How do you introduce faith into counseling with clients? Why should you be mindful of the content that you consume? What happens when faith does not quell pain? MEET ALISSA SCHNEIDER Alissa Schneider is a licensed mental health counselor who specializes in helping people struggling with anxiety, OCD, and eating disorders. She uses an integrative approach with her clients while being very compassionate, and she integrates faith into the counseling sessions should her client desire it. She wants to help people who are struggling with chronic issues that are getting in the way of living a full life, and her aim is to help clients live a life of meaning. Visit Alissa's website, contact them at (561) 449-2478 Connect with her on LinkedIn. FREEBIE: Access and read Alissa's free ebook and more! IN THIS PODCAST: Introducing faith into counseling Encourage clients to work with positivity Faith and thoughts Faith and difficulty Introducing faith into counseling Include questions about faith and religion on the informed consent form that clients sign at the beginning of treatment. If they say, "yes, I'm a Christian" or "I have this particular viewpoint" then I will go deeper into that in the sessions with them and ask them questions about their faith and what that looks like for them. (Alissa Schneider) You can ask your clients about their faith but allow your clients to lead the conversation about their religious beliefs. Open-ended questions can be helpful conversation starters and are more ethical than outright claims or statements. Encourage clients to work with positivity In therapy and counseling, encourage clients to look for and create positivity. This does not mean that you should pretend that everything is okay. Instead, look for the good rather than taking in the bad unchecked. You can be mindful of what you listen to, what you watch, and who you speak to. Being aware of the content that you expose yourself to is important. You have to ask yourself in the moment how that is impacting you. Is this something that is improving [your] relationships with others? What are [you] feeding your brain? … we hold onto a lot of things, and it affects us subconsciously. (Alissa Schneider) Faith and thoughts There is a difference between active thinking and automatic thinking. Automatic thoughts can feel difficult to control and they are products of your subconscious. Do not try to control them specifically, but you can change them through mindfulness and intentional work. On the other hand, active thoughts are the ones you create. You can create active thoughts in response to automatic thoughts as an effort to "reprogram" your brain. It is easier to be more intentional about what kind of thoughts we're bringing in more actively, and I think that's where we have the power, and our clients have the power … that can help to bring meaning into our [lives] and positively impact our relationships. (Alissa Schneider) Bringing faith into your thinking can help keep you aligned with creating positive, active thoughts instead of being stuck in an automatic cycle. Faith and difficulty Most people use prayer to try and change or fix something, but that does not work. The human experience is to move through difficult things with the ability and capacity to get from one side to the other. Prayer helps you move through your life, but it does not take away your struggles. Prayer brings you strength to overcome them. This life is going to have pain, it is going to have suffering, but how can we bring faith into that … a lot of people pray for their suffering to go away, and I think naturally we want more pleasure than pain in our lives … but we are going to experience pain. (Alissa Schneider) People can bring pleasure and joy into the midst of pain while they overcome it and lean on their faith to give them the strength to get past their pain. Connect With Me Instagram @holisticcounselingpodcast Facebook Join the private Facebook group Sign up for my free email course: www.holisticcounselingpodcast.com Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Resources Mentioned And Useful Links: Visit Alissa's website and contact them at (561) 449-2478 Connect with her on LinkedIn. FREEBIE: Access and read Alissa's free ebook and more! Listen to the Am I OK podcast. How to market your practice when you offer multiple modalities with Joanna Sapir Practice of the Practice Podcast Network