Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kimberly Christian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kimberly, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

After pursuing a bachelor’s degree in child/human development and not being able to find a job in that field outside of daycare (which I had already done for years), I took a corporate job.
A couple years into this job I had this overwhelming thought that wouldn’t leave me “this isn’t getting it done”. I knew this meant although I enjoyed the job and had many great friends as a result, I wasn’t living out the true purpose for my life.
I ended up taking a job at a children’s hospital, in the emergency room. No medical experience but I was ready to see what it led to. Quickly into the job I began seeing all the many professional roles it required to successfully meet the needs of patients and I was especially drawn to the social worker. Her name was Jenni and she was spectacular and very inspiring to me!
As I watched her, shadowed her, and learned more about what she was called to help with and how the scope of her job ranged from getting family meals tickets, bus rides, to helping with follow up appointments with specialists, and educating on new diagnoses, I was completely hooked! My world changed quickly and I started researching what was required in becoming a licensed master level social worker, and I’ve not regretted a day since.
Little did I know why this job would become so meaningful and although I could not understand the full impact it would have on me, I knew enough and I was trusting God’s work in my life so far. While I was pursuing further education in graduate school, I would lose an uncle to suicide and watch an aunt battle with prescription medicine abuse which ultimately led to her death as well. Both events completely shook my entire family and this secured the direction of my career as I not only wanted to be able to better understand what led to these struggles, my compassion threshold grew exponentially for anyone else living through these illnesses.
I continue to learn this on deeper levels year after year and case after case, that it’s imperative that I trust the Lord. He knows the works He created in advance for me to do and I can be moderately successful in my own strength and knowledge or I can impact and save lives when I’m relying on His knowledge and concern for His other children. It’s extremely noticeable to me which I choose to operate in and I’m on a mission to save souls and lives.

Kimberly, 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’ve been practicing as a Social Worker since 2006. My first social work job was as a case manager for group homes of those with developmental and cognitive disabilities and it was a fantastic experience especially right out of grad school. However, my heart was truly in the medical side of the field because it seemed to be a way to serve patients and families during their greatest time of need and I knew that seemed to come fairly natural to me. I kept myself open to the idea of getting back into hospital work and when the door opened, it was not what I expected for it was on the psychiatric floor which up to that point I had zero professional experience in, only personal. It was hugely intimidating but true to my personality, I took the opportunity in front of me. It stretched me in ways I never knew I needed or of course wanted, but it changed my life and my professional goals. The role required a skill set I didn’t have yet, leading therapy groups. As I begrudgingly did it, I realized it came natural and I loved it. Other parts of the job such as leading family discharge planning sessions, also proved to be something my co workers weren’t thrilled about but I loved! I felt extremely passionate about educating families on how to address and support their loved ones with a depression or anxiety diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of post suicide attempt education and provider follow through. The pride I felt for allowing myself to accept such challenges with courage and compassion was contagious and I eventually was the very first Licensed Master Level Social Worker to lead their Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). This was a huge honor and even bigger responsibility as those in attendance had either stepped down from inpatient care or were directly admitted based on severe and chronic symptoms requiring a leave from work and/or other life stressors to be rehabilitated to a higher functionality. This was in the form of the two roles I loved the absolute most, leading groups for patients and groups for their families. Years of that job led to the desire to go further in my training so I could eventually treat and diagnose patients in more of a long term, relational capacity. I started a private practice in 2012 after completing my Clinical hours and examination and took my experience from leading groups, the most successful therapeutic techniques and watched how they rendered even greater results as I had more time to work with patients. It has been an incredible journey and through it all, the moments where I was requested to incorporate one’s faith into their treatment were by far the most successful and most lasting per patient reports. This led me to consider creating something that could produce these results with a further impact. After years of experience and waiting for the right time and right method, I created a signature online program in 2023, that blends the practical methodology of cognitive behavioral therapy from a christian based perspective. The Christian Method is available to US residents and in as little as four months, a person can see authentic and lasting results that directly target symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders by getting to the root of thought patterns and core beliefs. Therapists all over claim to utilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in session without ever seeing the potential results patients are deserving of, per reports I hear from patients. I created this program from specific empirical evidence on best practices of this #1 therapeutic modality. By combining faith based values and specificity of faith practices, The Christian Method targets the what, why, and how of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and many other conditions by teaching ways to become aware of negative patterns, feelings, and behaviors. The program teaches how and when to dispute, resulting in not just positive thinking but rationally which produces healthier feelings, behaviors, and medical symptoms. This program is unique in countless ways and its global availability and accessibility to the creator/professional clinician alone set it apart. This online program allows the consumer 16 week access to the program, downloadable printables, and. community support including educational/accountability groups led by myself. My mission is two fold; to increase the 4% of those with a Biblical Worldview and to reduce the suicide rate. I’m fully confident this program will transform countless lives, and feel both honored and proud to be a part of this type of work.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Being drawn to my field, is a different story for every single professional and while most simply want to help people, there are those of course that need the help and healing that comes from this knowledge. I knew I fell into both camps and as a result, had no issue considering I could be successful and a benefit to those in my care. As I’ve now done this for over 15 years, I have no doubt that it’s my knowledge and experience in being a believer in Christ that has been most helpful. In my opinion, He was and is the most amazing therapist and healer we’ll ever know and this inspires me every day to model my practice after His ways.
Here are some of the examples that brought me to this conclusion. He always meets people right where they are physically, emotionally, and spiritually before trying to bring about change.
He shows authentic concern for our wellbeing and health in all areas. He’s humble and merciful, not seeking the applause of the world.
He treats everyone with love, patience, and gentleness while still speaking the truth of Scripture.
He leads by example, never asking anything of us that He isn’t willing to do and much more.
Being a therapist of faith and one that will boldly teach those interested in how to apply God’s truth is rewarding even if I never see the success with my own eyes.
For me, this has been the most transforming journey both personally and professionally.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve had the blessing of having three children and with each pregnancy and birth, I’ve chosen family over career and therefore that priority required I pivot my role to accommodate my growing family. I reinvented myself professionally each time and am extremely grateful my field made those changes possible. After my first child, I advocated for the role of IOP therapist which would allow me to work full time with only three days a week in the office. By the time my second child was born, I was ready to try private practice which I knew would fully allow for the flexibility I needed in parenting two small children and with the addition of leading nightly therapy groups, I was able to work smarter rather than harder. With the addition of my third child, I was able to take the time off I needed and return with a series of groups that again allowed for less one on one client time and fewer hours overall outside the home. The new series of groups I created three months postpartum would unknowingly become the model that 7 years later I would create The Christian Method from.
It’s one of the many reasons I’m grateful to have pursued this career path and would recommend it to anyone interested in this branch of helping and serving others.

Contact Info:

• Website: Being built currently
• Instagram: @kimberlychristianlcsw
• Facebook: @kimberlychristiancoaching and @beliefbasedhealinghub
• Linkedin: N/A
• Twitter: N/A
• Youtube: @kimberlychristianlcsw
• Yelp: N/A
• Soundcloud: N/A
• Other: N/A

Image Credits

Kimberly Christian, LCSW YouTube Channel