Spiritual Integration
I completed my graduate training at George Fox University, a Christian university rooted in the Quaker tradition. Part of my clinical training emphasized the integration of religion, faith, and spirituality within therapy. I believe therapy works best when both therapist and client can show up as their full, authentic selves. This means your faith, spirituality, religious traditions, or lack thereof, are welcome and may play an important role in our work together. Many people find their mental, emotional, physical, interpersonal, and spiritual health all interact and influence one another. Some people find their mental health challenges negatively impact their spiritual health or their sense of belonging in faith communities. If this sounds like something you are experiencing, I encourage you to share it during our initial consultation or one of our first sessions.
I will note that in my role as a psychologist resident, I am not a pastor, spiritual director, or any other type of spiritual leader. I don’t see it as my role to change your spiritual beliefs or prescribe specific doctrines or theological perspectives. Rather, I hope to support you in navigating the intersections between your emotional, mental, and spiritual health so that you can achieve your goals in each of these areas. While I aspire not to prescribe my own spiritual beliefs, some people may find it helpful to know a bit about my beliefs to make an informed decision on whether I’m the right fit for them. If you think this would be helpful for you, please read on.
My Faith
I consider myself a Christian Humanist, and I primarily engage in the Progressive Quaker tradition of Christianity. Christian Humanism is an integration of the Christian faith and Humanist philosophy, highlighting both tradition’s shared emphasis on the dignity, worth, and value of all human beings. Similarly, the Quaker tradition emphasizes peace, social justice, simplicity, and generosity. I have been especially influenced by the Quaker idea of “the light of God in everyone” and see this as a way of highlighting the inherent worth and wisdom of all people, regardless of their beliefs or spiritual traditions. In addition to these primary traditions, I aspire to be widely read and well informed across a range of theological traditions. I have been influenced by voices from inside my tradition as well as Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Mennonite, Evangelical, and Mainline Protestant traditions, as well as those outside of Christianity including Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Taoist, Indigenous, and African spiritualities. I include this to share that while I am firmly rooted in my Christian tradition, I also aim to be informed, inspired, and welcoming of all faith backgrounds. Additionally, I fully affirm all LGBTQIA+ identities. I am a Queer Christian who can relate to and empathize with the many religious experiences of other LGBTQIA+ people, both positive and negative.