I am a logical positivist, and view the issue of religion as contrived
incoherent gibberish generated by superstitious minds. Superstitious
minds can think what they want, but why should I join their delusion.
How much of psychology [cognitive therapy] is allowed [without
crossing over to malpractice] to intermingle with the religion of the
therapist which are not in alignment with the client. I just naively
assumed that the reason people go to a therapist, rather than to a priest
just so that they avoid the influence of religion. If you choose to go to
a faith-based center, then it's a forgone conclusion that you will be
influenced by religion. On the other hand, I know of a therapist who told
me that she was forbidden [by the government clinic] to recommend an
abortion to her clients because she was invoking her non-religious views
on people, and in violation of the separation of church and state [her
supervisor's explanation].
Fifteen years ago, a therapist started to tell me to turn my problems
over to a higher power, but was reluctant to say God, knowing that I would
get turned off. That incident smacked of religious indoctrination at a
time when I really was susceptible to it. Fundamentally, I should have
asked for my money back, since she was not giving me an answer. As far as
I am concerned, she was ducking the issue. I wanted to tell her that it
is as if I gave her a one hundred dollar bill, and she gave me change in
Monopoly money. Yes, there as a two way conversation, but her end was
nonsense. She thought that I did not understand, and rephrased the
response. I told her that I understood, but that there was no higher
power. Then she said that I should turn my problems over to My Higher
Self! That was even more laughable. I did not believe that in each of
us, there is something greater than that which we already are! I
understand that there are lots of people out there ready to spend great
sums of money on a piece of the blue sky, but I wish she had told me that
she was a quack much earlier in the process. I might have suggested that
people who are mentally or psychologically unable to comprehend her should
make for much more eager clients.
Five years ago, I told another therapist that I was an atheist. She
told me that I was a confused believer, but turned to, identified with,
and choose to associate with those atheists. Great conjecture, but this
was just stated without any proof. She said that we all are believers,
but just need to accept God in our life.
Where do They think of this? I should applaud her religious
indoctrination. No idiot Baptist would have thought it through to that
conclusion. At best, he would has stood up and accused the Devil of
corrupting my mind and sent me off the electroshock therapy, since burning
heretics at the stake can't be done to whites at least for a few more
years, when we elect religious zealots far more to the right of GWB.

I am a logical positivist,

I know of a therapist who told me that she was forbidden [by the
government clinic] to recommend an abortion to her clients because she
was invoking her non-religious views on people, and in violation of the
separation of church and state [her supervisor's explanation].

she said that I should turn my problems over to My Higher Self! That
was even more laughable. I did not believe that in each of us, there is
something greater than that which we already are!