On Being A Christian Clinician
By
Stephanie Mang
Henri J. M. Nouwen has a very different and intriguing concept of what a healer is and how he heals or helps his patients. Some people find his idea of a ‘wounded healer’ too radical or “morbid and unhealthy” (Nouwen, 1979, p. 88) . Nevertheless, I have connected with his understanding of being a wounded healer and am slowly coming to articulate how this concept of healing is truly a Christian ministry and can possibly revolutionize contemporary understandings of how counseling does and should take place. This paper will attempt to explore and combine Nouwen’s idea with other ideas I have gathered and integrate them into a reflective and informed understanding of what it means to be a clinician.
A Wounded Healer
Interestingly enough, as I started to prepare to write this paper and go through my notes from the interview I conducted with a practicing therapist and my own journal of thoughts I began to recognize themes throughout these two pieces of research that were directly from Nouwen. Both the mental health therapist, Irene Hoffmann, whom I interviewed, and myself identified themes of wanting to walk alongside others in their pain, needing to be able to ground oneself in order to be fully present with clients, and a concept of needing to be “fully put together” to truly be able to help others.
Nouwen (1979) introduces the topic of being a wounded healer through a story about a minister who only unbinds and rebinds one wound at a time instead of them all at once in order to be ready if he is needed. “Since it is his task to make visible the first vestiges of liberation for others, he must bind his own wounds carefully in anticipation of the moment when he will be needed. He is called to be the wounded healer, the one who must look after his own wounds, but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others” (Nouwen, 1979, p. 82) . A clinician can indeed still be a liberator (or healer) even if he has his own wounds. Often there is a pervasive concept within society that healers need to whole, put together, and not suffering from mental illness or other mental disorders. Up until reading Nouwen’s book, I often wondered myself if I could be a healer because I have a history of depression and still, in fact, quite regularly am active in dealing with it. However, through this story, Nouwen (1979) is affirming that the wounded can undeniably become healers.
Nevertheless, becoming a wounded healer is not simply just healing through one’s pain or experience, it is more complicated than this. “For a deep understanding of his own pain makes it possible for him to convert his weakness into strength and to offer his own experience as a source of healing to those who are often lost in darkness of their own misunderstood suffering” (Nouwen, 1979, p. 87) . One needs to understand and accept their own pain before they are able use it as a source of healing for others.
When I read this section of Nouwen’s book I thought of the following analogy: an individual can think of oneself as being a house with all its different rooms, dark corners, and attic. Any dark corners, the attic, or completely closed rooms represent the things of ourselves that we do not like, bad past experiences, mental illnesses, and anything else we do not want others to know about. When we invite someone into our homes (through relationships) they are normally only allowed into the ‘acceptable’ portions of the house. What Nouwen (1979) is saying is that a healer needs to first be comfortable within the whole of their house, know what each of those unacceptable portions of the house are, acknowledge them, become comfortable with them, and finally allow others into those places when needed. He used the concept of “hospitality” to explain to his readers: “it [hospitality] requires first of all that the host feel at home in his own house, and secondly that he create a free and fearless place for the unexpected visitor” (Nouwen, 1979, p. 89) . To be truly hospitable one needs to allow others into their home at any time and be comfortable in allowing that visitor to explore any room he wishes to.
Irene Hoffmann, whom I interviewed, also alluded to this concept. Irene works work in a community based counselling clinic as a "Generalist" (working with people across the lifespan). In talking about some of the challenges she has encountered in her practice, she identified the need to remain honest with oneself about how different client problems are affecting your own “stuff” (Hoffmann, 2010) . Self-awareness of one’s own biases and ‘stuff’ is an important piece to becoming a clinician. “When our souls are restless, when we are driven by thousands of different and often conflicting stimuli, when we are always ‘over there’ between people, ideas, and the worries of the world, how can we possibly create the room and space where someone else can enter freely without feeling himself an unlawful intruder?” (Nouwen, 1979) . Without the ability or desire to engage in self-awareness clinicians will have a hard time in fully supporting their clients and the ability to enter into and create a sacred space with them. Which leads me into the second aspect to being a clinician – entering in and sharing community with one’s clients.
