CPSP Pastoral Report

THE MAKING OF A PSYCHOTHERAPIST BY JAMES E. GEBHART, PH.D.
President-Elect, College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy

The 8th Asia-Pacific Congress on Pastoral Care and Counseling has requested that I address the essential factors in the evolution of a pastoral psychotherapist with reference to my own personal and professional development. I am pleased to respond in this essay. My response will be devoid of any conceptual psychology or theology since I am here focusing only on the contextual framework from which conceptual systems evolve.

I am especially interested in the theme of this Congress, “Spiritual Formation of the Human Heart: Tested Models of Caring and Counseling.” For my definition of psychotherapy is far more than guidance or instructive analysis or problem solving although, to be sure, there are times when these responses are necessary. The literal meaning of “psycho-therapy” is soul work which is the care of the human heart in all the seasons of life. And by pastoral psychotherapy I refer specifically to the perspective which theology or pastoral identity brings to the care of the soul.

I make this response knowing that mine is a distinctly Western and specifically American perspective, shaped by existential philosophy and Christian theology. However, I am very interested in the possibility that the model I describe is universal, i.e., that it is descriptive of all who undertake the life commitment to the mastery of psychotherapy whether from the East or West, Christian or non-Christian, one philosophical system or another.

And so I submit that there are five categories which are helpful in the identification and delineation of the essential factors which describe the pastoral psychotherapist. While the sequence might vary according to the life history of certain individuals, in general one might think of these as five stages of development, epigenetic in character, with each building on or enhancing the previous stage.

I. The Cultivation and Blessing of Natural Gifts. Only a few are equipped for the life and work of a pastoral psychotherapist. Just as certain persons are said to born as a “natural” teacher or physician, scientist or artist, so it is that there are specific natural endowments which must be cultivated for the person who would work with the human soul. By natural endowments I mean those features which are characteristic of the young personality, and by cultivation I mean the shaping of such features in the childhood, adolescent and early adult environment.

These shaping influences can be the natural values of the home, school and community into which the person found his/her beginnings. These environments were characterized by absolute respect for others, nurture and compassion, and heightened sensitivity. Or, on the other hand, the influences could be the result of early difficulties and even trauma, where vigilance and highly focused awareness was essential to survival.

While the list of such gifts might differ among psychotherapists, I would assume all to agree on some basic features including:

1. A primary interest focus on matters of the meaning of the life experience itself, and the constant shadow of mortality. From an early age this person has pondered the expressions of love and hate, joy and suffering, attachment and alienation, certainty and confusion, empowerment and impotence, safety and danger.

2. A finely developed eye to read what is really going on in contrast to what might appear to be happening. This is a discerning eye which does not just look but seeks to see, which not only records events but attempts to see beneath the surface. And from the eye comes the developing ear, called the “third ear”, to discern what is beneath the words and the “sighs too deep for words.” This person is able to “read” the expression and behavior of others and to interpret the subtle nuances of words, feelings, gestures and postures.

3. A diminished sense of judgment. From an early age this person is not prone to judge others because it is apparent that all the data is not in, that there is much more going on than anyone yet fully understands.

4. A natural sense of patience, born from an early recognition that important things cannot be rushed, that full seasons are required to work through an experience, that the length and timing of such seasons differs from one person to another.

5. The nurturing gifts of kindness, care, friendship, and an easy sense of humor, all of which serve to elicit trust from others.

6. A central core of strength and courage which enable this person to be confrontive when necessary, and to bear the stresses and pain of the demands and suffering of another.

7. A pervasive respect for others, born of the early realization that we are all related, that all persons have infinite value, even in their most hateful times.

What is then needed is a crucible, a period of years when the person has the challenge and opportunity to refine these gifts and emerge into adulthood with a semblance of autonomy so as to be a leader, a guide, a healer. This crucible can take many forms. There is, first, the wisdom born of adversity: “the schools of hard knocks” such as the violent home or the impoverished streets; significant loss and trauma; personal illness and subsequent healing. Or there is the wisdom born of character: the enriched home or school with transcendent values; the good fortune of trusted friendships; scouting and athletics, church and aesthetic experience. Or, rarely, an early and exceptional mentor.

In my own experience I recognize the kindness and patience, the non-judgmental love and the constant encouragement given to me in my family. There was also a constant stress: that I was born to replace a boy who died, and there was upon me the “special” expectation that I would be a source of life and joy, that I would not be heartbreak for my parents. There was the unusual gift of constant friends in my neighborhood, and their recognition of me as their leader, the one who would organize the games and choose up the teams. There was athletics which challenged me to compete and always improve. And there was my church, constantly instructing me, inspiring me, daring me to believe that I might be one whom God called to serve others, to be a light in the darkness.

Ultimately this crucible was a blessing to me and a humbling experience. I was the only person in my neighborhood to go to college, and I had few funds to support me. But I earned an athletic scholarship, dived into studies of philosophy, and was honored by my fellow students when elected student body president But I never forgot my beginnings, my respect for family and friends as they struggled to work through their difficulties. And more and more I felt that I was called apart to be a servant to them and to others; which required that I learn much, much more than I knew.

