Faith Integration in Therapy: A Guide for New Clinical Counselors

There comes a moment in almost every new counselor’s journey when theory fades and reality settles in. You’re no longer just a student practicing reflections in a role-play. You’re sitting across from real pain, real trauma, real questions. The kind that don’t fit neatly into textbooks or treatment plans.

And somewhere between your third intake and your hundredth a question starts to rise in you.

Where does my faith belong in all of this?

Not in a vague, distant way. Not as something you “turn off” during session hours and “turn back on” during Sunday services. But here. In this room. With this client. Inside this work.

And if you’ve felt that tension, you’re not failing. You’re actually standing at the door of integration.