Theology by the Slice: The Benefits and Challenges of Being a Psychologist and a Person of Faith

Last Wednesday we heard a talk by Prof. Rochelle Fritz of the Psychology Department. Prof. Fritz earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Mimi University (which, as we learned is in Ohio) and is the wife of Prof. Peter Fritz, one of our past speakers. Prof. Fritz spoke to us on the relevant topic of being a religious person in a profession where faith is frequently looked down upon.

Both in her experience in graduate school and beyond, Prof. Fritz was somewhat surprised to find that many of her colleagues viewed religion as a bad thing. They tended to view religion as a weakness or a crutch that people leaned on, rather as a good thing and a means of coping. They don't often ask about religion in their work and usually don't consider it as an important part of the culture.

By contrast, Prof. Fritz often found it difficult to work with patients who didn't have any faith (most of her work is with families and children). On the other hand, she found that faith often greatly aided a patient with whatever problem they were dealing with. Religious children who were dealing with some difficult issue in their personal lives often had a source of hope and consolation that other patients lacked. Someone she knew who was terrified of leaving her house could work up the courage to go to a church several times a week. This person's faith also helped Prof. Fritz relate to and connect with her patient, and fostered a sense of hope for recovery.

There are some other challenging aspects Prof. Fritz finds in her profession. For example, if a client wants to pray during a session, the psychologist cannot necessarily oblige him, depending on the rules of the particular institution.  Likewise, there are some ethical issues that religious psychologist face. for example, if a client intended to obtain an abortion and wanted to discuss the issue with her, Prof. Fritz feels compelled to be open about her pro-life beliefs before the discussion.

Prof. Fritz concluded her talk with a discussion with all us about what the place of faith might be in our future professions.  Among other things, we discussed how, although religious people are often accused of imposing their beliefs on others, irreligious people can be equally guilty of the same thing, and about the need for finding comon ground with the people we work with.

We sincerely thank Prof. Fritz for preparing and giving her engaging presentation, and for kindly enduring the lack of "slices" to accompany her theology on Ash Wednesday.