Community
In my interview with Irene, I asked her what motivated her to be a clinician in the first place. She answered, “it was an honor and privilege to be a part of someone’s process” (Hoffmann, 2010) . For Irene, she started as a youth worker, which evolved into social work and eventually lead her to counseling (Hoffmann, 2010) . The aspect of coming alongside another and being privileged to spend time with them on their journey was, and still is, incredibly honoring to her.
My own journey has included a desire for community. Part of the reason and attraction towards becoming a clinician myself was from the lack of community and support I experienced when I first started my struggle with depression. “The fact that I was surrounded by Christian people but so unhappy…did not sit right. It was not right. And that nobody would talk to me [and there was] no one and nowhere for me to acceptably talk to. That hurt. I want to change that. I want those who are legitimately hurting to be healed or at least find comfort and support” (Mang, 2010) . Lack of community or someone who was willing to talk to me about my struggle compels me to change this scenario and hopefully become for others what I always wanted – someone to come alongside me.
In a listing of what I thought it meant to be a clinician I wrote: “be available to all; to listen; to not condemn; to create a sacred space; to be a companion; to help people sort through their issues; to be a sounding board; to guide those who are in the dark; less about structure and plans – more about being in the moment and holding attention to what is happening; [and] to be God’s hands” (Mang, 2010) . In hindsight, I think each of these descriptions accurately describes some aspect of community. As Nouwen (1979) wrote, “a shared pain is no longer paralyzing but mobilizing”. As clinicians, we can create a space where we can become companions to hurting individuals. Knowing that someone understands or simply just knows your story and is willing to listen to you is hugely comforting to someone who is struggling. The therapeutic relationship – as theorists describe it – is often more important to the outcome of counseling then the specific interventions or treatment plans a counselor uses.
Giver of Hope
Christian community is unique in that it can offer more then simply shared pain, it can offer a hope of healing (Nouwen, 1979) . The Christian counselor is providing more then just community for his patients, he is also providing a hope of what is to come when Jesus Christ returns and in one’s afterlife. Nouwen (1979, pg. 94) writes, “A Christian community is therefore a healing community not because wounds are cured and pains are alleviated, but because wounds and pains become openings or occasions for a new vision. Mutual confession then becomes a mutual deepening of hope, and sharing weakness becomes a reminder to one and all of the coming strength”. The Christian counselor is able to add, to the already great benefits of community, a hope of what is to come.
This giving of hope comes out of the understanding that not all pains and struggles are going to be relieved and healed here in this life, as a counselor will quickly come to learn. Even the Apostle Paul talks about his “thorn of the flesh” in 2 Cor. 12:7-10. He mentions three specific times when he prayed for healing and did not receive it. Unfortunately, this is also the reality in contemporary times. In my own experiences I have come to realize that unless I feel I am completely ‘whole’ and do everything right I cannot succeed as a clinician or even has a successful human being. I wrote: “we talked yesterday [in reference to a class] about what our passions are. I think mine stems around belonging without shaming and doing everything right”. Within that statement, there is a desire to be completely whole without any adverse mistakes or feelings, especially around ones that stem from my battle with depression. Unfortunately, it is completely unattainable within this life. For that wholeness to come true, and for anyone to experience wholeness, we have to wait until Christ’s second coming, before this we are only mortal and broken.
“Perhaps the main task of the minister is to prevent people from suffering for the wrong reasons. Many people suffer because of the false supposition on which they have based their lives. That supposition is that there should be no fear or loneliness, no confusion or doubt. But these sufferings can only be dealt with creatively when they are understood as wounds integral to our human condition. Therefore ministry is a very confronting service. It does not allow people to live with illusions of immorality and wholeness. It keeps reminding others that they are mortal and broken, but also that with the recognition of this condition liberation starts…When we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains, but that we can mobilize them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope.” (Nouwen, 1979, p. 93)
A counselor becomes involved in a healing ministry by taking away the false illusion that full wholeness can be given in this life by another person (that is, by the counselor to the counselee). When pains and sufferings are not taken away, the Christian counselor is able to direct the client towards recognizing and even embracing their afflictions in such a way that they are able understand and realize that Christ can be seen and known even amidst their suffering. “It makes visible the first rays of light of the coming Messiah… Thus, [the counseling] ministry can indeed be a witness to the living truth that the wound, which causes us to suffer now, will be revealed to us later as the place where God intimated his new creation” (Nouwen, 1979, pp. 95-96) . The Christian counsellor is able to instill a hope in their clients.
