Redefining How We Hire Christian Therapists: Choosing Values Over Words
When I hired my first therapists in 2018, my goal was to hire other therapists who had a background and training in faith integration in their clinical work. In most cases, but not all, this meant looking for therapists who professed to be practicing Christians. My practice was built on my faith. I wanted to provide exceptional Christian counseling to my community. And though I did not wear my faith on my sleeve, it did influence my work with clients and how I run the practice. Therefore, it was important to me to create a community of clinicians who all understood and exercised acceptance of the same faith as we worked together to serve clients.
Now, 7 years later, I have come to a deeper realization that faith is not something we say as much as it is something we do. I am changing my hiring structure and redefining my practice values. Instead of hiring those who say they have faith integration or are open to a Christian practice, I am looking for those who live out the values. These values are grounded in who we are, which is Christians sharing Christ to a hurting world.
Here’s the thing: I have hired many therapists over the years. In fact, when I last checked, it was around 35. That is a lot of experience hiring. And, though I still have much to learn, most recently I have come to this new realization.
The Life Of Jesus As A Blueprint For Hiring
When we look at the life of Jesus, our ultimate example, did He talk about His faith? Sure, but more importantly than that, He lived His faith. We know what it means to be a Christian based on the life of Christ. He showed compassion, humility, and sacrifice. He did not have to tell people who He was, He lived it. In fact, He rejected hypocrites who said one thing and did another.
This past year has been one of my hardest as a practice owner. I have had 7 therapists leave the practice. I never would have imagined this happening. In fact, I have never had a year where more than 3 left and have had some years when none left. So, yes, this has been a hard year.
You might be asking: What happened? What caused so many people to leave? I have a few thoughts about this and am still exploring why. Regardless of the reasons, it is never easy to part ways with people you care about and have invested in their lives. Not only do I employ therapists, but I consider it an honor to train quality mental health clinicians with therapy skills, appropriate faith integration, and personal development. It is always hard to say goodbye, even when the terms of departure are understandable, such as having a baby, relocation for a spouse’s job, or deciding to no longer do clinical work. But, other times, the reasons are not as positive. I have seen clinician lack go out in a blaze and attempt to take as many staff members with them as they can. If you have been a group practice owner, you likely have been through a similar painful departure, or you will in the future. I have had people accuse me of being unethical, client abandonment, lacking compassion, and more.
As a leadership team at the practice, we had sensed a negative culture being created. We spent much time over the past two years trying to determine the source of the problem. This has been a painful process, as this practice that I dearly love has started to become something else. One of the clinicians described it as “icky,” and I can understand the feeling, as I have experienced that too. It was as if an undercurrent of negativity started, and we could not find the source.
This brings me back to not searching necessarily for professing Christian therapists. I know that might sound harsh, but sadly, I am seeing people verbalize their faith but not live it out. In John 13, Jesus says people will know we are Christians by our love. It isn’t about who you say you are, but who you show me that you are.
Living Out Our Christian Walk Changes Lives Unexpectedly
Recently, I hired a business consultant named Jeremy to help my leadership team navigate this difficult season in the practice. From the first interaction, he was transparent and verbalized that he didn’t identify as a Christian. To be honest, I hesitated slightly as I worried that he might not fully understand the heart behind a Christian business. But deep down, I sensed God nudging me to move forward. I knew God had something in store for both of us.
Over the next several months, Jeremy led our weekly leadership team meetings. These gatherings were honest and raw. As a team, we wrestled with the beautiful and messy parts of the practice. We discussed the challenging team member situations, the finances, and the goals for the business. In the middle of difficult meetings and messy conversations, God was doing something sacred. After one of our leadership meetings, Jeremy said, “Attending these meetings feels like going to church.”
That statement stopped me in my tracks. I was humbled and grateful. In our vulnerability and honest moments, God was revealed. Leadership team meetings are the moment everything is laid on the table, the good and the bad. Jeremy saw our values in action. It wasn’t through talking about our faith but through how we lived it out that he saw God. Jeremy experienced the love of God in how the leadership team treated one another and our staff.
A few weeks later, Jeremy attended the Wise Practice Summit. Surrounded by Christian practice owners who not only talked about their faith but truly lived it out, something shifted in him. When he returned home, he shared that he now considered himself a Christian again after seeing people genuinely live their faith in love.
I was in awe. Jeremy encountered God because of the way people loved and lived, and not because of words or labels. That experience changed me, too. It reminded me that faith in the workplace isn’t proven through a résumé or a profession of belief; it’s revealed through the fruit of our actions and how we treat others. It also gave me renewed energy for the important work I was given to bring Christian practice owners together and empower them in their work.
Shifting Your Perspective When Choosing Who To Hire
Returning to the practice culture, I now see the reason for the problem. At least one employee had been acting less than Christian. Lies were spread throughout the team, which brought distrust of the practice and the leadership team. Maybe another therapist said it best when she said it seems like her coworkers are believing lies and allowing them to grow and influence their decisions. This is sad, especially for therapists. We should know better than to spread negative talk, as well as believe unhealthy narratives and let them fester and grow.
One of the reasons I struggled to see the negative behavior pattern was because it was coming from those who professed to Christianity, attend church, and speak boldly about their faith. Again, it is not about what you say but the values you adhere to.
I cannot say enough about the importance of identifying your values and living by them in your practice. You want to hire, make decisions, and grow your business based on those values. And, when someone doesn’t work based on them, you must identify the problem and fix it immediately. This may look like a direct conversation or, in the worst-case scenarios, ending employment. If you allow the toxic behavior and negativity to continue, they will poison the water. And, once that happens, it moves fast and causes great devastation.
Therefore, I am no longer hiring based on someone going to church or using Christian language in their interview. I do not think this is what God is looking for.
Hire Based On Values
As a Christian private practice consultant, a recurrent question that comes up is: How do I legally and ethically hire Christian therapists for my practice? This is a question I, too, have wrestled with for the past seven years. I do not have all the answers, but this is where I stand now. I will be hiring based on our values, which are Christian in nature. What transforms and grows a practice is a shared theology and values system, living the example Christ set in the world.
I am hiring more based on showing our values in action than on what someone says they believe. Our values are the characteristics of Christianity, such as humility and compassion. When we live these out as a community, people will experience God, just like Jeremy did. Clients and team members will see the love of God through our team. They will see a community of therapists and staff that cherish one another, care for each other, put others first, and live out what they say.
People will know we are Christians based on our love
If you’re a group Christian practice owner, I encourage you to take time to reflect on your core values and how they show up in your hiring, leadership, and daily culture. Or, maybe you are not sure about your values, or they have changed over time, then that is great. This is an opportunity to seek God and redefine your values for your practice. Consider how you run your practice and serve clients. These actions will help define your values.
This year, my leadership team redefined our values. We reviewed the people on the team as well as what the practice reflects in the community. We also used our faith to identify five values for the practice. Along with each value word, we added a short statement to help clarify each value. These five values dictate all of our decisions, including who we hire. The hiring process includes specific scenario questions to help pinpoint the candidates' beliefs and values, as these will dictate who they are on the team and how they work with clients.
Since changing our interview process, I am happy to say we have hired some strong therapists who reflect the same values as us at Waters Edge Counseling. We are seeing more alignment and enjoyment in our work together. We are not only saying who we are, but we are living it out.
