves to God as well as government.
• How does Jesus transform the world? By example? By love? By the cross? While I am thankful for their strong Christological focus for their soul care, they aren’t quite consistent in their description of Jesus’ work. They do recognize that merely looking at Jesus’ loving examples is not enough. We must see him as God in the flesh. But they also suggest on p. 351 that Jesus transforms, “the world through the power of relationship.” It seems they suggest that he transforms the world because he so moved and influenced the disciples to establish the church. Why? They consider the relationship with the apostles to be the primary reason. While we are designed for relationship, we are not healed through relationships because Jesus so influences us. No, we heal through relationships because we have been reconciled through the cross of Christ. 2 Cor. 5 16f make this very clear. So also does Romans 5. There is little mention of the cross of Christ throughout this book. Funny, the one place in this chapter where the cross appears is on p. 354 when they quote Alan Tjeltveit, “We stand in need of grace. Through the cross, grace is available to us, always.” It would be interesting to hear McMinn and Campbell discuss why they place more emphasis on Christ’s relationships and so little on the cross.