Pastoral Psychologist's striving -- my divine call

Sorry, and Thank you.

Sometimes I am afraid I get your grumpiness, your irritation, I do learn a lotfrom you, and including that as well... (just that I still haven't learned yourcrafts)..Thank you for reassuring that good research can still be done and confirm thatshit research/paper is everywhere. I got a 'vomiting' feeling to see the sameold paper being published everyday..and I am worse than them, so even if I workharder I can only be one of them..this is a suffocating thought.

I take all these years here in an ivory tower...some kind of suffering ortraining..I don't trust govt hospitals, existing system very much (ai ai..this is so muchlike Ben..), existing CP services / training..shit..I don't know if such things exist at all when I had this inner urge (divinecall) (now there is some similar org in HK), I would work from a Christian community, or church setting to bring about such researched, and human-centred,theologically-sounded psychotherapies.

The thing is, Christian communities/org is not grounded too well inpsychopathologies, and research-based knowledge, and the integration oftheology and the complexities in psychology not very well done (still in thebeginning)...etc

But church-setting is definitely my ultimate home, and not a govt hospital oruniversity, though I may need to stay there in the meantime...Up till now, there is still the impression that only not very professionalpeople end up in church setting, and it is like a great limit in careerdevelopment to fixate in a church/Christian community.

I don't think I can do this (ai x 100times)... but I feel the urge (divine call)to bring solid (well-researched & theoretically grounded) psychotherapiesintegrated with Christian spirituality INTO Christian communities/org, and thatis ultimately for Christians and NON-Christians. So far, I find Jungianpsychoanalysis and existentialism the closest, and I am at the moment seriouslyattracted to Jungian....(to the point of spending thousands/month on it...so Ineed $$$ ai x 10), and from the theology side, Paul Tillich, and Karl Bath the closest.

ai ai ai it is such a long road.. My idea above about pastoral service is quitecontroversial, at least non-traditional, and on that end I have been fightingtoo...well after some years, at least my own church is ok with it, and more andmore churches see it that way too... (after these many years).It has been a long struggle and will continue...

In all these struggles..of course many delicate politics involved, and in these years I find that univ and business com politics has lots of similarities, butchurch politics are like completely different and very er er...and lots ofprayers to see through these, I tell u... can't survive without the prayers andthat vision given by my God.

Cheers,

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er... you still don't know me? or mainly because MD/PhD is higher paid and more respectable than a pastor or psychotherapist (with similar years of> training)?

I am confident that I am a good psychotherapist, just that I don't know what> kind of therapy suit me yet. But u r right, I am sure I can get a MD, not difficult compared to being an academic.

I find being an academic person difficult, (not just because I am dyslexic), is that I am less and less persuaded by the paper-producing community that they> are getting closer to the truth, getting more benefits to humanity.

The overhead in getting rubbish to publish in order to survive, to get the right politics in order to survive is so high, and it leaves little room for pursue of truth. So much time and effort has to be spent in survival meaningless business.... especially I am not very smart and I am a bit perfectionistic, after getting over the stupid business, I really have little energy left for good science...

I want to solely indulge myself into the clinical training...but I have no money... It really takes a lot of heart...well...again I guess I suffer from perfectionism.. I don't know how to move.

The whole academic business is suffocating. I still remember what u said, "technique of writing/presentation has to do more than data in getting publication" well...so where is the truth...? No matter what data say, the author persent his/her faith, and try to get the data to support.

At the end of the day, I just want to help, make some real improvement on people's lives. Than data/paper to help me to survive in the ivory tower, because I want a certain level of living...

Can I earn my living by something more meaningful? If it means a lower standard of living..ha..ha ha..well not as low as in India gwa.

I went to villages in Thailand recently on a short missionary trip (with Thai govt's support), I absolutely enjoyed and having been dreaming of longer stay ever since...

HOnestly, can one still get the thrill in doing research???

I guess I need to shift to some topic where I have the competence in doing good research, or else I'd just dry up.

Does anybody know how competitive and what is it like for Christian-based Internship programs in Washington or in Boston??

I am doing a PsyD (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) program from California off-shore. That means I do all the coursework and placements in my locality, in China, and then I do my internships (pre-doctoral and post-doctoral) and licensure exam in US. It is a very innovative & controversial program, certainly no one has heard of it, I believe.

I am the first-intake of this program, and no body really knows what'd happen to us, and whether we'd get to the stage for licensure exams... Our program is quite certain that they'd get California pre-doctoral internships for us. As they are the largest PsyD-producing institute in California, and they have connections to take in bilingual Psychologists. As all of us are Bilinguals or Trilinguals, so getting an internships that serve Chinese in California is kind of easy for them. And, only a few of us would like to go to US to get the US license, anyway... People can earn much more here than in US, for most of my classmates, they are professionals already here...and so being a Clin Psy in US doesn't sound too attractive.

But I like the well-established CP system, psychological service in US. Very much advanced than that in my hometown. And there is a long history of Christian integration of Psychology and theology, pastoral counselling here in US than anywhere in the world, and not to say my hometown.

Therefore, I want to get Christian-based internships. OR internships at Psychiatry Department in an university (like medical school), as I can then go on with my brain imaging research. I am not sure which way I should go. I haven't discerned that from God..yet.

Language concerns
I have been working with an Irish-boss in an English-speaking research team in univ. for 7yrs or so. Therefore, I am fluent in English, but with a Chinese accent and mostly British pronounciations. I can serve both Chinese or English-speaking people. I am able to do simple conversation in Thai, but don't think I can make it up to the standard of carrying out a psychological assessment in Thai, but in Chinese and English, absolutely no problem.

Where do you think I can get information regarding Christian-based PsyD Pre-doctoral Internships in US (esp Washington & Boston?)

I would like to learn from experience of students participating or those who know people who are doing such Christian-based PsyD or PhD in Clin Psy in US!!!

I can download information from the official websites, but I know NO ONE who can share his/her experience with me ah...

Any personal referral?????

Thanks Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!