|
PHILOSOPHY
Mission and Values
Pine Rest is called to express the healing ministry of Jesus Christ by providing behavioral health services with professional excellence, Christian integrity, and compassion.
As the Pine Rest community, the foundation of all we do is to express Christ’s love and compassion to those with whom we work and serve. Therefore, we value:
- Integrity, clearly demonstrating moral and ethical principles in all that we do
- Excellence, committing ourselves to offer distinctive, quality services and to continually look for ways to improve
- Stewardship, dedicating ourselves to the careful use of all resources–ours and those of whom we serve
- Diversity, respecting the distinctive qualities of each individual and encouraging each person’s unique contribution
- Empowerment, encouraging and entrusting staff and those we serve to participate in decision-making
Being a Christian organization
Pine Rest identifies itself explicitly as a "Christian organization." But what does this mean? Organizations aren’t baptized, have conversion experiences, or go to church – all indications that individuals may point to as signs of their Christianity.
Instead for Pine Rest, it means that we are called as an organization to "express the healing power of Jesus." And what does this mean? Dr. Mark Eastburg during the Service of Blessing when appointed CEO for PRCMHS expressed it this way:
In some mysterious way Pine Rest becomes God’s hands and feet on earth…. People are praying to God to remove their afflictions; we become a part of how these prayers are answered…We should strive to see Christ in everyone who comes in the door, just as we strive to represent Christ to these same people.
Our Christian orientation is therefore reflected in our attitudes and actions to those we are called to serve. Serving with excellence, integrity, and compassion is being a Christian organization.
We believe that life and health come from, through, and for Jesus Christ. We also believe that Jesus is willing to work anonymously. We do not require our patients, clients or consumers to name Jesus as the source of health and goodness nor do we demand this from our employees. It is our primary goal to be instruments of Christ’s healing, rather than proclaimers of his name. There are situations where it is appropriate to speak about Jesus and situations where it is best to keep silent. We do not hide the name of Jesus. We let it be known through literature and décor that Pine Rest does its work in the name of Christ. We also make it very clear that people are free to name their Higher Power as they see fit. We support any expression of faith, as long as it does not harm others in the community.
In our tradition, being a Christian organization does not empower us to dictate specific behaviors or set standards for Christian actions. Giving advice as to what someone should do as a Christian is not our role.
Inherent in this orientation is the belief that we help people see that they are given one of God’s greatest gifts: the ability to make choices. God in his divine scheme and wisdom expects people to freely act on this gift. It is neither professional nor practical for us to try to limit this choice-making ability. Instead, we should enhance it.
We strive to see people’s spirituality as part of what they bring to the behavioral health counseling experience. A holistic perspective must include an acute awareness of the whole person – mind, body, and spirit. Our offices must be safe havens for expressing and exploring spirituality. Depression, anxiety, behavioral challenges, and fractured relationships all dramatically raise the issue of spirituality – our relationships with God, others, and self. To struggle with who we are in relationship to others is to struggle with spirituality.
Christian Counseling
"I want to see a Christian counselor" or "Do you offer Christian counseling" may be things that callers bring up in their initial call to the clinic knowing that Pine Rest is a Christian organization.
How do we respond? For support staff members – who are often the first to hear this question – a possible script to use that reflects our organizational values is as follows:
Pine Rest is a Christian organization and our professional clinicians respect all spiritual and religious beliefs. Your spiritual concerns are extremely important to us and your therapist will discuss your concerns in detail with you. Our Professional Practice Group clinicians are not clergy. They are professionally licensed counselors, nurse practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers with a mission to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Our professional staff does not make assumptions about your faith concerns. I hope that clarifies this for you and your clinician will be happy to discuss this further with you.
The clinician should be advised that this particular person was asking about Christian counseling. This alerts the clinician that this area should be explored. People mean many different things by "Christian counseling." Are they looking for specific Biblical answers for their life dilemmas? Are they expecting that someone will pray with them? Are they assuming that the clinician’s personal values will be identical to theirs? It is important to clarify what the assumptions and expectations are in relationship to the request for Christian counseling.
There is a counseling specialty called Christian Counseling. While it can be defined in a number of ways, being a Christian and being a counselor do not mean you are providing "Christian Counseling." Similarly being employed by a Christian organization doesn’t automatically mean you are providing Christian Counseling. What qualifies someone to provide Christian Counseling is specialized training in addressing the specific interface of spiritual and psychological issues through a Christian value-based process. This process often does involve Biblical references and prayer with the clients. Consistent with our mission statement, Christian counseling is offered by a number of professionals in the Pine Rest network. Those who have not had specialized training do not portray themselves as providing Christian Counseling as a specialty, although they will often portray themselves as Christians providing professional counseling services.
It is the clinician’s responsibility to create an environment where spiritual questions and concerns can be explored as a part of a holistic healing process. We do not expect clinicians to answer their own spiritual questions, offer their own beliefs as the path to follow, or instruct others as to how to act as a Christian. Referrals to community clergy are often an important part of the approach if the person is seeking direct answers for religious or spiritual issues.
Ethics
People struggling with emotional concerns often are considering, or have taken, actions that they and others would deem to be opposed to their values. They may feel ambivalence about a decision they need to make, and in such a context turn to the clinician for answers. Examples of such dilemmas include divorce, unwanted pregnancy, pre-marital sex, marital unfaithfulness, pornography, sexual deviance, and criminal actions.
In such a context we must remember that our job is not to dictate choice but to help the individual explore the impact of their choices on their life. Therefore, Pine Rest does not have policies that determine what people should believe in any of these or any other areas. However, it is a helpful therapeutic tool to assist the individual in examining the potential impact of their choices. It is also helpful to explore with the person actions that may be inconsistent with their own internal value system.
The guiding advice for the counselor is: be the hands and feet of Jesus to promote healing but not to judge behavior.
At times the clinician will find that what the patient chooses to do is contrary to the clinician’s own values. Professional conduct dictates that the clinician should not impose their values on the client. The clinical service is being provided for the consumer’s benefit, not the clinician’s. If the value conflict is so great as to render the clinician ineffective, the clinician should seek the guidance of his/her supervisor. A transfer to another professional may be in the best interests of the person.
|
