52. Leadership and Soul Care, with Elaine Hamilton, The Soul Care House

I’ve discovered that therapy—good therapy—is something that everyone needs. Especially if you’re in leadership.  In this episode, I speak with Elaine Hamilton, founder of a therapy group in San Diego called the Soul Care House. Elaine helps to demystify therapy for us.  What is it?  Why is it important?  Why do leaders, especially, need good therapy?THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Elaine Hamilton is founder of the Soul Care House and author of Church on the Couch.Elaine Hamilton grew up in a German Mennonite community in Canada. They had a very rigid way of living their lives, but they also were very committed to doing good in the world.Good therapy involves sitting with someone who is trained, but who is also on their own journey toward wholeness.The therapist should be leading the process.Bad therapy can include any of the following: Too passiveToo directiveStates the obviousNo boundariesWhen the therapist talks too much about themselvesLeaders often have a hard time being vulnerable enough to truly care for their own souls.Spiritual leaders are constantly hearing people’s stories. Because of their position, leaders have the potential for wounding people in ways that others wouldn’t.Leaders need to become aware of their own stories.As leaders, it’s also helpful to be able to process current circumstances so that we can deal with them in a healthy and helpful way.The spiritual life isn’t merely about intellectual content (e.g. theology, Bible verses). It’s also about how we live in the world and in relation to other people.Psychology and therapy is a gift from God in that the tools of psychology help us to better understand ourselves.The Soul Care House website is www.soulcarehouse.com. The Soul Care House is also on Instagram at @soulcarehouseandbarn.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKSSoul Care House Website:  http://www.soulcarehouse.com/Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/soulcarehouseandbarn/Soul Care House Podcast:  https://soulcarehouse.com/pages/PodcastElaine Hamilton E-mail:  [email protected] mentioned Church on the Couch by Elaine HamiltonTo leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiritual-life-and-leadership/id1435252632— Links to Amazon are affiliate links.  If you make a purchase through any of these links, I’ll receive a small commission–which will help pay for the Spiritual Life and Leadership podcast!Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.