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Morality in Therapy In the world of psychology, there are many perspectives on what will be therapeutically most effective. There have been several therapists who have created and improved upon the therapeutic techniques that help clients today, but sometime unconventional approaches bred new tactics in the fight against mental illness. During My Practicum I took the initiative to see how the unconventional measures up to the conventional. I started in a psychiatric center and then moved on to a Christian school. What I found would be considered astonishing and hope to incorporate my findings into practice. Throughout the mental institutions in the United States there are Bi-polar, schizophrenic, severely depressed and a slew of patience suffering from a variety of mental disorders. In many cases these disorders are a result of abusive lifestyles and dysfunctional families. Many of these cases could have been avoided and that prevention starts at a young age. The institutions that I choose are at opposite ends of the spectrum and most of the counseling came from very different perspectives. This paper will expose the effectiveness of morality as a counseling tool and highlight The Cognitive Behavioral theory as the vehicle by which morality training should be delivered.

My experience at Pilgrim Psychiatric Center was unique and I worked in different areas of the facility, which exposed me to many patients. I had many ideas of what to expect when I started my practicum, but many of my perceptions were wrong. I knew that a lot of what I heard from people would be wrong and took an attitude that would promote a sterile attitude toward the patients. Initially, many of the patience did not know what to expect from me and breaking the ice was my first mission. As I began to bond with the patients, they began to trust me and we became friendly. I had not had any problems with the patients and felt very comfortable around them. I worked at two vital areas of the Psychiatric Center and they are as follows

1. The rehabilitation Center

. The Buckman Building (Outpatient Treatment Center)

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Morality in Therapy

I choose these areas because those patients are either being discharged soon or are discharged.

The rehabilitation center was for those patients that were going to be discharged from the facility in the near future. These patients have proven that they have improved to the point where they are ready to reenter society. Patients are reacquainted with normal everyday functions such as cooking, cleaning, working, etc. These patients take hands on experience courses, which requires working with other patients and volunteers. Counselors oversee and teach the classes. By the end of the patient's term in rehab, they will be ready to reenter society with minimal surveillance.

After the patient is discharged from the facility he or she is placed in a program that is coordinated at the Buckman building. The patients live either at home or an outpatient care housing. The patient has to report to the psychiatric center daily for treatment and daily interaction. The patients participate in several activities at the Buckman building. These activities are geared toward the healthy improvement of self-esteem and logical perspective. These activities are also geared toward the development of concentration because patient's medication causes them to lack in these areas. The patients also receive therapy from their doctor and medication.

I found that there were patients suffering from a number of disorders and among them were Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Severely Depressed and several other diagnoses. Schizophrenia was the most prevalent. I had the opportunity to speak to many of the patients and found out some interesting things about there lifestyle. Some of the patients were brought up in a normal family and decent environment, but most of the patients I spoke to did not. Most of the patients had previous drug and alcohol addictions. As I walked into the building in the morning, patients would be in the courtyard smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. It was apparent that a lot of

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the patients had addictive behavior and I knew that there was a link between the two. I asked 5 patients the same three questions and all, of the patients answers were more or less the same. The three questions are as follows

1. What is your relationship with your family?

. Did you abuse drugs and/or alcohol?

. Do you feel like your illness is cured or getting better?

All of the patients that I spoke to had some form of a dysfunctional family and the morality training that they received was deficient. The five patients were all from different backgrounds and nationalities, but family was a big part of who they are today. They all loved the family members that they were well acquainted with, but there were several family breaks and abuses. For example, one patient said his family stayed together, but his parents were very liberal. He said that this lead him to having the ability to "go to places and do forbidden things". It is through his freedom that he was introduced to drugs and became addicted early in life. Three other patients I spoke too had abused drugs and/or alcohol in their lives as well. One patient did not have a drug and/or alcohol addiction, but did use the substances on occasion. Drugs and/or alcohol abuse is extraordinarily present in the lives of patients. Co-occurrence of substance abuse and mental disorders are prevalent. 5% of people diagnosed with an alcohol abuse problem experienced mental illness at on point in their lives. 5 % of the people diagnosed with a drug addiction experienced mental illness at some point in their lives (National Mental Health Association). It is evident that the two have a strong link and measures to avoid these challenges is a good method of prevention. The patients answered other questions that were related to the subject. The three questions I listed highlights their early influences. An interesting coincidence is the fact that when most of the patients are released from the program, they do their best to come back to the facility. Many patients have become addicted to the institutional lifestyle. Most

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of the patients I meet at the institution were friendly toward me and I believe that many of them can be cured.

