We recently connected with Dr. Ken Buckle and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Ken, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Over the course of your career, have you seen or experienced your field completely flip-flop or change course on something?
The field of Psychology was making a U-Turn when I was finishing graduate school in the 1980s. The changes had actually started earlier, but I wasn’t aware of them until I was more involved in the field. Psychology is a science that seeks to discover truth about human behavior, cognition, and emotion through rigorous research, and then provide interventions to the public for improved mental health. In order to discover truth, scientific research must be unbiased. It is actually more harmful to the science and to the public when research is biased and then the truth becomes elusive. In Psychology, politics were allowed to influence the science through biased research and publications. This has continued more and more today, such that the field of Psychology is somewhat divided politically, when it should be a scientific endeavor that would allow a unified and cohesive practice and study. The public ultimately is harmed by this, as we are seeing with rapidly escalating mental disorders and addictions. In the midst of a mental health crisis, we can no longer afford to play politics with science.
Dr. Ken, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a native Texan who entered the mental health field to make a difference in the community by helping people to be the best version of themselves. I was drawn to human service from the beginning, and this mission still keeps my heart aflame. As a psychologist, I provide direct services to individuals, couples, and groups. I am also invited to provide education to the public on mental and spiritual health topics. I see mental and spiritual health as interrelated. Most people of faith desire that spirituality be integrated into their counseling, but very few counselors these days are familiar with the basic principles of spiritual growth and development. Midway through my career as a psychologist, I felt a call to move from the public mental health arena into the nonprofit world. As an executive director of a nonprofit faith-based counseling organization, I am challenged to collaborate with other nonprofit organizations and foundations to work for the benefit of the community on a large scale. Ultimately, the community benefits when there are strong marriages and families, and so we place a serious focus on this foundational aspect of community life. Finally, I feel a responsibility to help encourage future counselors, and so some of my time is devoted to training and mentoring. We currently have a great shortage of mental health professionals.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
In my personal life, I was faced with some challenges and at first tried to manage them on my own. I ultimately became convinced that I needed the help of God and others to support my transformation and healing. The Holy Spirit has a way of breaking through the toughest defenses of pride, because of God’s great love for us. God desires our deepest healing, not just on the surface.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
In order for mental health professionals to have a long and successful career, I think they need to have a sense of mission or purpose. This work is too challenging to just be a job. or about the money. We must also put into practice what we so easily tell our clients: that self-care and being well-rounded or balanced in lifestyle is essential. We must attend to all aspects of what it means to be human: the social, emotional, intellectual, vocational, spiritual, and physical.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gratiaplenacounseling.org
- Instagram: gratiaplenacounseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gratiaplenacounseling
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gratia-plena
- Twitter: @DrKBucks