Remove natural obstacles to your spiritual life!
Many devout Catholics already see a priest for spiritual direction and they make regular Confessions. Why get professional counseling?
Even popes and saints seek counseling. St. Gregory the Great, in the late 6th century, mentioned the need for seeking the counsel of his bishops in one of his letters (Registrum Epistolarum, Book I, Letter 34: to Venantius, Ex-Monk, Patrician of Syracuse).
Catholic psychotherapy works with your spiritual director but does not replace spiritual direction from a priest, at least not long-term.
St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century wrote an entire section of his Summa Theologicae on “counsel” as it was a common and accepted practice to seek the counsel of others. He wrote about counseling as an analytical process to aid the person when they are confronted with life choices:
"Hence the inquiry of counsel must needs be one of analysis, beginning that is to say, from that which is intended in the future, and continuing until it arrives at that which is to be done at once" (ST I-II Q14, A5)
The sacrament of Penance (going to confession) is focused upon sins and their forgiveness. The work of Christ from the Cross removes sin and makes the person whole and clean again (cf. Catechism of the Council of Trent, Art. 10; also “The Sacrament of Penance”). This is a spiritual and moral reality.
However, God does not “brainwash” anyone after confession. He respects our humanity and thus we retain our memory, our intellect, our reason, understanding, imagination, and free will. We also retain synapses, neurotransmitters, and other parts of our brain matter. Thus, whatever grave habits you have built over the space of months or years are still remembered in your mind, triggered by your automatic brain processes, which then activate an emotional response. Aquinas referred to this in the Summa, in his section on concupiscible and irascible passions.
You may freely choose to repent and then to receive cleansing and healing sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist, but soon enough, you encounter random automatic thoughts of your past sins. Is this the devil at work, tempting you? Perhaps. How does he tempt you? As a pure spirit without a body, he can “read” your own bodily movements, including your brain matter and your emotions, especially as they are manifest in the body (trembling, elevated heart rate, clenched fists, and so on). We truly have three sources of temptation: the world, the flesh, and the devil!
Catholic counseling differentiates between the natural and supernatural. We encourage penitents to continue their habits of regular confession. Catholic psychotherapy looks at the compelling natural reasons behind one’s habitual sins.
Devout Catholics leading a sacramental life may ask themselves: What compels you? What keeps driving you to sin? What are the patterns in your life which link your thoughts, feelings, and behavior? Psychotherapy sessions take the time to look into your own unhealthy patterns. Then the real you may emerge, and you may draw much closer to God without the obstacles of frequent sins getting in the way of your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Clients have the option, if they wish, of utilizing collaborative practices between their priest-director and their professional counselor in our Catholic psychotherapy program. This may include periodic email summaries of progress, telephone conferences, or an in-person meeting between priest, client and counselor.
Click here for more details on our Catholic psychotherapy program.