Faith, Therapy & Holistic Healing
Can Christian Faith and Therapy Work Together? Why I Created The Holistic Counselor Podcast
Can Christian faith and therapy work together? Diana S. Rice explores church hurt, holistic mental health, and why she created The Holistic Counselor Podcast.
Maybe you love Jesus but have been hurt by Christians.
Maybe you grew up believing there was one “right” way to be a Christian, one right denomination, one right way to think, vote, dress, parent, marry, worship, or even feel.
Maybe somewhere along the way you were given a mental-health diagnosis and slowly began believing that diagnosis was who you were.
Maybe you have prayed harder, tried harder, gone to therapy, changed churches, listened to sermons, followed wellness influencers, taken supplements, read the books, joined the groups—and you are still wondering:
Why do I feel this way?
That little three-letter word has followed me most of my life.
Why?
And I no longer think asking why is rebellious.
I think asking why can be the beginning of freedom.
Why I Started Asking “Why”
Long before I became a licensed mental health counselor, I was a kid trying to understand people.
I was the daughter of a single immigrant mother. There was love in my life, but there was also pain, emotional neglect, instability, religion, culture, family expectations and things I did not yet have language for.
At 12 years old, I was in a peer counseling class when one of my classmates drowned. At home, I was navigating my own pain and responsibilities. I learned early how easy it was to put my energy into helping everyone else so I didn't have to look too closely at what was happening inside of me.
Religion was complicated too.
I was raised around Catholicism and Santería, and at one point my mother put me on a church bus so I could attend a Baptist church. I was looking for understanding, belonging and probably hope.
Instead, I remember being told I was going to hell for listening to Led Zeppelin.
I didn't meet the Jesus I would eventually come to know.
I met humans.
And humans, even when they sincerely believe they are doing God's work, can get things terribly wrong.
That distinction has become incredibly important to me.
When Faith Gets Mixed Up With Fear
I have now been following Jesus since 2000.
And after all these years, I still have questions.
Actually, I think I have more questions.
I have watched what happens when inherited faith is never examined. I have seen unhealthy religious systems, rigid hierarchies and human egos become confused with God Himself. I've watched scripture be used to create fear, shame and control instead of producing the fruit it claims to represent.
I've especially struggled with systems that use power in ways that silence women, children, vulnerable people or anyone brave enough to ask questions.
That bothers me.
A lot.
But challenging unhealthy Christianity has never made me want Jesus less.
It has made me want to understand Him more.
There is a difference between questioning God and questioning what another human told you about God.
There is a difference between faith and fear.
There is a difference between conviction and shame.
And there is a difference between an inherited faith and an examined faith.
Maybe part of becoming emotionally and spiritually mature is becoming willing to ask:
Why do I believe what I believe?
Therapy Did Not Take Me Away From Faith
My professional journey created another set of questions.
When I began working with children, teenagers and families, I kept wondering why we sometimes focused so heavily on symptoms and diagnoses without becoming equally curious about what had happened to the human being carrying them.
Why were we asking, “What's wrong with you?” before asking, “What happened to you?”
Why weren't we talking more about attachment?
Family systems?
Trauma?
Culture?
Nutrition?
Sleep?
Stress?
Community?
Spirituality?
The body?
The nervous system?
Or whether a person had ever felt genuinely safe, heard, understood and loved?
Over time, my question became much simpler:
How do I see the whole human being sitting in front of me?
That question changed how I practiced.
It also eventually helped create this podcast.
What “Holistic Mental Health” Means to Me
Somewhere along the way, the word holistic became associated with being “woo-woo,” anti-science or New Age.
That's not what I mean.
To me, holistic means whole.
Humans have wrestled with questions about the body, mind, meaning, suffering, relationships, spirituality and healing for thousands of years.
Modern science gives us new language and tools for exploring some of those ancient questions.