Other Attributes
I believe a large part of being a clinician involves the ability to feel compassion for others and a striving to do something about the pain and struggles others are having. Compassion is defined as “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering” (Dictionary.com, 2010). A clinician needs to be able to have compassion and empathy for their clients; otherwise they will never be able to truly help.
As Christians, we are also called to compassion from Jesus. On numerous occasions “when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them” (Matt 9:36 cf. Matt 14:14; 15:32; 20:34; Mark 1:41; 6:34; 8:2). Whenever a crowd gathered around Jesus he took compassion on their plight, whether it be that they were hungry, harassed, helpless, sheep without a shepherd or sick, he always did something about it. I believe in the same way counselors are called to do the same for their clients - as Irene put it “being all things to all people” (Hoffmann, 2010) .
Along similar lines, as believers we are directed by scripture to encourage one another. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” (I Thessalonians 5:11). Hebrews 3:13 writes: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness” and “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:25). I believe that from these scriptures we can concur that as believers we are to encourage each other. As Christian counselors how much more important is this! Encourage, according the dictionary definition, means “to inspire someone with courage or confidence to do something… to stimulate by assistance, approval, help, or support” (Collins English Dictionary, 2009) . In a very simplified version, I think we could apply this definition of encouraging someone to the definition of what a counselor does within his or her practice.
In addition, we are called to love one another. Scripture asserts numerous times that the greatest commandment is to: “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31 cf. Matt 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:33; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14). A Christian counselor needs to be able to see and help all people, no matter what their race, gender, culture, skin color, age, or problem is. There cannot be extreme bias and judgment by part of a counselor. To do any less would not be loving one’s neighbor as oneself.
Lastly, I would like to point to a passage in John. Jesus says to his disciples “anyone who has faith in me will do greater things than these” (italics add; John 14:12). Two chapters earlier (in John 11) Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead, yet He tells us that if we have faith in Him we will to do greater things. Christian counselors, I believe, need to remember that they have God on their side. Through prayer, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus’ promise, we can do greater things - what a wonderful thought to take with us into the counseling room!
In Conclusion
I have begun this paper by first stating that clinicians need not be people who are “healthy and whole” but rather even those of us who have been wounded, and may still be wounded, do still have the ability to be clinicians. Clinicians need to know themselves so thoroughly, or at the very least be engaging in the process, that they can allow others into every aspect of their ‘houses’ without bringing up their own stuff. Clinicians need to have the ability to put their selves aside in order to fully attend to the client in front of them. Furthermore, clinicians create community with their clients. They come alongside those who are hurting and broken as a companion on the client’s journey. This in and of itself is a huge privilege. Christian clinicians should also be givers of hope to their clients. They correct the false presumption of our generation that people can become completely whole and free of affliction in this lifetime, by instead encouraging them to embrace those very afflictions together and create a hope for the day in which Jesus will return and we will truly see wholeness. As “mutual confession then becomes a mutual deepening of hope, and sharing weakness becomes a reminder to one and all of the coming strength” (Nouwen, 1979, p. 94) . Christian clinicians who follow in Jesus’ example will be compassionate to those around them, be encouragers, and love everyone. Lastly, as Christian counselors, we need to include God into the equation of our counseling endeavors because with Him all things are possible and Christ has promised that we will do great things.
Works Cited
Compassion. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved September 27, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/compassion
encourage. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved September 27, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/encourage
Hoffmann, I. (2010, September 7). "On Being A Clinician". (S. Mang, Interviewer)
Mang, S. (2010, August ). My Journal "On Being A Clinician".
Nouwen, H. J. (1979). The Wounded Healer. New York, New York: Image, DoubleDay.
All scripture references taken from the New International Version
