I am frequently asked, especially by others in my field about my therapeutic approach. I often respond simply by saying that I am eclectic, utilizing various approaches at various times, but my husband says it so much better.
So I welcome to my blog today, Rev. Jonathan Whitford…
A guest post by Jonathan Whitford
Being married to a therapist and having several counseling classes myself while in divinity school, there are times where Chandler and I talk about how each of us interacts with people and how we help others. For me to hear the stories Chandler has told me on occasion and how she approaches people and ministry, I cannot help but think of Paul, and when he was starting the Church in Philipi.
I say this because Chandler has shared with me the different ways to interact therapeutically. From Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Psychodynamic, Play Therapy, Mindfulness, etc.
The idea is that when a therapist works with his or her clients, each client may need a different therapeutic process. An approach that works for one adult may or may not work the same for the next, and even more especially for children who do well with Play Therapy. While I don’t know the ins and outs of any of her cases I hear much about the therapeutic process and approaches she uses.
I cannot help but listen in amazement for how much she can do what Paul does in Acts 16 as she interacts with her clients.
In Acts, Paul is presented with three individuals with who he gets to share the good news of Jesus – Lydia, a demon-possessed slave girl, and a jailer who mistreated Paul and Silas in prison. Paul distinctly shares Jesus with them in three completely different ways.
For Lydia, she was a transplant who was doing very well for herself and gathered with other women who worshiped God (God-fearers). Paul met with them and appealed to her intellect in sharing Jesus.
The demon-possessed slave girl, Paul demonstrated the power of the Holy Spirit commanded the demon to come out of her and it instantly left her.
Then the Roman jailer, he experienced Christ when even Paul and Silas had the chance to escape, all of the prisoners stayed singing and praising God. And just as the jailer thought he had lost all of his prisoners and was about to commit suicide, Paul stopped him and told him they were all there. The Jailer then believed and his entire household.
Each of these individuals were introduced to Jesus in different manners but still had begun their life with the same amazing savior we follow today.
It is in the work of counseling and therapy, that the goal is to journey to a place of wholeness, each one’s journey will look different than that of someone else. Though on different journeys each person strives to get to a place of being made whole.
That is what I see that is so special in the ministry that Chandler provides. She does not make everyone fit a single “cookie-cutter shaped” process of counseling, rather she truly and passionately cares about each client and tailors her work to what he or she needs.
Chandler is ready to talk through the tough and hard stuff, while talking or playing with play dough, through meditation or coloring. She knows how to sit with each client, and be like Paul, walk beside them, and helping them get to a place of wholeness in a way that is specifically designed for them.
She never applies a one size fits all approach to therapy, she finds which approach will work best for each client and will research and seek out whatever it is that a client needs. Chandler is committed to being there for however long the process takes. From three months to three years. She is willing to be there for you and the journey ahead.
Counseling can sometimes hold a stigma of being a place where “they try to fix you.” But that is the furthest thing from her approach and how Chandler works with her clients. The work that happens is a sacred place of journeying from a place of hurt, grief, sadness, bitterness, trauma, or any other situation – into a place of wholeness and healing.
Very well said