We now know, for example, that difficult childhood experiences can affect health and well-being long after childhood. The CDC describes Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, as potentially traumatic childhood experiences that can have lasting effects on health and well-being.
We also have growing research into communication between the gut and brain and the possible relationships among nutrition, the microbiome, mood and mental health. That science is exciting, but it is still developing. It doesn't mean every case of anxiety is a gut problem, and it certainly doesn't mean someone should stop legitimate treatment because an influencer told them to fix their microbiome.
It means we stay curious.
Maybe therapy is part of your healing.
Maybe your doctor needs to evaluate something physical.
Maybe sleep needs attention.
Maybe there are nutritional issues worth discussing with an appropriate professional.
Maybe you've spent years surviving experiences you never realized were traumatic.
Maybe you need community.
Maybe you need boundaries.
Maybe you need grief.
Maybe you need to question a belief you inherited when you were eight years old.
Maybe several things can be true at the same time.
That is holistic mental health to me.
We Can Hold Two Truths at Once
One of the things I appreciate about psychology is that good therapy can teach us to move beyond all-or-nothing thinking.
I don't have to believe that psychology has every answer.
I also don't have to reject psychology because I follow Jesus.
I don't have to assume medication is always the answer.
I don't have to assume medication is never the answer.
I don't have to believe every wellness claim I see online.
I also don't have to dismiss the role of sleep, movement, nutrition, relationships, stress, environment or spirituality simply because they don't fit neatly inside one treatment model.
I can pray and go to therapy.
I can read scripture and learn neuroscience.
I can trust God and ask difficult questions.
I can respect science and recognize its limitations.
I can acknowledge my emotions without allowing every emotion to become a fact.
I can have convictions and still remain teachable.
I can change my mind when better information arrives.
There is a beautiful amount of gray between the extremes humans keep trying to force one another into.
That is where curiosity lives.
And curiosity gives us agency.
Maybe You're Not Stuck
This matters to me because I know what it feels like to become trapped inside a story.
A diagnosis can become a story.
A denomination can become a story.
A family role can become a story.
Trauma can become a story.
Politics can become a story.
Even healing can become a story we become obsessed with chasing.
Sometimes labels help us understand ourselves, find community, access treatment and finally put language around something that has hurt for years.
But a label should be information.
It should not become a prison.
You are more complicated than one diagnosis, personality type, political group, denomination, trauma response, family role or social-media algorithm.
You are a human being.
And human beings can learn.
We can examine.
We can grieve.
We can repair.
We can develop new patterns.
We can become more aware of what is happening inside us before automatically reacting to what is happening around us.
We can change.
Which means maybe you are not stuck.
Maybe there is hope.
Why The Holistic Counselor Podcast Still Exists
When I recorded the first episode of The Holistic Counselor Podcast in February 2024, I knew I could only sit across from a certain number of therapy clients in my lifetime.
I wanted another way to help.
But more than two years and more than a hundred conversations later, I understand the purpose differently.
I continue doing this because these conversations keep me curious too.
I work from home. I podcast from home. And somehow technology gives me the opportunity to sit across a screen from people all over the world who have experiences, education, stories and expertise that can help another human being.
I get to learn.
My guests get to share.
You get access to conversations that might introduce you to an idea you have never considered.
And these conversations remain behind long after we finish recording them.
That matters to me.
It is legacy.
In an internet economy that too often rewards outrage, fear, greed, rage bait, tribalism and people screaming at strangers from behind keyboards, I want to help create something different.
A place to slow down.
A place to think.
A place to challenge the status quo without assuming we already know everything.
A place where professionals can teach.
A place where real people can tell stories of change.
A place where science and faith don't have to be enemies.
A place where you are allowed to ask why.
And, as imperfectly as I will always do it, a place where I can show what the fruit of a human life attempting to put Jesus and His teachings first can look like.
Not perfection.
Not performance.
Fruit.
This Podcast Is Not Here to Tell You What to Think
I don't want The Holistic Counselor Podcast to become another voice on the internet telling you what you must believe.