II. The Spiritual Journey Into The Wilderness. There are many common Western archetypes in which the healer, the guru, the spiritual leader has as an initial requirement the difficult and sometimes dangerous journey into the wilderness. A retreat into the woods, to the mountains, to the desert, to the times of contemplation and testing and discipline. Only when this person has personally been required to go through the eye of the storm and then to face truth devoid of denial, only then can he/she begin to understand the paradigms of death and rebirth; of deconstruction and reconstruction; of illness and healing.

In the Western World the archetypes of this spiritual journey are commonly understood: Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha; Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son; Martin Luther King, Jr’s dream. And Joseph Campbell has memorialized the Journey of the Hero, although he worked in archetypes he deemed to be universal, across all cultures.

The one who would be a pastoral psychotherapist is presuming to enter into the psychic and spiritual struggles of others in a most intimate way, and it is essential that such a person be familiar with not only the landscape of the struggles others are having, but to know how to help interpret the landscape, to encourage others not to lose heart. And, always, this is a person finally seen by others as an agent of God.

This knowledge of the journey is achieved in many ways. Some of them are dramatic: a descent into the hells of failure and misfortune, and the subsequent recovery; or the demanding requirements of monastic discipline; or accepting challenges beyond the reach of most others; or by living among modern lepers and learning from them. For others it is a less dramatic but equally demanding analysis of their own psyche, learning to face their own unconscious with all of its perils. For still others it is the survival of the perils of success, of not yielding to the temptation to be seduced by the false god of popularity.

The timing of this journey varies among the pilgrims. For most it comes early, before vocational plans are finalized, or at least as part of the preparation for the future. Others, including many clergy, are well on their way into a ministry of church leadership when the call to be a pastoral psychotherapist comes to them. For them it is, in many ways, a comprehensive theological deconstruction and reconstruction.

The elements of my journey were varied. College had been a time to test courage and leadership, and these would soon be needed. A tragic accident to a member of my first parish left me standing helpless in a hospital, convinced that for all my education I was less than adequate as a pastor. And this subsequently caused me to enter into Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). With that my world began to change radically as many of my theological assumptions were challenged as were my study of human motivation: my own and others. I took as many units of CPE as I could and, concurrent with this period of intense reflection, I entered my own psychotherapy. I needed to thoroughly investigate the landscape of my psyche, to know my own story, and in so doing began to reaffirm my relationship to God as designated servant to others. In this way was my personal autonomy and authority strengthened but, always, the humble recognition that in all my work I was on an errand of grace.

III. Academic Excellence. The person who would seek to be the caretaker of souls, who would presume to meet pilgrims on their journeys or to engage persons in the midst of crises which threaten their souls, such a person must first be knowledgeable of the world we all live in. Preparation for the task of being a pastoral psychotherapist must include long and patient years of academic study in all the fields that are needed to interpret the human experience.

There is no brief curriculum for this and thus it is a laborious and expensive undertaking. The pastoral psychotherapist must be a student of many disciplines: history, anthropology, art, philosophy, theology, science, psychology, economics, language, and political institutions. A comprehensive liberal arts background, which is increasingly rare in the Western world, is ideal. And it will not be enough to simply become “acquainted” with these separate fields; they must be integrated in a commitment to academic excellence. For persons come to a pastoral psychotherapist from a horizon of differing backgrounds and personal experiences. And they will require understanding.

Following a liberal arts degree, the Western standard is to next require a graduate degree in theology. The very meaning of “pastoral” psychotherapist is imbedded in a sense of doing the work of the Divine One, an extension of the great creative force and the redemptive power that we call God. And this, of course, requires a deconstruction of the religious systems of childhood, a re-examination of most all basic assumptions, and the requisite that theological pronouncements must stand up to the scrutiny of science and must provide valuable commentary on the interpretation of history, art, and human cultures.

The formal academic preparation for some pastoral psychotherapists ends at this juncture. Following training and credentialing they continue their work from such establishments as churches, hospitals, clinics, agencies or schools. There is, however, an increasing expectation for the pastoral psychotherapist to add graduate studies in psychology or even post-graduate studies. This results from the expanding complexity of the psychological sciences, of neurology, and of understanding social systems. At this juncture the pastoral psychotherapist joins other psychotherapists in continuing education. Furthermore some churches in American require certification before one can be publicly identified as a pastoral psychotherapist, or most states require licensure before independent practice is permitted. These certifications and licensures have, as pre-requisites, graduate and post-graduate degrees.

My own academic preparation was along the lines described above. In college I majored in philosophy and literature with only minimal attention to psychology or religion. I prized the liberal arts experience and had rich experiences with athletics, music, drama and debate. I then attended theological school where I was challenged by the new science of critical analysis of the Bible, theological and political controversy, and, always, existential philosophy. These were quiet and intense years, concluding with my M. Div degree and my ordination as an Elder in The United Methodist Church.

