For its first formation session the AFLC Mental Health Resource professionals met on Friday 24th January at the Seminary of St. John Vianney and the Uganda Martyrs.

Ten mental health professionals were present, along with team lead Alicia Hoyte, Episcopal Delegate Tricia Syms and AFLC staffers Taye and Darendra. The morning opened with a Visio Divina with the Jubilee logo, which led to insights such as recognizing the cross as the anchor of our faith that encourages us to actively embrace and live out our faith, and in so doing, to guide others to build community in Christ.

In the absence of Fr. McGlone, the group discussed shared readings from two chapters he had recommended on the day’s theme, “The Role of Psychology in the Catholic Church”.

The first chapter from “The Inner Life of Priests” gave an historical account of the evolution of both Catholic identity and psychology in American society. Prior to World War II, American Catholic families clung to their Catholic identity, being in the minority and suffering economic hardship, and placed great honour on a son attending seminary and all its attendant opportunities. With economic andeducational opportunities becoming more widespread, and the passing of Vatican II alongside the cultural revolutions in American society, the emphasis on Catholic identity lost its intensity in a culture that was becoming more liberal.

The simultaneous rise of humanistic psychology occurred alongside the cultural and sexual revolution, facilitating a “do your own thing” mentality. The abeyance of Catholic identity occurring alongside these cultural shifts offer insight into the suspicion of psychology that existed amongst the faithful from the earliest days.

The efforts of early Catholic psychologists to offer a faith-based perspective on psychology remain an aim and objective up until today. The shift from considering the “science of the soul” to exploring the concepts of “self, existence and personhood” evident in such branches as positive psychology, is evidence of this ongoing work. Seminaries are spaces within which this dialogue has been uppermost in the church.

Participants were asked to consider how this disrespect or suspicion for psychology amongst the faithful had impacted them and their work. Most acknowledged that there is still lingering stigma around mental health, and the misconception that the faith and psychology are separate. They felt that many still prefer to “pray it away” while others dismiss such ideas as “taking a mental health day”. Others noted that the younger age groups (ages 20-40) across both sexes show greater openness to attending therapy. Also, while there is still hesitancy among the clergy to refer individuals to psychological help, this is changing steadily, with greater numbers of priests willingly consulting with and referring laity to mental health professionals whom they know and trust.

Some lingering challenges were cited in the “magical thinking” amongst the lay faithful, with the expectation that a single session is sufficient to treat deep-seated, long-standing problems. Other challenges lay in working with those who had been harmed by someone within the church community, up to and including incidences of clerical and sexual abuse. Helping them to address their pain while preserving their faith can be challenging. It was clear that addressing systemic issues like clericalism and ensuring protection for all the faithful is critical.

Reflecting on the opportunities that lay before us, it was abundantly clear that as professionals, we would need to acknowledge our own biases, as we too were “of the faithful”. Ethical conduct and the use of best practices would be critical for the Catholic mental health professional, who would be held to a higher standard, as we work to dispel myths and misperceptions about faith and psychology, while providing quality services to our public.

More opportunity lay in moving the perception of psychology from “last resort” to a normal part of overall wellness. A client’s positive experience with a psychologist often inspires others to seek help. So, the group saw a role for the Church in actively promoting mental health support among the faithful, and in creating nonjudgmental spaces within the faith community where individuals feel supported.

The second chapter assigned for reading focused on understanding anthropology. Defined as the study of human nature, we were challenged to explore our own anthropology, and to discern whether it was born of revelation, powerful early childhood experiences, or cultural and historical factors. Three types of anthropologies were described in this chapter.

First, a Catholic model which recognised human nature as fundamentally good (made in the image of God but fallen and redeemed), and with room for personal effort to cooperate with grace and healing.

Second, the cultural Calvinism anthropology which held human nature as fundamentally depraved and controlled by conflicts with little hope of meaningful change except by the divine goodness of God.

Third, a scientific naturalism that viewed all reality as simply a function of matter, where the goal of life is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. The chapter ended with an exploration of how one’s attachment styles; family functioning and God image could influence one’s working model of the world around us.

Insight into the sort of transformational experiences that could lead to changing one’s anthropology gave hope that such change could take place in therapy, mainly from having an implicit to explicit anthropology, and from a negative to positive view of human nature.

Participants were called to reflect on what was their belief about God, others, and themselves and how this impacted their work. One participant analogised on growing grapevines in her garden, where the pruning away dead branches and providing proper care allowed the vine to thrive again. Similarly, accompanying others requires faith in their inherent goodness. Others shared that, as counsellors, we offer a safe, nonjudgmental space where hope can be restored, even when clients cannot see past their own pain or flaws.

Another participant recognised that anthropology can reveal how societal and cultural histories influence personal beliefs and behaviours, contributing to generational pain e.g. how being of a mixed ethnicity in our culture could impact one’s identity.

As the formation session ended, Alicia shared Fr. Mc Glone’s acknowledgement of the participants’ openness to continuous professional growth and development. He referred to Pope St. John Paul II’s description of the human person as dynamic and in need of ongoing formation, so that the question of what it means to be human is ever unfolding, and deserving of ongoing dialogue and exploration.

The group agreed to meet every two months, with the next meeting scheduled for Friday, March 21.

Interested in finding out more, please contact us at aflc.counselling@catholictt.org.