Next I decided to do work at a local Christian school. I wanted to see how the church guides its students and if the school produced a higher-level student. I wanted to see if the student's morality training impacted the type of people they are and if any had experienced mental illness. The students receive training from certified teachers and one of the Deacons controls the operation. The school uses a pace system, which allows the students to do work at their own pace. Students do run into challenges and have to be counseled for their behavior. The school offers counseling, but not in the conventional sense. The church uses biblical principles to help the students cope with their challenges. I talked to the deacon about the techniques he uses to train troubled students. There were no particular theories that the deacon talked about that would be familiar to psychology, but he assured me that biblical principles were more efficacious than anything else. I talked to students and found that most of them had both parents in the home and were being held to a high standard of morality. The school takes students up to th grade. I was informed that the students in Heritage Christian School were more advanced in education than those receiving public school education. Through my practicum at the school, I found that the students were being trained with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Pilgrim Psychiatric center uses a variety of techniques to help rehabilitate its patients, but it basically employs the Cognitive Behavior Theory. Cognitive Behavior Theory insists that all people have the capacity for "straight" or "crooked" thinking. Many of the patients at Pilgrim Psychiatric have had overexposure to crooked thinking. The theory also states that human being have a tendency toward actualization and growth (Gerald 001). The psychiatric center attempts to equip its clients with the ability to change their crooked thought processes through habit-forming behavior. The theory suggests that people intergrades self-defeating behavior into their

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lives early on through autosuggestion and repetition. When this happens people tend to justify the behavior and develop the delusion that negative behavior is useful (Gerard 001). When a person believes enough crooked thinking, it can cause mental illness. In the year 000 The Ministry of Health launched a campaign to promote healthy living. The doctors involved in the campaign compiled a list of behaviors that will promote good mental health. The list is as follows

1. Practice a healthy lifestyle

. Be realistic

. Think positively

4. Make decisions wisely

5. Make friends

6. Listen to your feelings

7. Learn to handle criticism well

8. Learn to be yourself

. Learn to like yourself

10. Learn to say "No"

11. Plan your time well

1. Build a happy family

1. Share problems and seek professional help when needed

14. Practice good moral and religious values (Healthy campaign)

The list basically tells the reader to employ activity that will build positive behavior patterns and that is the technique employed by the staff of Pilgrim Psychiatric. Morality in Therapy 7

The patients that are institutionalized at pilgrim psychiatric center have had severe psychological damage when they reach pilgrim, but it is a good place to watch therapy at work. Most cases of mental illness are not as severe as those at pilgrim and as a therapist I would not be

dealing with those severe cases. I find it interesting that the institution employs tactics that would support the use of Cognitive Therapy. There are several theories about what will help cure mental illness, but it is the combination of logical cognition and action that makes Cognitive therapy the most efficacious. After speaking to some of the students at the Christian Academy and the deacon, I realized that those students have a distinct advantage over those in public school. Biblical Principles perpetuate the notion of self-responsibility and straight thinking. Notice at the bottom of the list presented earlier, high morality was one of the suggestions made by the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign doctors. It is well known that children who receive Christian education are more likely to graduate and then go on to college. According to the Calvin College institutional and enrollment research, Christian high schools have a 70.7% graduation rate while public school has 5.% graduation rate. All of the patients that I interviewed at pilgrim attended public schools. It is also a fact that devout religious people, and I stress devout, stay married. There is direct evidence that people with a higher standard of morality are more successful in life and that decreases the chances of mental illness.

During my Practicum at Pilgrim I was exposed to the most mentally challenged patients that exist. I was privileged to get some insight into the situations that brought those patients where they are today as well as gain a new understanding of who they are. I began to see that many of the patients had very twisted perspectives on reality and most of that perception was based bad experiences. Earlier I listed things one can do to avoid mental challenges and all of those behaviors were geared toward moral and ethical behavior. I am aware that there are people

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who are born with chemical imbalances, birth defects and other natural problems, but the bigger concern is those who do not have to find themselves at a mental institution.