There are enough of those.
I want it to help you learn how to think, question and become curious about your own story.
Listen to people you agree with.
Listen to people you don't.
Learn about trauma.
Learn about relationships.
Learn about money.
Learn about religious abuse.
Learn about nutrition.
Learn about neuroscience.
Learn about culture.
Learn about different approaches to therapy.
Learn about your body.
Explore your faith.
Then sit with what you've learned.
Look at the evidence.
Pay attention to your emotions without automatically making them the judge and jury.
Pray.
Seek wisdom.
Ask better questions.
And make responsible choices for your own life.
That is agency.
Start Wherever You Are
You do not have to binge 100 episodes.
Start with the question that brought you here.
If you're wondering about religious abuse, search religious abuse.
If money is keeping you awake at night, search money.
If you're trying to understand trauma, relationships, grief, women's mental health, nutrition, faith, neuroplasticity or another part of the human experience, start there.
And if this is your first time here, you can start where I started:
Episode 1: Embracing Your Journey: A Holistic Counselor’s Approach to Mental Health
This podcast will continue evolving because I will continue evolving.
Hopefully you will too.
I don't have all the answers.
Neither does your therapist.
Neither does your pastor.
Neither does your favorite influencer.
Neither does AI.
We are human beings trying to make sense of being human.
So let's remain curious.
Let's challenge the status quo when it needs challenging.
Let's examine what we've inherited.
Let's take responsibility for what belongs to us.
Let's seek truth with humility.
And let's keep learning how to care for our minds, bodies, relationships and souls.
Because if The Holistic Counselor Podcast accomplishes only one thing, I hope it gives a hurting human hope.
Maybe that human is you.
And maybe this is the beginning of discovering that you are not nearly as stuck as you thought.
Sources & Further Reading
These resources support the health information referenced in this article.
A Gentle Note
This article and The Holistic Counselor Podcast are for educational purposes only. They are not therapy, diagnosis, medical advice, or a substitute for care from a qualified professional. If you are in crisis or need immediate support in the United States, call or text 988.
Maybe you love Jesus but have been hurt by Christians.
Maybe you grew up believing there was one “right” way to be a Christian, one right denomination, one right way to think, vote, dress, parent, marry, worship, or even feel.
Maybe somewhere along the way you were given a mental-health diagnosis and slowly began believing that diagnosis was who you were.
Maybe you have prayed harder, tried harder, gone to therapy, changed churches, listened to sermons, followed wellness influencers, taken supplements, read the books, joined the groups—and you are still wondering:
Why do I feel this way?
That little three-letter word has followed me most of my life.
Why?
And I no longer think asking why is rebellious.
I think asking why can be the beginning of freedom.
Why I Started Asking “Why”
Long before I became a licensed mental health counselor, I was a kid trying to understand people.
I was the daughter of a single immigrant mother. There was love in my life, but there was also pain, emotional neglect, instability, religion, culture, family expectations and things I did not yet have language for.
At 12 years old, I was in a peer counseling class when one of my classmates drowned. At home, I was navigating my own pain and responsibilities. I learned early how easy it was to put my energy into helping everyone else so I didn't have to look too closely at what was happening inside of me.
Religion was complicated too.
I was raised around Catholicism and Santería, and at one point my mother put me on a church bus so I could attend a Baptist church. I was looking for understanding, belonging and probably hope.
Instead, I remember being told I was going to hell for listening to Led Zeppelin.
I didn't meet the Jesus I would eventually come to know.
I met humans.
And humans, even when they sincerely believe they are doing God's work, can get things terribly wrong.
That distinction has become incredibly important to me.
When Faith Gets Mixed Up With Fear
I have now been following Jesus since 2000.
And after all these years, I still have questions.
Actually, I think I have more questions.
