Restore Peace and Joy in Your Life: How a Catholic Therapist Can Help You

Are you struggling with challenges and stressors in your life that leave you feeling overwhelmed, devastated, or alone? Do you remember a time when things didn’t feel this way? Perhaps you’ve been struggling for a while now, and you’re ready for relief and to not do it alone anymore. Maybe you’re thinking about a caring Catholic professional who helps you feel seen and understood and walks with you on your journey. Perhaps you’re ready for guidance, tools, and new perspectives to help you navigate your challenges as a Catholic. Most of all, maybe you’re ready to rediscover comfort, hope, and peace in your life so you feel better.

Catholic mental health therapists (Catholic therapists, for short) are a great option for many Catholics looking for such assistance and relief. These knowledgeable trained professionals understand many of the challenges and stresses that Catholics face and often have personally faced such adversity themselves, allowing for a deep level of empathy for other Catholics’ suffering. Through a customized therapy journey, individuals can receive psychologically and spiritually-sound treatment interventions, personalized feedback, and a comforting relationship with a professional that facilitates helpful personal growth and change. Working with a Catholic therapist, individuals, couples, and families can experience a safe environment where they receive acceptance and healing care that mirrors the selfless love of the Blessed Trinity. Join me, a Catholic therapist myself, as I take a deeper dive into the invaluable work of Catholic therapists and how they can help you personally experience relief on your own journey.

Issues Addressed with a Catholic Therapist

Catholics seek assistance from a therapist to address a wide variety of emotional, mental, interpersonal, spiritual, and professional challenges appropriate for a mental health professional, with the unique perspective of a Catholic. Because of their extensive education and clinical experience, therapists can address many issues. Some common emotional and mental challenges that a Catholic therapist can assist people with include low motivation, decreased interest or pleasure in activities, persistent sadness, shame, guilt, low self-confidence, excessive worry, stress, irritability and anger, difficulty concentrating, overthinking, worst case scenarios and fears, difficult memories, thoughts, and flashbacks related to a past difficult experience, repetitive or problematic behavioral patterns, and overall difficulty with navigating emotions.

A Catholic therapist often can help people navigate difficult relationship issues, such as marital and romantic relationship strain, marital estrangement and separation as a Catholic, problematic relationships with parents, family members, coworkers, or friends, and parenting challenges. A therapist often can accompany people through difficult loss, life changes or adjustments, and external stressors, such as the loss of a loved one, infertility, pregnancy loss, loss of a job, illness or medical diagnosis, aging, or challenges with school or with work. Additionally, a therapist can help people explore their spiritual concerns and challenges in their relationship with God and receive helpful spiritual insights, affirmations, and feedback (unless a complex spiritual issue that would be better served by a spiritual director!). By no means is this list exhaustive; therapists can and do address other issues as well. In short, Catholic therapists address many different challenges with their clients, so look for one that specializes in the kind of challenges you are facing!

Social Support and Trust with a Catholic Therapist

In addition to specialized clinical expertise for the issues that we are facing, a Catholic therapist offers high quality, empathetic social support and accompaniment on your particular journey through life. Especially when we are facing social isolation and limited, inadequate, or non-existent social support from those around us, it can be incredibly comforting to speak with someone who “gets” what we’re going through, particularly as a Catholic. Often as Catholics, we want to work with a therapist who understands and values our Catholic faith and who also adheres to Church teachings and the Catholic understanding of the human person. Or sometimes we simply feel more comfortable knowing a therapist is Catholic. Regardless of your reason for seeking a Catholic therapist, check to make sure they offer what you’re looking for and that they feel like a good fit to you!

The role of a Catholic Therapist

A Catholic therapist is a professional companion and guide who walks beside you as you navigate the joys and challenges in a particular stage of your life. First and foremost, they provide a safe, non-judgmental space where you can feel seen and understood in your suffering and receive the social and emotional support you desire, especially when not feeling supported by others around you. Although it is often underestimated, the healing that comes from being accepted unconditionally and cared for by a therapist mirrors the even greater healing that comes from the love of God and is the most important piece of successful therapy.

Additionally, a therapist empathizes with and validates how you are feeling, showing you that it is ok to experience your emotions, even as you work to navigate and regulate them. A therapist helps you to discover new insights about yourself and others, learn new perspectives and educational concepts, and acquire new skills and tools. A therapist also helps you to develop strategies for tangible problems you are facing, such as ways to regulate your challenging emotions, communication techniques to improve your marriage, and healthy ways to cope with loss and to grieve.

Mental Health Therapy and Other Types of Catholic Support

Up to this point, I’ve discussed mental health therapists when referring to “Catholic therapists”; these typically consist of licensed Catholic professionals who provide therapy services, such as clinical counselors, social workers, art and music therapists, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists. Despite varying educational backgrounds and approaches to therapy, all are trained in psychologically-based therapy modalities and are regulated by their respective state licensing boards. For example, I am licensed by the State of Ohio as a “Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor,” have a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and have extensive clinical experience in providing therapy services.

In addition to therapy from these above licensed professionals, there are other services from other adjacent Catholic helpers and professionals that one might also consider, such as medication management for mental health issues (from psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners), spiritual direction for primarily spiritual issues, pastoral counseling (from a professional trained in both theology and psychology but may or may not be licensed), and peer support groups and other support offered by support organizations. For some people, these other adjacent services may be a good complement to mental health therapy or helpful alternatives. When discerning your options, consider what issue(s) you are facing and what type of assistance would be most helpful to you (individualized, group, professional/licensed, spiritual, medical, mental health, etc.). Also seriously consider the helper’s specialties (do they help many people with this issue and are passionate about it?), training (do they have a psychological or theological degree, certification, or logged supervision/mentorship training?), and licensing (are they monitored by a licensing board that protects the public from harmful practice?) Personally, I typically recommend licensed professionals for issues related to mental health because there are ethical and legal standards required to obtain and maintain licensure and because those professionals have to answer to the board if there are concerns about their services being unethical or not evidence-based. For specifically spiritual issues, I also personally recommend spiritual directors and pastoral counselors that have high quality training and certification related to providing spiritual guidance from reputable organizations.

