Episode Details

Can Christians go to therapyor does seeking professional counseling mean you dont have enough faith?

For generations, many Christiansparticularly in Black communitieshave been told to just pray about it. Prayer is powerful, but does trusting God mean we should never seek help from a therapist? Can faith, prayer, Scripture, and professional mental health care work together?

In this episode of Emunah, host Dr. Tamara Henry sits down with therapist and ordained minister Rev. Dr. Marva Jones for an honest conversation about Christianity, therapy, mental health, and the stigma surrounding counseling in many Black communities.

Together, they explore what therapy really is, why seeking counseling is not necessarily a sign of weak faith, how Christians can find appropriate mental health support, and the important role the church can play in encouraging emotional and spiritual well-being.

Why Is Therapy Still Stigmatized?

For many people, admitting I need help isnt easy.

Within some Black families and faith communities, generations have been taught to be strong, keep family problems private, endure hardship, and take their struggles to God in prayer.

But what happens when just pray about it isnt the whole answer?

Dr. Henry and Dr. Jones discuss how cultural expectations, historical mistrust, misconceptions about mental health, and some church traditions have contributed to the stigma surrounding therapy.

They also consider an important question:

Can seeking professional help actually be an act of faith and wisdom rather than evidence of spiritual weakness?

Meet Rev. Dr. Marva Jones

Rev. Dr. Marva Jones is founder and president of The Tree of Life Counseling and Training Center, Inc., with offices in Westlake and Avon Lake, Ohio.

She is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervision Designation and a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor.

Dr. Jones and her staff provide individual therapy addressing a variety of mental health and substance-use disorders, as well as family therapy. Their work includes co-parenting issues involving divorced and separated parents, blended families, marriage counseling, sports-performance concerns, and helping athletes navigate life transitions.

Dr. Jones is also the author of The Dance (The Power of the Father), which addresses co-parenting through divorce and separation.

Her experience as both a mental health professional and ordained minister gives her a unique perspective on the relationship between psychological care and Christian faith.

In This Episode, We Explore

         What therapy isand what it isnt

         Whether Christians can go to therapy and still trust God

         Why seeking counseling does not necessarily indicate a lack of faith

         Why mental health care has been stigmatized in many Black communities

         Ho