I have watched what happens when inherited faith is never examined. I have seen unhealthy religious systems, rigid hierarchies and human egos become confused with God Himself. I've watched scripture be used to create fear, shame and control instead of producing the fruit it claims to represent.
I've especially struggled with systems that use power in ways that silence women, children, vulnerable people or anyone brave enough to ask questions.
That bothers me.
A lot.
But challenging unhealthy Christianity has never made me want Jesus less.
It has made me want to understand Him more.
There is a difference between questioning God and questioning what another human told you about God.
There is a difference between faith and fear.
There is a difference between conviction and shame.
And there is a difference between an inherited faith and an examined faith.
Maybe part of becoming emotionally and spiritually mature is becoming willing to ask:
Why do I believe what I believe?
Therapy Did Not Take Me Away From Faith
My professional journey created another set of questions.
When I began working with children, teenagers and families, I kept wondering why we sometimes focused so heavily on symptoms and diagnoses without becoming equally curious about what had happened to the human being carrying them.
Why were we asking, “What's wrong with you?” before asking, “What happened to you?”
Why weren't we talking more about attachment?
Family systems?
Trauma?
Culture?
Nutrition?
Sleep?
Stress?
Community?
Spirituality?
The body?
The nervous system?
Or whether a person had ever felt genuinely safe, heard, understood and loved?
Over time, my question became much simpler:
How do I see the whole human being sitting in front of me?
That question changed how I practiced.
It also eventually helped create this podcast.
What “Holistic Mental Health” Means to Me
Somewhere along the way, the word holistic became associated with being “woo-woo,” anti-science or New Age.
That's not what I mean.
To me, holistic means whole.
Humans have wrestled with questions about the body, mind, meaning, suffering, relationships, spirituality and healing for thousands of years.
Modern science gives us new language and tools for exploring some of those ancient questions.
We now know, for example, that difficult childhood experiences can affect health and well-being long after childhood. The CDC describes Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, as potentially traumatic childhood experiences that can have lasting effects on health and well-being.
We also have growing research into communication between the gut and brain and the possible relationships among nutrition, the microbiome, mood and mental health. That science is exciting, but it is still developing. It doesn't mean every case of anxiety is a gut problem, and it certainly doesn't mean someone should stop legitimate treatment because an influencer told them to fix their microbiome.
It means we stay curious.
Maybe therapy is part of your healing.
Maybe your doctor needs to evaluate something physical.
Maybe sleep needs attention.
Maybe there are nutritional issues worth discussing with an appropriate professional.
Maybe you've spent years surviving experiences you never realized were traumatic.
Maybe you need community.
Maybe you need boundaries.
Maybe you need grief.
Maybe you need to question a belief you inherited when you were eight years old.
Maybe several things can be true at the same time.
That is holistic mental health to me.
We Can Hold Two Truths at Once
One of the things I appreciate about psychology is that good therapy can teach us to move beyond all-or-nothing thinking.
I don't have to believe that psychology has every answer.
I also don't have to reject psychology because I follow Jesus.
I don't have to assume medication is always the answer.
I don't have to assume medication is never the answer.
I don't have to believe every wellness claim I see online.
I also don't have to dismiss the role of sleep, movement, nutrition, relationships, stress, environment or spirituality simply because they don't fit neatly inside one treatment model.
I can pray and go to therapy.
I can read scripture and learn neuroscience.
I can trust God and ask difficult questions.
I can respect science and recognize its limitations.
I can acknowledge my emotions without allowing every emotion to become a fact.
I can have convictions and still remain teachable.
I can change my mind when better information arrives.
There is a beautiful amount of gray between the extremes humans keep trying to force one another into.
That is where curiosity lives.
And curiosity gives us agency.
Maybe You're Not Stuck
This matters to me because I know what it feels like to become trapped inside a story.
A diagnosis can become a story.
A denomination can become a story.
A family role can become a story.
Trauma can become a story.
Politics can become a story.
Even healing can become a story we become obsessed with chasing.
