"Opening therapy to Conversations with a Personal God"

First off, this article is great if for no other reason than that it brings up religion. In working with a client, it is important to be able to acknowledge the different facets of their life, and that includes their religious/spiritual beliefs. One of the major goals I have learned as a budding art therapist is the importance of having a safe space. A client needs to feel that they are safe and allowed to open themselves, be vulnerable, and not be judged. If a client has private and meaningful conversations with a personal God (which is a strange phrase to me. I'm assuming that this is an umbrella term since many religions have a God. It does make me feel as though the author/therapist feels that the God isn't real but is real to that person aka their personal God) and feels that they cannot share that part of them in a therapy session, then they may lose trust or gain uncertainty about the art therapist and art therapy (or any therapy really).

When Griffith brings up her experience with Susan and her mother, she talks about 'kneejerk thinking' that causes a therapist to pause or disregard a thought or idea (re: the panic disorder specialist not wanting to see Susan and her mother together, that she was too dependent on her). This is similar to what we learned in Substance Abuse class and the idea of harm reduction techniques. Just because you don't agree with something, doesn't make it right. Treating alcoholism and a mental illness together, reducing alcohol intake instead of life-long sobriety, these alternatives to blacks white thinking are what causes more success stories. So it's no surprise that the author was mistaken in her theories about Susan's personal God.

Four Certainties-->Wonder. The author breaks down the knowledge she has gained based on her personal experiences in the field and how those lead to positive results.

#1
I know what God is like for you because I know your religious denomination

#2
I know what God is like for you because I know what your language about God means

#3
I know what God is like for you because your image of God is a reflection of your early childhood attachment figures

#4
I know what God is like and you need to know God as I do.

After reading the article, it seems that the author is merely summarizing how stereotypes, archetypes, and general "common knowledge" (the stories of certainty) lead to false assumptions (the already knowingness) that limit developing a great relationship (away from curiosity and creative) (pp.127).
The four certainties can be acquainted with four general assumptions about religion that break the therapist-client relationship. In giving example of how to handle situations that may arise revolving a personal God, the author shows how itcanbe beneficial to actively listen and allow the client to sort themselves out without restriction.