Types of Mental Health Therapy

Now, back to mental health therapy! When it comes to mental health therapy– also known as clinical counseling– there are many different kinds of therapy a Catholic therapist can offer, varying in the theoretical framework behind the approach, in the target population, and in the way in which the therapy is delivered. For starters, therapy can be individual, couples, family, or group therapy. Individual therapy is by far the most common option, but you will find some Catholic therapists who offer couples/marital counseling for both spouses, family therapy for multiple family members all together, or group therapy for multiple people at once (often 4-8 people) with a shared issue and goal (e.g. relief from depression). In terms of target population, most therapists offer therapy services for adults, but some offer therapy specifically for children, adolescents, older adults, parents, or other specific groups (like Catholics!).

Therapists offer a wide variety of therapy modalities that differ in how they are delivered and the theory (rationale) behind the therapeutic approach. Most commonly, people think of “talk-based” individual therapies, such as person-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and internal family systems therapy. Different therapists have different preferences and uses for these kinds of modalities, and each of these therapies has its own unique uses and considerations. Some other therapy modalities have a specific application, such as the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples counseling, Family Systems Therapy for family therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy and somatic therapies EMDR for trauma, and grief counseling for grief and loss. In a more creative vein, play therapy is used to specifically help kids express themselves and process difficult experiences when they can’t do so verbally because of their age, and art and music therapy can help clients of all ages to express and process thoughts and emotions creatively in other ways than talking. Finally, Christian Counseling or Catholic therapy, when those terms are used in a clinical counseling sense (vs. pastoral counseling), typically refer to mental health therapy from a licensed mental health professional infused with Catholic/Christian spirituality, such as prayer, scriptures, stories of the saints, and faith-based books and resources. These therapists may or may not have particular theological training, but have experience with and passion for accompanying Catholics and Christians in therapy.

This is a lot of information to process when it comes to all of the different kinds of mental health therapy, and I haven’t even named or described all of the types of therapy out there! I share this information with you so that you can have a general sense of what kind of therapy you should look for when picking a Catholic therapist. You do NOT need to have picked out an exact therapy modality you want from a therapist, unless you are into the kind of thing. For most people, it’s simply good enough to know that I need a therapist who specializes in what they need, such as a therapist specializing in couples, or in therapy for children, or in trauma therapy, or in therapy for depression or anxiety. Many therapists are trained in multiple therapy modalities, meaning they can pick the type of therapy or use a mixture of therapy modalities that works well for your particular situation. I wouldn’t worry too much about the specific therapy modality used by a therapist unless it’s obviously not a good fit for you and your needs or it’s clear you need a particular modality; I would simply discern and ask if a potential therapist’s therapeutic approaches are a good fit for your needs. Your chosen therapist can and will make decisions about what types of therapy to use throughout your therapy process and hopefully educate you on the therapy being used and why. You are always free to ask questions about what kind(s) of therapy they use for your particular issue in session and why.

Find the right Catholic Therapist for You

Finding a therapist who is a good fit for you and your needs is a critical step in getting the relief and support you need. It is important that you choose a therapist who has adequate training and credentials, who offers the kinds of therapy that will be helpful to you, and specializes in the issues you are seeking therapy for. As a well-qualified specialist, the hope is that they are both knowledgeable and passionate about the issues you’re facing, as well as experienced in working with many others who have gone through something similar to you. Although you could see a therapist who sees all types of clients and supports clients through all types of issues, it is often helpful to know your therapist has specific expertise and passion for your specific issue and specifically for clients just like you.

You can identify some potential therapist options by using keyword searches in Google (e.g. “Catholic infertility therapist in Columbus Ohio”), using online therapist directories like Catholictherapists.com or Psychology Today, and seeking recommendations from trusted health care providers, clergy, support groups and organizations, and family members and friends (especially ones that may have connections to the specific kind of Catholic therapist you’re looking for). It’s worth noting that a therapist has to attest to actively practicing Catholicism and to their faithfulness to Church teachings on faith and moral issues when they become a member of catholictherapists.com, like I did! When researching potential therapists, pay attention to the details of their online profiles and how they speak to new potential clients; do you trust their expertise and feel like they get you? Pay attention to the information about them and written by them on their website and online profiles and proceed with contacting the therapists who seem most promising.

Additionally and just as important as specialization and expertise, the right Catholic therapist for you will make you safe and comfortable with them throughout the therapy process. With a right-fit therapist, your personalities will mesh well, their style of therapy will work well for you, and their behaviors just make it easy for you to trust them. You will feel seen and understood by them (“they get me!”) and feel respected, valued, and cared for. Although therapy can and does sometimes bring up some uncomfortable emotions (that’s often part of the process, so long as it’s manageable), you will have confidence in your right-fit therapist and in the therapy process with them, knowing that you are safe and in good hands. In order to confirm that a potential therapist feels like a good fit to you, I recommend that you request an initial consultation call to get a sense of how they treat you and their personality. You can also ask any specific questions you may have about their qualifications, their clinical experience, their approach to therapy, and their availability for sessions. Also know that you also can continue to assess how you think therapy is going even after you get started, and can raise your concerns or even discontinue at any time if something does not feel right (I recommend sharing first though if you feel safe enough to do so).