"I believe I will wake up every morning looking forward to my job." That's why Lisa Liu, this month's God's Girl, is studying to be a therapist.
Lisa is nineteen years old, and in her second year of studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. She became a Christian in her sophomore year of high school when her friend brought her to a girls' Bible study group. "I really enjoyed going to the studies," she says, "so when my friend asked me to go to church with her, I was more than curious to see what it was all about." Through church, the Bible studies, and retreats, she came to accept Christ into her life.
She enjoys listening to her friends and thought she might have a gift for advice. She decided to major in psychology because it seemed a fun, interesting field to study. She also wants to talk to people and help them out as a profession.
She has decided against going into Christian counseling because she doesn't want to limit who she helps, whether Christians or non-Christians. "I'm praying that through my job, i will be able to bring more people to Christ," she says.
One of the downfalls about studying Psychology as a secular therapist is that she has teachers who are not Christians, and who speak--and teach--against the Bible. "Often times the theories are against Christian beliefs. It is essential to be able to learn all the theories, but also to remember the Truth."
She knows that keeping God in her daily life is important--doing her quiet times and setting aside part of her day to spend with God keeps her grounded in the Truth. "If something you learn in class is troubling you or going against our beliefs, go home and pray about it," she advises. "It's very possible to keep your faith and what you learn at school separate."
Lisa finds that the most important talent or skill a therapist needs is to listen. "I know it sounds simple," she says, "but many people don't know how to listen. They don't really hear what the other person is saying because they are simply waiting for their turn to speak."
She has found that developing good listening skills takes practice. Some pointers she gives includes:
• Give your undivided attention. She explains, "It may not seem important to you, but it's obviously important enough to the other person for them to talk about it." Try not to let your mind wander. Try to really care about what they're saying.
• Make sure you give feedback. Repeat back to the person what they've told you, so that the person knows you are listening, and also to clarify with them so that you understand what they're saying.
She has also learned that it is crucial for a therapist to be able to empathize with her patients--to see their view of the world, putting yourself in their shoes. Empathy does NOT mean you agree with what the other person is saying or thinking. It simply means you comprehend where they're coming from. "We all have our reasons, and you just have to try to understand the other person's reasoning," she explains. If she can't be aware of their side, she won't be able to diagnose them correctly.
Lisa also warns that Psychology is not the "easy" major many people think it is. As psychology becomes more and more of a concrete science, it's become an extremely difficult field of study. "The most challenging aspect for me would be memorizing all the illnessess, symptoms, and treatments for the mentally unstable...It's unbelievably gratifying to learn about how the human works, but it is also a great amount of work." Apparently for Psychology, you have to be in it for the long haul--graduate school is a must and research work is a requirement.
But her classes reward her even now, as she takes home what she learns and applies them to her life. "For example," she explains, "I'm taking a marriage and family theory class right now, and already I've been able to apply better communication skills to my relationships with friends and family."
Although she's not a therapist yet, she still tries to reach out to people by making herself available to hear other people's problems. "People bond during hardships and if you can see things from their perspective, then it's much easier to befriend them...I've also learned that so many people are going through spiritual warfare and that they're so lost without God in their lives."
She has also learned a lot about herself. "The thing about psychology is that you start diagnosing yourself and realizing how flawed we all are. It has also strengthened my spiritual life because can clearly see how much we all need God in our lives. Life is so hard and there are so many tribulations we have to go through. I just can't imagine not having God by my side."
Does Psychology interest you? Want to know more? E-mail us at RubyZine and we can start you on the path to investigate Christian counseling or therapy as a means to serve God!
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