Cognitive Behavioral therapy is the best approach to counseling the mental illness for any stage of mental illness. There are mentally ill patients that cannot do without chemotherapy, but

those patients, once on medication, have to eventually function in society. After that stage of medication, Cognitive Behavior Therapy is the most effective. It is apparent that there are patients who are beyond rehabilitation through counseling, but for those who are not, especially patients new to mental illness, Cognitive Behavior theory is the best choice. Our habits define who we are and the key to changing behavior is affecting habits. Cognitive Behavior therapy employs a verity of habit breaking techniques and replaces those habits with healthy activity. Cognitive activities are the first line of defense. These techniques are aimed at delineating and trying the patient's misconstrued beliefs. This approach exposes the patient to specific steps in preventing inappropriate thinking. The patient follows these steps examine his or her negative habitual thoughts; recognize how those thoughts affect behavior; analyze consequences for and against his dysfunctional thought; replace the dysfunctional though with healthy functional thought (Beck 17). This process should help the client develop a more positive and healthy thought process. For patients that are severely depressed or hospitalized, there should be scheduled activity for that patient to accompany those cognitive activities. Otherwise the four-step cognitive activities should develop into good behavior.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy is the vehicle by which morality training should be delivered. The client has to have criteria by which he or she determines what is right and what is wrong. There has to be a yardstick by which patients make and measure difficult decisions. This is why the client is trained to weigh the consequences. Consequences are the telling factor as to whether a thought, which leads to an act, is healthy or unhealthy. If the result of the thought is

Morality in Therapy

unhealthy the patient should avoid it. The patient should also strive to understand the reason for the results. If that can be achieved even a schizophrenic has a chance at a real cure. According to the American Psychiatric Association, it is "likely that schizophrenia is the final common pathway for a group of disorders with a variety of etiologies, courses, and outcomes" (American 17). In essence, that statement leads one to believe that schizophrenia stems from an accumulation of distorted schemas that eventually manifest itself through schizophrenia. It is at the earlier stages of the disease or any disease that a therapist trying to administer morality training can be most effective. Early detection of the symptoms of mental illness is the key to solving some of the problems of future mentally ill patients. At Heritage Christian Academy, the staff is preventing such challenges.

Implementation of morality training through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the unintended result of what the Heritage Christian Academy is doing. The way the students are taught along with the discipline of biblical principle, the students develop "straight" and logical thinking. In the public school system, morality training has been diminished because of the "separation of church and state". In turn, the moral values have to be taught at home and as we know they are not being taught in many families. In the future, it will be worse because kids today have less exposure to morality. When I was a kid there was still morality training going on in schools and that was just1 years ago. The kids at Heritage Christian Academy are getting training in spirituality, social interaction, logical thought, moral discernment and family. Students are trained to think and behave in the same as Christ. If one has any biblical study under his or her belt, they understand the perfection of his character. This is not to say that these kids are immune to trouble, it is simply saying that these kids are exposed to less filth and confusing jargon that is free to roam the public school. I will give an example and it may seem small, but in the big scheme of things it is quite significant. My daughter is 4 years old and she loves to play.

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During Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ. My daughter however understands that Santa Clause is a fictional character. She loves to watch those old "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" videos, but she knows the truth about Santa. Many parents allow their children to believe in Santa Clause and in turn it harms their ability to trust. Many children receive trauma when they

find out that Santa is a fictional character. My daughter will not have that problem and still gets to enjoy Santa with all the other kids, yet she to understand the truth. Who knows how a kid might take the news that there is no Santa Clause. When you find out the truth after many years of devotion to an untruth, it can be somewhat traumatic and/or cause confusion. I think this a good example of laying down the foundation of crooked thinking. With the accumulation of false beliefs, an individual's perception of reality is distorted and the individual may lose the ability to make sound judgments. The kids at the Heritage Christian Academy are being equipped better for the future fight against mental illness.

Pilgrim Psychiatric uses many techniques to get their patients well. The goal of therapy is to do whatever is necessary to cure the client, but Cognitive Therapy has the most to offer and is employed by the staff at Pilgrim. The therapy is not outwardly stated as Cognitive Behavioral, but there are several characteristics of it. The hospital employs a "Milieu Therapy" (Carson 000) atmosphere and that has similarities to Cognitive Behavioral Theory. Overall, it is the use of good judgment that will determine whether a patient will improve. One of the counselors told me that the patients behavior is many times based on the treatment they receive on a regular basis. I observed the counselors class and her approach to the students was very effective. She treated them as responsible adults and overall the class behaved well. The counselor used the system the hospital has in place and enforces self-responsibility.

