Navigating Post-Election Tensions as a Christian Therapist and Practice Owner
My eyes were open this week talking to another practice owner. During our consultation call, he explains that he has seen the whole gamut of political views with his clients. He heard the fears of those on the far right, those on the left, and those in the middle. Yet, I had assumed only those who lost the election were feeling unheard and afraid, yet through an open conversation, I heard the opposite to be true.
Embracing Discomfort
People throughout our country are struggling with the election results, even those who voted for the elected party. Though there are those with more extreme views, for most voters, there is confusion and difficulty putting their thoughts and emotions into something one can understand, regardless of their stance. Both sides don’t know how to verbalize themselves or where their safe places are. People feel they have to test others and are uncertain where they can be themselves.
This is a difficult season for many. On multiple occasions, I have cried, yelled, and had intense workouts due to my frustration over the division among Christians that is happening now and has been for years. We are acting in a way that I consider to be the opposite of Christian. In addition, as a business owner and therapist, this season is heavy with grief and confusion.
Yet, I believe God is calling us to a paradigm shift. He is leading us to make loving others our aim. And steering us away from our own interests. He is calling Christians towards compassion and acceptance. If we want to see change, we must be the change in the world.
Recently God reminded me of Jeremiah 20:9 where Jeremiah describes the word as a “fire in my bones.” This phrase continues to resonate with me as I feel a deep fire burning within. I do not know what to do with it. Yet, I do know what to do. God is calling us to speak up and share His Word with our communities.
I join others in being scared to say anything. I am not sure where the safe spaces are around me. I feel like my voice has been quieted. I question how to verbalize what I believe God is doing in me and in the world, even though that is what I believe He is asking of us. Yet, I still press on as a Christian, a group practice owner, and a therapist.
Being a Therapist During Political Division
When I woke up the morning after the election, to be honest, I did not want to go to work. I could not bear the idea of processing the emotions of my clients while dealing with my own experience. How was I to listen to another’s pain or another’s joy, when I was in my own state of processing this experience?
We know as clinicians one of the most important parts of our work is providing a safe space for our clients, that is nonjudgemental. We do not speak our own opinions or put our political agendas on our clients. Yet, this is easier said than done. It can be hard to not show our emotions when they run deep. But, our love for others runs deeper.
In our work with clients, it is vital that we make the person more important than ourselves. It is not a time to talk about ourselves and our desires. We must remember this and evaluate our statements before they are shared. As Christian clinicians, we need to pray for our clients. We must listen and give love and safety, even when we disagree with them. It is love that binds us together, and not our personal opinion.
“Christianity is not so much about changing others but about changing ourselves. We must cling to good and always make love our aim.”
Being a Practice Owner Post Election
Not only was it hard to return to work due to my work with clients, but also in leading a team with an array of political views. I wasn’t sure what the mood would be in the office or how I would respond to the team if anything was said about the election.
Though I don’t always get it right, I was grateful for a decision I made weeks prior to the election. Sadly, we had a few incidents where team members shared their opinions assuming that we all thought the same. This happened through sharing sermons with a political bent, memes to others, and verbalizing how one political viewpoint was best in regards to clinical work and financial standpoint.
Due to this increased divisive conversation, I sent an email to the team about the importance of respecting others. Furthermore, I reminded them that the office is not a place to share your personal views. I encouraged everyone to not discuss politics in the office. I am proud that the team listened and upheld this request. In turn, Water’s Edge Counseling is a safe place for clients as well as co-workers.
Being a Christian Leader
Being a Christian leader means seeing your team members. And though I asked team members to refrain from speaking about politics, there was one therapist in which I could see her suffering and could not stay silent. It broke my heart to see her tears. There are times we must consider breaking our own rules and this was one of them. I let her know that I was a safe person to discuss her pain and struggle to sit with clients in the midst of it. She was grateful for someone who saw her and gave her a voice.
Owning a practice is one of the hardest things I have ever done. We hold space for our team. We hear their requests and empower them to speak, but we also quiet the controversy. It is a challenge to know the right moment to do this. I lean into Christ as I love each one of my employees and do the best I can to lead with integrity and kindness.
Being a Christian and a Paradigm Shift
While evaluating and reworking our mission statement at the practice, one of the therapists leans over to me and says, “Are you not going to write Christian in the mission statement?” With sadness, I said “no.”
When I started Waters Edge Counseling 10 years ago, being a Christian practice was important to me. I marketed more openly about my faith. Notably, we are not only a Christian practice; however, it was a cornerstone of the values. My faith is more important to me now than it was back then. In fact, it is what drives me and sustains the work I do. But, I do not verbalize it the same way I used to.
A few weeks ago our practice hosted a table at a local festival. We had multiple people approach us and share stories about their pain experienced in the church. This saddened me. This is too often what people experience. In recent years I have contemplated what it means to be a Christian. I have experienced a church split being Methodist and loss of my own community of faith. I have seen much hate and division from the very people who say they do this out of love. I know I am not alone in this experience.
What I do know is being a Christian means following the life of Christ in what I believe and do. Christ was the expression of unconditional love and sacrifice on earth. Being a Christian means I lay down my life for others. I let go of judgment knowing that God is the one in charge, not me. I become nothing so that He can become everything. Regardless of where you land on politics or how you interpret the Scriptures, my prayer is we can come together, let go of division, and choose the way of love. As therapists and practice owners, it is more important than ever that we love the marginalized, that we give voice to the voiceless, and that we let love lead us in all we do. This is what it means to be a Christian.
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