When Faith Meets Therapy

The power of faith intersects with the practicality of counseling in this unique partnership of a faith/worship leader and a therapist as they offer a pathway for readers to find help, hope, healing, and freedom while navigating life’s struggles. No one is immune from life’s difficulties, yet many people are reluctant to talk about mental health or seek professional help when they are struggling. People of faith who are battling issues such as anxiety, depression, life changes, stress, or relationship problems may suffer in silence, believing things will get better if only their faith was stronger, they prayed more, or they had more self-discipline. The stigma about needing to seek help is all too real. But seeking professional help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign that someone is serious about moving forward emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. Written by producer, artist, and author Anthony Evans, along with licensed psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser, When Faith Meets Therapy dispels the cultural myths and stigmas that surround professional therapy; shares stories from the authors’ personal experiences and from others who are facing life’s challenges; and provides practical steps that readers can take in the pursuit of emotional, relational, and spiritual progress. Anthony and Stacy met five years ago when he was seeking emotional and relational healing of his own. Stacy led Anthony through a process of internal renovation and continues as his personal therapist. When Faith Meets Therapy contains priceless, practical knowledge to break stereotypes that surround therapy while also offering immeasurable hope and encouragement.

Where Faith Meets Culture is a Radix magazine anthology. What does Radix usually contain? Interviews and features. Reviews of significant books, films, and CDs. Informed opinions in "The Last Word." Eye-catching graphics. Mind-stretching prose. Image-rich poetry. Radix assumes that Christians live in the real world and takes lay Christians seriously. As one subscriber wrote: "Radix is a more worldly magazine than one would expect from its deep commitment to Christ." Radix monitors the cultural landscape, questions assumptions, and introduces new voices, remaining deeply rooted in Christ. Sociologist Robert Bellah wrote in a Radix article: "Though social scientists say a lot about the self, they have nothing to say about the soul and as a result the modern view finds the world intrinsically meaningless." Radix continues to talk about meaning and hope in a culture that has lost its way. The articles in this volume reflect the magazine's wide-ranging interests: literature, art, music, theology, psychology, technology, discipleship, and spiritual formation. They're written by some of the outstanding authors whose work has graced our pages over the years: Peggy Alter, Kurt Armstrong, Robert Bellah, Bob Buford, Krista Faries, David Fetcho, Susan Fetcho, Sharon Gallagher, David W. Gill, Joel B. Green, Os Guinness, Virginia Hearn, Walter Hearn, Donald Heinz, Margaret Horwitz, Mark Labberton, Henri Nouwen, Earl Palmer, Susan Phillips, Dan Ouellette, Steve Scott, and Luci Shaw.

The number of dysfunctional and emotionally hurting people in our society and in our churches is rapidly increasing. Even though God has called His church to "heal the brokenhearted and set the captive free," the large majority of our pastors and churches are failing to effectively meet this need. The Christian counseling community itself continues to be embroiled in controversy as to what Christian counseling should be and to what extent it should be based on the Bible. The Greek word for salvation in the Bible means more than God's gift of eternal life: it also includes healing and complete wholeness; mind, emotions, will, and spirit in this lifetime. If, as the Bible clearly states, we are saved or made whole by faith, then it only makes sense that salvation by faith should be the foundation of any wholly Christian therapy. "Faith Therapy" provides a new narrative Biblical approach for helping these hurting people that can be easily applied by pastors and implemented in the church, integrates Christian counseling within the context of salvation by faith, applies faith to bring deep psychological healing, and develops methods for using faith to resolve many common, yet deeply-rooted problems.

This inspiring volume presents a unique and ethical professional framework for engaging in spiritual discussion in the context of family therapy. Addressing existential contradictions of life that can disrupt family functioning as well as religious restrictions that can create relational barriers, it models an open frame of mind for sensitive and respectful metaphysical work with diverse families. Chapter authors build on their own narratives of spiritual journey as they inform conversation with clients whose faith perspectives include Christianity, Judaism, Islam, African and Native American spiritual practice, Taoism, and Sikhism. These powerful dialogues illuminate the deeper tasks of therapy and offer significant opportunities for all family members to be involved in creating meaning and healing together. This one-of-a-kind book: Presents the narratives of a racially, culturally, and religiously diverse group of authors Explores the challenges of metaphysical psychotherapeutic practice Focuses on the intersection of therapeutic practice and spirituality in various cultural contexts Guides therapists in looking into their own spiritual lives and experience Models methods for therapists using spirituality in sessions with families Challenging professionals to step beyond the perceived boundaries of the therapist/client relationship, Engaging with Spirituality in Family Therapy: Meeting in Sacred Space is rich and eloquent reading for practitioners and researchers in family therapy.

Are you ready to crack open a story so wide, you may never be the same? This is a story about lions. This is a story of mountain-moving faith. This is a story of a lifetime. Get ready to embark on a journey so unbelievable, youll have to submerse yourself in this story and open your heart to receive it. Six doctors, one year, and a life-altering event in her kitchen. Will her life ever be the same?

Stories of Therapy, Stories of Faith is a collection of stories from therapists who have amplified the theology already present in their work. In particular, these authors, a group of counseling practitioners and educators, bring forward a dialogue between their practices and a social Trinitarian theology that emphasizes the relational nature of God and humans. The resulting stories of practice give voice to the ethical hope that counseling practice is participation in the redemptive story of the Gospel. The authors write about their motivations for practice in initiatives as diverse as parenting, trauma work, opposing bullying in schools, reengaging orphaned African children with their heritage, providing hospitality for difference, and counselor education. Stories of Therapy, Stories of Faith will be of interest to counselors and counselor educators, particularly those drawn to developing their ethical and theological commitments within their therapeutic practices.

Unexpected Places is the personal story of gospel singer Anthony Evans, son of well-known pastor Tony Evans and brother of author Priscilla Shirer. In this intimate and moving memoir, Anthony shares the details of his struggles with depression and doubt, and encourages readers with the unique story of his search for purpose and identity. From growing up duty-bound to his name, to his time as a finalist and then talent producer on The Voice, Anthony explores the pressures he experienced as a child and as a young man in Hollywood. He describes the journey to his renewed faith in God and exposes the vast differences between what the world teaches us to value and how God values us. Anthony examines what his parents did right in raising him but also describes how they unknowingly missed his pain. Finally, he reveals how God orchestrated His plan to grow Anthony into a man who is in love with his life, his heritage, and his individual calling. Anthony has learned to embrace the incredible beauty of his unique voice. In Unexpected Places, he invites readers on their own journey to do the same.

Stories of Therapy, Stories of Faith is a collection of stories from therapists who have amplified the theology already present in their work. In particular, these authors, a group of counseling practitioners and educators, bring forward a dialogue between their practices and a social Trinitarian theology that emphasizes the relational nature of God and humans. The resulting stories of practice give voice to the ethical hope that counseling practice is participation in the redemptive story of the Gospel. The authors write about their motivations for practice in initiatives as diverse as parenting, trauma work, opposing bullying in schools, reengaging orphaned African children with their heritage, providing hospitality for difference, and counselor education. Stories of Therapy, Stories of Faith will be of interest to counselors and counselor educators, particularly those drawn to developing their ethical and theological commitments within their therapeutic practices.