Sometimes labels help us understand ourselves, find community, access treatment and finally put language around something that has hurt for years.
But a label should be information.
It should not become a prison.
You are more complicated than one diagnosis, personality type, political group, denomination, trauma response, family role or social-media algorithm.
You are a human being.
And human beings can learn.
We can examine.
We can grieve.
We can repair.
We can develop new patterns.
We can become more aware of what is happening inside us before automatically reacting to what is happening around us.
We can change.
Which means maybe you are not stuck.
Maybe there is hope.
Why The Holistic Counselor Podcast Still Exists
When I recorded the first episode of The Holistic Counselor Podcast in February 2024, I knew I could only sit across from a certain number of therapy clients in my lifetime.
I wanted another way to help.
But more than two years and more than a hundred conversations later, I understand the purpose differently.
I continue doing this because these conversations keep me curious too.
I work from home. I podcast from home. And somehow technology gives me the opportunity to sit across a screen from people all over the world who have experiences, education, stories and expertise that can help another human being.
I get to learn.
My guests get to share.
You get access to conversations that might introduce you to an idea you have never considered.
And these conversations remain behind long after we finish recording them.
That matters to me.
It is legacy.
In an internet economy that too often rewards outrage, fear, greed, rage bait, tribalism and people screaming at strangers from behind keyboards, I want to help create something different.
A place to slow down.
A place to think.
A place to challenge the status quo without assuming we already know everything.
A place where professionals can teach.
A place where real people can tell stories of change.
A place where science and faith don't have to be enemies.
A place where you are allowed to ask why.
And, as imperfectly as I will always do it, a place where I can show what the fruit of a human life attempting to put Jesus and His teachings first can look like.
Not perfection.
Not performance.
Fruit.
This Podcast Is Not Here to Tell You What to Think
I don't want The Holistic Counselor Podcast to become another voice on the internet telling you what you must believe.
There are enough of those.
I want it to help you learn how to think, question and become curious about your own story.
Listen to people you agree with.
Listen to people you don't.
Learn about trauma.
Learn about relationships.
Learn about money.
Learn about religious abuse.
Learn about nutrition.
Learn about neuroscience.
Learn about culture.
Learn about different approaches to therapy.
Learn about your body.
Explore your faith.
Then sit with what you've learned.
Look at the evidence.
Pay attention to your emotions without automatically making them the judge and jury.
Pray.
Seek wisdom.
Ask better questions.
And make responsible choices for your own life.
That is agency.
Start Wherever You Are
You do not have to binge 100 episodes.
Start with the question that brought you here.
If you're wondering about religious abuse, search religious abuse.
If money is keeping you awake at night, search money.
If you're trying to understand trauma, relationships, grief, women's mental health, nutrition, faith, neuroplasticity or another part of the human experience, start there.
And if this is your first time here, you can start where I started:
Episode 1: Embracing Your Journey: A Holistic Counselor’s Approach to Mental Health
This podcast will continue evolving because I will continue evolving.
Hopefully you will too.
I don't have all the answers.
Neither does your therapist.
Neither does your pastor.
Neither does your favorite influencer.
Neither does AI.
We are human beings trying to make sense of being human.
So let's remain curious.
Let's challenge the status quo when it needs challenging.
Let's examine what we've inherited.
Let's take responsibility for what belongs to us.
Let's seek truth with humility.
And let's keep learning how to care for our minds, bodies, relationships and souls.
Because if The Holistic Counselor Podcast accomplishes only one thing, I hope it gives a hurting human hope.
Maybe that human is you.
And maybe this is the beginning of discovering that you are not nearly as stuck as you thought.
Sources & Further Reading
These resources support the health information referenced in this article.
A Gentle Note
This article and The Holistic Counselor Podcast are for educational purposes only. They are not therapy, diagnosis, medical advice, or a substitute for care from a qualified professional. If you are in crisis or need immediate support in the United States, call or text 988.