Psuche Education, Counseling & Coaching Services

02/24/2025

Bitterness
It has been building and building in our society—it is like a pandemic. It is seen in all nations. It is seen from both sides of the socio-political perspective. It has affected Christians and non-Christians. It is especially seen on social media, major networks, radio, and newspapers —conservative and liberal networks. Many appear to be consumed with it. What is it? Bitterness.

Bitterness is the root of anger, disappointment, or irritability. Once allowed within it is hard to stop. Relationships become tied to “our side.” This is seen by what protest a person joins. On social media algorithm, intended or not, will keep your friends slanted to a set of views to which you respond.

Bitterness results in internal issues that cause profound troubledness within. At one point, it becomes near impossible to turn back. Hebrews 12 says,

14-17 Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise, you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears. A backpack full of heart-burning resentment gets heavy and can lead to anxiety and depression. We get to decide, keep bitterness or live with peace, within and others.

ψυχή 'psuche' (soul or life): It is the heart and soul of our services

10/03/2023

Epiphanies are unique. In 2003 I stepped out of the pulpit while pastoring an exciting mission church in Tucson. I sensed a call to serve those who will not feel comfortable coming to our churches. My vision was to understand their issues and needs and build bridges between those struggling with mental health and addictive disorders and the church by helping churches reach out in genuine compassion. Over the years I have been disappointed that the dream hasn't come to fruition. I have done a presentation, The Integration of Spirituality and Psychotherapy, 18 times at various conferences. I have yet to share my work with any churches.

This past week, while interacting with a wide variety of health care providers, while doing the presentation in Denver, I had an epiphany. I found myself reflecting on psychiatrists, medical doctors, nurses, therapists, and so forth that have shared how they embraced the emphasizes of the presentation--one doctor sharing how he was going to implement spirituality into a detox facility he owned.

The epiphany? God has been using me to build bridges between health care providers' specialty and spirituality in their desire to provide the best care possible for their clients. I am humbled by how God has allowed me to serve this group of professionals. As in my practice, I know spirituality opens the door for transformation.

I still have a fervent desire to assist churches in understanding and knowing how to provide care for those with mental health and addictive disorders.

I have shared with one church something I am really passionate about, the needs of concerned significant others who have family members who struggle with mental health and addictive disorders. Invitation to your church? I developed a presentation I have done at several conferences, The Impact of Mental Health and Addictive Disorders on Families and Communities. Invitation?

08/03/2023

Prevention for substance misuse & abuse starts with conversations with your children; hopefully before they start conversations with their peers. How comfortable are you talking with your child about alcohol and other drugs, to include prescription and over-the-counter medication? This article provides some excellent tips. My tip? Don't wait to talk with your children. Research shows that many children at age 12 have started using drugs. The younger a person starts the more likely they are of developing a dependency on drugs. Talk to someone if you need help.

Strategies that parents, teachers, and guardians can implement when communicating with teens in order to help them combat substance abuse.

07/31/2023

Burnout is a popular topic. Do you want to gain a better understanding of burnout and how to cope with it? If so, you may want to join me on Thursday, August 3 at 11:00AM central time.

Taking Burnout Off the Backburner Online 3 CE Hours General Free Presented by Jack Perkins, LADC, CSAC, CCLC Speaker Bio When and where Date and time August 3, 2023 11:00 AM - 2:10 PM CDT Location Online Description This presentation aims to address the causes and consequences of burnout, provide re...

04/17/2023

Join us for our continuing education workshop where Jack Perkins, DMin, LADC will present 'Integration of Spirituality and Psychotherapy: The Ethical Move from Topic, to Application, to Transformation' via Zoom Video Conferencing. This workshop provides 6 CEUs - Ethics.

02/23/2023

Curiosity question. How "good" does a person have to be before they are welcomed into the inner circle of the church? James give an illustration for the question. James 2:25
"In the same way, was not even Rahab the pr******te considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction"? One can flip the question. Given we all have sin in our lives and if we don't include a pr******te, what is our justification for painting ourselves in the circle of belivers?

02/18/2023

Even modest consumption of alcohol can accelerate brain atrophy and increase amyloid plaque formation. The findings reveal alcohol consumption can accelerate Alzheimer's disease pathologies.

12/17/2022

Yes, but... That is my response when people attempt to build a case for more mental health services to drive down incarceration and reincarceration. Yes, that may help; however, there is an equally crucial factor. This post was triggered by getting an alert from our credit card company about charges made using our card--someone in California used it. Should they be excused because they have a MH disorder?
The "but" looks at the issue of morality. Criminals make immoral decisions. After a nurse working in a psychiatric facility shared her struggle with bipolar, I made a comment followed by a question. I shared that many clients I had worked with used manic highs for immoral behavior. I asked, "How do you explain how you have maintained healthy employment and a family life while others use their manic energy for bad behavior." Her answer? "It is a matter of choice."
We are responsible for our actions. We have a mental health pandemic in our society; however, we also have a pandemic of immorality. An Intervention Curriculum for Moral Development is a curriculum that has shown it is "effective in stimulating moral development and principled moral reasoning." That is what we need in our society. Moral development and reasoning and mental health services don't need to be mutually exclusive.

12/16/2022

A nurse practitioner who attended my presentation, The Integration of Spirituality and Psychotherapy, at the Rocky Mountain Symposium contacted me about interviewing me for her podcast. First, it is a peek into my story of spirituality. Second, it illustrates my approach to spirituality from the secular side and how it opens the door for incredible dialogue. For example. A medical doctorate followed up about how he met with his staff at a detox facility and gave directions for implementing spirituality. I realize some may believe it doesn't "hammer home" the Gospel. My faith in Christ is firm; however, God is using my presentation to open the door for dialogue with a wide spectrum of people. I meet people where they are and trust they will listen to the yearning in their heart. Enjoy!

12/09/2022

A friend shared a quote, related to a popular view of leadership, by Lao Tzu: "To lead people, walk behind them." While I disagree with autocratic leadership models, a model where leaders simply serve their employees runs the risk of leaders having to compromise the vision of the organization. I like a servanthood model of leadership. This has the image of a passionate leader outfront of everyone with a towel, to use Jesus' model, meeting the needs of those to be served instead of being locked in a room serving those who are called to bring to fruition the purpose of the company. Visionary leaders set the standard/expectations for teams. Purpose is boss!