By Dr. Nicolene Joubert
My story of becoming a Christ-centered therapist started in the 1980’s when I was enrolled at a non-Christian university for my master’s degree in counseling psychology. My cohort was small, consisting of only 10 students, because the selection procedures for this program were strict. The day I got the call from the university to say I was selected, I was overjoyed, because I interpreted it as my destiny – predestined by the Triune God who I believed in.
I grew up in a conservative, protestant Christian home, with parents, siblings, and extended family all dedicated to the Christian faith. Thus, the early development of my worldview and self-identity was shaped by a Christian family who confessed the Nicaean creed and Heidelberg Catechism every Sunday in church. I truly believed that my career path was determined by the providence of God and I was destined to become a psychologist and to “… heal the brokenhearted.” (Luke 4: 18).
During the first few months of my master’s studies, I became disillusioned with my career choice, as most of my professors and peers were not Christian. On the contrary, underlying animosity was present and some people openly mocked the idea of praying for a client. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of mankind, did not feature in their personal or professional lives. This experience stood in sharp contrast to my undergraduate study-experience at a Christian University. It also marked the beginning of an internal identity crisis between my career choice and in-Christ identity, as well as my professional and social identities. My social identity was further shaped by being newly married and pregnant with my first child. My pregnancy was the result of prayer, as I was told by doctors that I was potentially infertile. In the same period of time, I had to adapt to wifehood, motherhood and a career choice that challenged my Christian beliefs.
The three years of my master’s degree studies, and contending with a non-Christian academic environment, while experiencing the presence of Jesus in an almost tangible way in my personal life, were agonizing. It created severe internal conflict and uncertainty about my professional identity as a psychologist. I did not know how to reconcile the two extremes of atheism and agnosticism in my professional field with my strong Christian beliefs.
My attempts to find a solution for my spiritual and moral dilemma impelled me to search for a method or approach that could be scientifically sound, and deeply Christ-centered. The search for answers that could be respected in the academic world, but beneficial and edifying to believers, resulted in the development of the concept of
Biblically-based psychology, later Christian Psychology. It also led to the development of a professional identity that would set Christian psychologists apart as representatives of Christ. It further led to a PhD research study on the development and assessment of a Biblically-based systemic therapy program for a congregation. The findings of this study indicated the positive impact of Christ-centered therapy on the stress levels of participants, family relations and connecting to a community of believers.
The apostle Paul presents the in-Christ identity as a divine gift that supersedes social, ethnic, and cultural identities, emphasizing a new relationship with God and a transformed way of relating to others. Christian psychologists should view their in-Christ identity as a divine gift that supersedes other cultural and social identities, and that should be developed in collaboration and community with other Christian psychologists, counselors and caregivers. In Galatians 2:20, Paul emphasizes the in-Christ identity as he states the following: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
A Paul traveled from city to city, he faced an identity crisis between his old self, the Jewish Rabbi who persecuted the followers of Jesus Christ, and his new self, transformed by Jesus during his Damascus experience. After his conversion, he did not only experience a dissonance between his old self and new self on a spiritual level, but he experienced a cultural identity crisis that many people would be able to resonate with. The crisis stemmed from encounters with old Jewish colleagues (rabbis) and leaders who respected him in the past but now rejected and hated him. Many of his old friends turned into enemies and the townspeople where he preached his messages, Jews and heathen alike, had mixed feelings about his teachings. Even in the churches that he planted, were negative and derogatory words spoken about him.
Modern psychological research findings show that internal identity conflict could be severe, which would have an impact on the well-being of a person. When both professional and religious identity values are highly salient and central to the core self of the person, the negative effects on psychological well-being are more pronounced. In secular or humanistic psychology or counseling there is no place for Christ to live in us and be revealed through our professional identity, because this space cannot be shared with a secular system of thought. It leads to severe internal conflict which may have a negative impact on spiritual and psychological well-being.
Current social identity theories cannot resolve this conflict as it is based on a secular value system. The resolution requires a psychology based on the belief that Christ is our Saviour who lives in us and provides a divine presence in therapy and counseling sessions. Christ-centered therapy offers a solution for professional counselors and caregivers to actively seek and acknowledge the presence of Christ in therapy, while including sound scientific knowledge and skills.
References
Carminati, L. & YingFei Gao Héliot (2023) Professional and religious identity conflict: individual and organizational dynamics in ethically charged circumstances, Self and Identity, 22:7-8, 1065-1092, DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2023.2248686
Du Toit, P. La G. (2024) ‘Rethinking identity theory in light of the in-Christ identity in the African context’, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 80(1), a8914.
Joubert, N. L., Venter, C. A., & Venter, C. J. H. (2004). The development and evaluation of a Biblically-based therapy programme for a congregation. School of Psycho-Social Behavioural Sciences & School of Ecclesiastical Sciences, Potchefstroom Campus, North-West University
Nicolene Joubert is a registered Counselling Psychologist, trauma therapist and educator. She holds a PhD in Psychology (Northwest University) and a Masters degree in Online and Distance Education (Open University UK). She is the founder and head of the Institute of Christian Psychology in South Africa, now the Institute for Christian Practitioners (www.icp.org.za).
She has been a practicing psychologist for 37 years and her fields of specialty includes: Christian spirituality and worldview in the healing process, trauma counselling, bereavement and dealing with loss, family therapy, career counselling, lifespan development and challenges and dealing with chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
She is an associate professor of Christian Psychology and Counseling at Houston Baptist University (HBU), Texas, US. She is also a postgraduate supervisor at the South African Theological Seminary (SATS).