Whether at a Christian school or a psychiatric hospital, therapy has to have an impact on the cognitive process of the patient. Morality plays a role in the process of healthy mentality

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because it is the measuring stick by which one weighs right and wrong. At Pilgrim, the counselors have the disadvantage of not being able to elaborate on biblical principles without violating the laws of political correctness. The institution does, however, give its clients non-biblical moral values and this helps the clients in their daily challenges. The school is not bound

by any codes restricting the perpetuation of religious philosophy. It appears that when individuals have access to an outlet that clearly defines morality principles the participants benefit more. Absolute answers can be vital in any therapeutic relationship. It is known that counselors need to be flexible with clients, so as not to discourage them, but many clients and students need hard answers. It is said to be unethical to incorporate ones religious beliefs into a counseling session, but how can a therapist express to his or her client reality if that therapist has been highly impacted through religion. In the book Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy the author (Gerard Corey) states, "If as counselors we hide behind the safety of our professional role, our clients will keep themselves hidden from us". He goes on to say "It is through our own genuiness and our aliveness that we can significantly touch our clients. If we make life-oriented choices, radiate a zest for life and are real in our relationships with our clients, we can inspire and teach them the best sense of the word". What Corey is saying is our clients have to have a real person in front of them. The clients want to trust us as much as we want them to trust us. My instructor for my Counseling Theory course once asked me if I would do anything, within reason, to prevent a client from committing suicide? I said that I would and if a counselor used his or her religion to impact a client without violation I would condone such behavior.

This paper speaks to the fact that counseling is about curing the sick. Unconventional techniques can be made conventional and in many cases should be considered. I am not saying that religion should be added to the programs at psychiatric hospitals, what I am saying is get

Morality in Therapy 1

the job done in the most effective way. There are a slew of statistics that corroborate the fact that people who hold a higher standard of morality live more enriched lives. Morality has to become a key factor in the study of psychology and treatment of the mentally ill. Morality addresses the truth of a situation and without understanding the reality of a situation one will find

confusion. It is through the recognition of the truth that one can get at the heart of who he or she is. The end goal of people is to become self-actualized. Whether the individual knows it or not, self-actualization is the most comfortable state of being and the achievement of it is a significant acquisition. The discovery of who we are, what sort of person we want to become, and why is the only way people become self-actualizing (Carson 000). Morality is a strong tool in acquiring the self-awareness needed to acquire logical thought process. Morality challenges us to monitor what is right and what is not through the evaluation of consequences. Only through the accumulation of highly moral experiences do individuals achieve this goal. It cannot be achieved through immoral acts. The reward of straight thinking cannot be realized in an environment that does not perpetuate truth, hence the saying "the truth will set you free". Once an individual learns to face the truth or learns to think "straight" he or she can apply that power to all situations. With an accumulation of honest transactions under ones belt; one gains a great sense of comfort and that comfort stems from not having anything to cover-up. When one functions in the realm of lies or "crooked" thinking he or she has to deal with the baggage of the false transaction, which they have created. The accumulation of these transactions pushes the individual into a cycle of misinformation and confusion. This is the building block for initiating mental illness. The accumulation of misinformation or distorted beliefs is known as schemas.

In conclusion, the field of psychology is constantly changing and as we uncover new truths; we make adjustments accordingly. As we harness our environment new realities are being discovered. One concept has held true and has given its practitioners the result of healthy living.

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Moral, according to the American Heritage dictionary, is defined as of or concerned with the discernment or instruction of what is good and evil. Evil is the key word in that sentence. In today's society, religion is "shrugged off" as a false and misleading perspective, but it is in religion that we find a strong guide to sanity. Evil is defined as something that causes misfortune, suffering, or difficulty. I have not heard any of my counseling books use this word to describe distorted thinking. The word brings to mind the horrible consequences that follow its acts. If patients thought of their distorted thoughts as evil there would be a much greater desire to do the opposite. Unfortunately, along with the dismissal of religion from society, other concepts are ousted with it. The separation of church and state should not mean the separation of state and what is effective. If morality can cure mental illness, moral code should be respected and used. In the future I think Christian morality will find its way into psychology and counseling textbooks. Cognitive Behavior Therapy uncovers the reality that morality is the guiding force to self-actualization.

Bibliography

Corey, G. (001). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. Australia Brooks/Cole.

Beck, A., Rush, J., Shaw, B., & Emery, G. (17). Cognitive Therapy of Depression. New York The Guilford Press.

Carson, R., Butcher, J., & Mineka, S. (000) Abnormal Psychology in Modern Life. Boston Allyn and Bacon.

Healthy Lifestyle Campaign 000. Section A Promotion of Mental Illness. http//prosakti.nstp.com.my/sectionA.html

Calvin College. Institutional and Enrollment Research. Retention and Graduation rates. http//www.calvin.edu/admin/enrollment/day10/table08.htm

Green Ph. D., J., High School Graduation Rates in the United States. The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. http//www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo.htm

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