tion is “principles.” Principles are guides
for behavior and evaluation. They are the
basis for determining what is right or wrong.
I integrate Christianity into therapy by
helping clients consider the principles that
should underlie their decisions and actions.
I have clients who do not profess Christi-
anity or are not active in a community of
faith. Nevertheless, some of them appreciate
the biblical perspective applied to their
therapy.
Question: Could you give us an example
of what a Christian mental health profes-
sional might say to someone who is strug-
gling “when life hurts so much that nothing
seems to ease the pain?
How can the Christian use his/her
spiritual maturity to support and encourage
another individual struggling with “life
happens”? Are there things we should
look for or notice in our interactions with
another?
Dr. Ridley: The last thing a therapist
should do is to trivialize the clients’ pain.
The Bible has much to say about human
pain and suffering. James 1: 2-4 is a good
example. These verses lead us to consider
the benefits of our troubles. In therapy, I
try to help clients consider how that the
circumstances in which they find them-
selves provides a new opportunity to
become better persons and Christians and
change their lives. Then of changing, not in
absence of the pain but despite the pain.
Question: You have a book entitled,
Unintentional Racism in Counseling
Therapy. Can you tell a little about the
28 HimPower July 2018
major premises of the book and implications
for both practitioners and clients/patients?
Dr. Ridley: Some minority consumers
of mental health services have negative
experiences as compared to many white
consumers. They are more dissatisfied with
the treatment, drop out earlier, get misdi-
agnoses more often, and therefore get the
wrong treatment. A major premise of the
book is that well-meaning professions never-
theless provide flawed treatment to minority
clients. I contend they do not understand
the consequences of their behavior. For
instance, therapists label African-American
males as paranoid schizophrenics more
often than any other group in this country.
Professionals misinterpret their anger and
justifiable reactions to social conditions as
mental illness. Jonathan Metzl, who wrote a
book on this topic, gives this misdiagnoses
a name of protest psychosis. Competent,
unbiased clinicians should always assess
behaviors of African-American clients’
within the larger societal context. The
purpose of my book is to help mental health
professionals overcome many of the unin-
tentional of pitfalls and practices in their
work with minority clients. Ultimately, I was
looking for a way to challenge therapists’
interactions with clients they perceived to be
different from themselves.
Question: If you were to design a
mental health communication campaign to
encourage others to seek help and support
for individual and/or family needs, what
would the essential mental health messages
include?