Over the years my philosophy about healthcare has evolved tremendously.  When I started out, the allopathic model made sense.  You would visit with a doctor that would evaluate your symptoms and treat you accordingly.  However, after two years of being trained in the allopathic model it made less sense to me and lost it’s appeal.  I made a choice to seek a health system that was structured a little differently.

I was exposed to the integrative model seemingly by accident and the more I read the more the integrative model appealed to my sense of logic.  The focus of the integrative model was very person centered.  This focus allowed me to gain an understanding that people contained within them the ability to heal themselves and restore balance to their body.  Now, let me be clear, I understand that integrative medicine was not going to treat a large gaping wound that is bleeding profusely or a compound fracture of the bone that tore through the skin, but it would help ease the pain, calm the individual’s emotional response and facilitate healing.

I decided to pursue the study of herbalism.  I believed that herbalism would allow me to address a number of everyday health concerns.   At the same time I would be afforded the privilege of getting to know my clients and make life style suggestions that would contribute to their overall sense of well-being.

As time went by I added to my repertoire by studying nutrition, aromatherapy, Feng Shui, and energy work just to name a few.  But as I sat with my clients and listened to their story I started to realize that I still did not have all the tools I needed to be an effective practitioner. Sure, I felt competent to help clients manage their health concerns like diabetes, hypertension, and AIDS but there was something missing. Sometimes my clients improved with great success, other times there would only be slight improvements and still other times there would be no improvement at all.  I started to notice that a great deal of their progress had to do with their state of mind.

Despite my knowledge and experience I could not ignore the increasingly nagging feeling deep inside that something was amiss.  While often times I was able to successfully help my clients manage their illnesses I was unable to help them manage their mental health, which I found to be equally, if not more, relevant in their journey toward wellness. Day by day and client by client my realization started to take root and I understood that health had just as much to do with the spiritual and emotional being as it did with the physical being.

I enrolled in the Pastoral Counseling Program at Loyola University, Maryland to study in a program that shared my philosophy of integration.  I believe it is important to recognize that a client is more than just a mental health issue, a client is a whole person, body, mind and spirit.  This person visits with a counselor to address their mental health concerns.  A pastoral counselor will never force issues of spirituality on their client however they are trained to address issues of spirituality, when pursued by the client, in a counseling session.

Today, some 15 years after I started out on this journey I understand that everything is about integration.  You cannot address physical issues without addressing spiritual and emotional issues, nor can you address emotional issues without addressing physical and spiritual issues.  We are creatures made up of mind, body and soul.  Without acknowledging and addressing the whole person we will undoubtedly fall short. 

To sit with a child that struggles to gain a sense of belonging in his/her family is less likely to be as effective as sitting with a family that comes together to address the issues of a family system that contributes to a child’s sense of feeling alone.  

To address a client’s blood pressure issues by simply recommending a tonic may not be as effective as addressing in conjunction the effects of a marriage that may be strained, a job that may be overwhelming or a feeling of being over-extended thereby effecting blood pressure.

Ultimately, I consider there may not be just one answer.  The answer may be wrapped in layers and understanding those layers allows one to understand one’s self. 

I acknowledge and appreciate the value of the mind, body and spirit connection.  I also understand that to be the most effective practitioner, I am limited to just one professional role with each client. I need to rely on a team of other trained professionals to effectively accompany our client on their journey to self-discovery.