Better than Therapy, by Rubel Shelly


There are times, places, and circumstances that call for professional
help. By the term "professional," I mean people who have specialized
skills in helping others figure out complex issues and relationships.
Some of these helpful souls may prescribe medications, and others may
coax out issues of pain and confusion in a safe environment in order to
teach a person, married couple, or anxious parents how to cope with
challenges.

Because I believe there is a real need for these specialists, nothing I
am about to say should be heard as negative to their work. I respect
them. I sometimes refer people to them. And I have partnered with
therapists in my role as a Christian minister to offer help to persons
in pain.

But, I have a theory to run by you. Perhaps it is too simplistic. You
will have to be the judge for yourself and for your life situation. In
its most direct and candid form, it is that a few people who really
care about one another would put most therapists out of work.

A single-frame cartoon sticks in my mind. A lady on her psychiatrist's
couch was talking to her therapist. "If only my husband would pay
attention to me like you do!" was her lament. Think there's anything to
that?

Think there's anything to that?

Last week, I saw a newscast that included a report about a 13-year-old
boy who had vandalized several buildings and had a history of
assaulting his classmates. A child psychologist theorized that "years
of professional therapy" could bring him around. His father is nowhere
in his life, and his mother says people are making too much of what he
has done. Might real parenting have forestalled the need for
professionals?

Here is what my friend Paul says: "I have come to believe that what
often does more good than a dozen visits to the therapist are some
close and loving friends. Friends have a much larger experience profile
to draw from than a therapist. They are around when the therapist
isn't. They won't waffle out if I can't pay the bill or don't get
better. And should I come back battered and bruised -- and I will come
back to my friends -- they don't fuss or scold. They just ask a few
loving questions that help me make better decisions next time."

The reason I take Paul's comments so seriously and wanted to share them
with you is that he is a therapist. He is highly respected in his
field. He is an author who trains others for therapeutic roles. Some
people only play at friendship, but a true friend sticks closer than
one's own family (Proverbs 18:24).

Ain't it the truth!

How interesting........thanks Richard ;)