My interest in academics continued and I matriculated as a doctoral student at Columbia University. I wanted to work toward my Ph.D. in philosophy while interfacing with some of the world’s leading theologians who were across the street at Union Theological Seminary. This work would prove tedious. I found myself engaged in the analysis of medieval scholars while my attention was going to the world around me: the civil rights movement in America which commanded my participation, and my growing impatience and confusion regarding the developments of the war in Viet Nam. I dropped out of studies to give leadership to my own parish which was undertaking a new building program and to be free for these social causes.

This led me to CPE and my own psychotherapy which I have discussed above. Academic studies in CPE, while not in a formal academy, were necessary in my preparation for certification as a CPE Supervisor and pastoral counselor. It was after another decade that I returned to post-graduate academic studies. In Columbus where I was working at a large mental health center as an administrator and CPE Supervisor, I was accepted for post-graduate work at The Ohio State University. I was, perhaps, still uncertain as to what I did not know that other psychotherapists and psychologists, with doctoral degrees, presumably knew. There followed five very intense and exhausting years. Whereas I did not learn much about psychotherapy, since there were few psychotherapists at the university, I filled in the “gaps” in areas of science which had been previously omitted: psycho-neurology, learning theory, psychometric testing, and the history of the psychological sciences. I received the Ph.D. degree with full academic eligibility so as to sit for my state licensure examination as a Psychologist.

IV. Training. Ask any “master psychotherapist” what is the sine qua non to become a master of psychotherapy and they will all respond the same: training by another master psychotherapist. This follows the model of all world apprenticeships. Psychotherapy cannot be learned in an academic setting alone nor can it be mastered from another supervisor whose only credentials are academic. Even licensure itself, in America, is academic-based and not competency-based.

Who is the “master psychotherapist” under whom an apprentice should labor? Certainly one whose academic background has been broad and varied, and not one who has had a single undergraduate focus in psychology and graduate studies in a narrow field. Certainly one who is known for his/her natural gifts as a psychotherapist, whose reputation as a caring, engaging, respectful, disciplined and experienced soul-worker has been established over the years. Certainly one who has undergone a personal psychotherapeutic investigation of his/her own life, who understands that the journey into the wilderness is a necessary pre-requisite for the work. A master is one who teaches, not to replicate himself/herself, but to elicit from the apprentice that which is unique and powerful and natural to the apprentice; and always with absolute integrity.

It is not easy to find masters of this caliber. There are only a few in any large community. I found my first one quite by chance, my first CPE Supervisor whose gifts were to engage other persons passionately and with the most discriminating perception. He taught me to listen with the ‘third ear”, to see the more hidden messages, and to respond, whenever possible, with the “golden thread” of interpretation to the client. The second taught me the patience that is required to analyze transferences and to always review myself for possible projections. The third taught me to always remain humbled in my respect for my client. And the fourth taught me that there are no techniques in psychotherapy, only the art of entering into the world of another person and doing so with integrity and conceptual competence. None of these masters sought to remake me in their own image. All recognized what natural gifts I brought to the process, how my knowledge of my own story and my own self could be utilized in working with others.

V. Community and Accountability. The work of the pastoral psychotherapist is lonely and sometimes very difficult. The work is always confidential and cannot be discussed casually with others such as family members. The work is stressful and not designed to bind up the wounds of the healer. The work is often misunderstood or unappreciated by the community at large or the religious community which wants to give answers and solutions rather than understanding.

This is a major problem. It can even be stated that the pastoral psychotherapist who works in isolation is destined to lose focus, to be less and less effective, and even to fail or bring harm to others. It is therefore necessary for the pastoral psychotherapist to have some kind of community composed of persons who understand the work, and a community which provides personal support in return for absolute accountability.

Such communities are rare. Professional groups are often so competitive that they divide rather than unite. Clergy themselves are well known for their mistrust of their own colleagues. The complex politics of professions breed mistrust. Seldom will any professional openly admit to peers his/her personal problems or failings, blindness or confusion, shortcomings or mistakes. Nor would he/she likely find support in a brave and creative initiative which ventured far from the norms.

I could not have continued in my personal and professional development without community and accountability. I secured this in three different communities, each of which required of me candor, courage, integrity and total accountability. I was fortunate to find this in my earliest CPE peer group, and in the confidence of my supervisor. As I progressed in my development I came to trust most of my colleagues in The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) whose own development was, in so many ways, similar to my own. This trust deepened over the years and I was happy to repay it by accepting responsibilities for national leadership in ACPE. I then discovered a similar setting of trust, for a shorter time, in the American Academy of Psychotherapists, a gathering of psychotherapists from all disciplines but who require personal psychotherapy and a record of personal and professional maturity for membership. More recently I have found my “home” in the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy which requires, for membership, participation in a “Chapter.” My Chapter composed of nine other CPE Supervisors, pastoral psychotherapists, and chaplains, meets monthly. We attend to the personal and professional status of each member, seeking always to challenge and require understanding, and responding always with support and appreciation.

I am pleased to offer these observations to the conference. I wish that I could have been with you. If so I would have asked for your thoughts on this matter, specifically to learn if your understanding of what might constitute the making of a pastoral psychotherapist might differ from my categories or if, as I submit, these are truly universal and cross-cultural categories.