Personhood the Focus of Healing *

The primary distinction between Orthodox psychotherapy and secular therapies concerns itself with what is central to the human being to actualization and contentment. It very much is about perspective and is central to healing; as this distinction directly effects methodology. This understanding was undeniably the most crucial element in my clinical practice and the defining moment in my professional career.

      While both Orthodox psychotherapy and the human sciences are aimed at helping individuals how that assistance is operationalized however is pivotal. It is more then simply a nuanced or stylistic difference in approach or adaptation; it is critical in setting the trajectory and course.  Orthodox psychotherapy speaks to the human condition and experience which defines and identifies behavioral clusters and subjective reality in very different terms from the one dimensional and  mechanized determinism of modern medicine.  Diagnostics,  assessments and treatments are determined by key concepts based on the personhood of the individual.  Human sciences seek out flank intellectually metaphysical presuppositions and understanding regarding cause and effect while denying the deeper meaning to cause and purpose. While improving the quality of someones life may be a given for the modern counselor it may not be necessarily the best course for the Orthodox clinician based on deeper more pressing concerns dealing with the complexity of the person and not simply superficial comforts. 

Orthodox psychotherapy liberates both the practitioner and the participant from the modern mechanistic interpretation of the human condition with its pathology based underpinnings and trappings. There is a natural inclination to feel more at ease with Orthodox psychotherapy as a preferred treatment type because it embraces the totality of the person .  It is a more respectable approach to suffering demonstrating how spirituality transcends the materialists one sided endless questioning of 'subjects'  as if deciphering a code of what professionals have determined to be logical constants. Orthodox Christians are interested in asking the larger questions of purpose which defers the natural  inclination to shore up one's defenses to avert blame and guilt. This more user friendly holistic approach lends itself  to a more fulfilled existence and because this the process has been liberated from secular traditionalism.

      It is about more then simply reframing the sessions. It is about its mission and function. I hope to provide the language with which to assist Orthodox brothers and sisters the tools to explain what they already know to battle the rhetoric of the world. This birds eye view is a more liberating and empowering way of viewing your life. My professional work both in the privacy of the office and in more public settings like church halls has served as a way to encourage and build up truth seekers for the journey to reclaim our birthright (baptismal rebirth) as Orthodox Christians which has freed us from the bondage of zombie like living where humanistic impositions and limitations are banished. Together we raise the bar of expectation for wonderful things in your life.

      The fear of the unknown keeps people from getting want they want personally and professionally seeking the assurances of the sciences as the gold standard of knowledge. We accept worldly knowledge for illumination. It is a way of settling for what you 'know' out of a fear of wanting for more. Augment your skill set and your support system. Move through your fear learn more effective problem solving techniques. With each success your confidence and momentum will build.

      By identifying what you value you will prioritize more effectively and will learn true gratitude and inner peace.