ACC Accord Summer 2021 Issue 111

and using that model as a core
framework but I have added in
the concept of the human spirit
to the formulations, at the heart
of the CBT maintenance cycles
of thoughts, feelings, physical
sensations and behaviours.
By introducing the concept of
‘spirit’ to the model, this opens
up conversations about how
people see their true identity and
it encourages people to connect
with their God-given potential and
deepest desires and strengths, that
are in each person that God has
created. Every person I see in the
therapy room is made in the image
of God, whether they are aware
of it or not, and as a therapist my
job is helping people to be all that
God has made them to be; helping
them to connect with their unique
potential and purpose that God has
planted in each one of us and that
brings fulfilment and peace when
we live within it.
Having worked within the NHS
in North and East London I
have valued the opportunity of
working with many varied and
fascinating (and sometimes very
challenging!) clients. I’m grateful for
each one and for what they have
taught me. Their stories and our
shared therapeutic experiences
have shaped my thinking and
have helped me to find a way to
integrate my work and my spiritual
life.
Having spent about 20 years now
in this field I sense God calling me
back into full time work in a more
overtly Christian context. So it felt
significant when, at a recent music
event promoting mental wellbeing,
I found myself speaking alongside
Kathy Spooner, the CEO of ACC.
This ‘random’ meeting brought me
back to reconnecting with ACC. I
was encouraged to see how much
ACC has grown and developed
into a mature ‘adult’ organisation
from the toddler ACC I had left
behind in the 1990’s. So it feels like
I have been on a ‘quest’, leaving my
Christian counselling home, to find
the answers that I was looking for
in my early ACC days and as I return
it reminds me of the words of TS
Elliott:
“We shall not cease from
exploration, and the end of all our
exploring will be to arrive where
we started and know the place
for the first time.”
I was going to write an article about
HCBT but instead this has been
a more self-indulgent personal
reflection of my journey but I
feel that this is coming from my
gratefulness to God for the journey
that He has taken me on to weave
together so many rich strands of
my life. It’s great to help someone
to be less depressed or less anxious
but nothing compares to helping
someone connect with their true
potential and God given identity.
In discovering this I have found
my own fulfilment in the purpose
of God for my life. This purpose
is encapsulated in a life mission
statement I wrote for myself years
ago to “reach my potential and help
others to reach theirs.”
However for those who are
interested to know more about
the Holistic CBT model here is the
full HCBT formulation (see Figure
1:HCBT formulation).
12 accord Summer 2021 www.acc-uk.org • www.pastoralcareuk.org