SLBMI Psychology and Religion Program>> How We Can Help

How We Can Help

We consciously seek to integrate spiritual and empirical approaches to healing; our clinicians work from their own spiritual foundation while respecting the unique spirituality of the client.

Empirically, our deepest roots are in cognitive-behavioral therapy, which we find to be a very effective and well-researched method of treatment. However, we apply this therapy in a holistic context, with particular attention to its integration with the spiritual dimension of care. The staff members also use a variety of alternative approaches to suit the particular needs of the patient, including interpersonal therapies (e.g., group work), family of origin work, dream work, medication management, and an honest search for meaning and purpose in coping with the trials of life.

We seek to become aware of the spiritual dimension of the problems presented, and the personal spirituality of the individual client as well as his or her religious beliefs and the culture/customs of his or her community. We encourage our clients to utilize their spiritual direction as a complement to psychotherapy. Our teams include spiritual directors who are comfortable and familiar with psychological and biological approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Our goal is to bring these two traditions of healing together, interfacing like two great trees, trunks growing up side by side, with roots and branches intertwining.

Similarly, we work from a systems model, not unlike family systems, in which we strive to keep leadership involved while maintaining the privacy of the client. The actual arrangements are different in each case, but we are always moving in the direction of honest, effective relationships between client and leadership. This is particularly useful when leadership has initiated the referral and/or the behavior of the client has presented problems for peers, leadership, or others.