A Christian Model for Understanding and Working with the Heart
Presented by Dr. Eric Johnson, 2021 AACC Waymaker World Conference
Christianity is a religion of the heart. In this workshop, we will consider how the heart can be understood as a psychological construct similar to, but different from, the mind and the focus of activity in psychotherapy and counseling when working with emotions, relationships, and the unconscious. Part of our time together will be spent practicing techniques that take people into their hearts.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Articulate a Christian framework for licensed mental health professionals and psychologists working with the emotions, desires, thoughts, behaviors, and interpersonal experiences of Christian clients, rooted in their identities as adopted children of God
- Utilize distinctly Christian techniques for modifying the emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and relational patterns of Christian clients, including empathic attunement, self-differentiation, distress tolerance, and emotion detachment
- Distinguish features of therapy that work with the mind and the heart, according to recent research on both psychological constructs
- Analyze the stories of Christians in light of the narrative structure of Christianity to promote emotional and relational change