MENTAL HEALTH

Chris Beam explains how Samaritan Counseling Center offers counseling from a Biblical perspective for everyone, both Christian and non-believers.

As previously discussed, there’s a never-ending supply of stress these days. You wake up and turn on the news to see bad news at home and abroad. You gas up your car for work and see nothing but bad news for your wallet. Supply chain shortages brought about by COVID have mostly subsided, but the labor shortages caused by the pandemic have left the workforce stretched thin. For some, their time with family may be the only reprieve from the stresses of the world. But for others, their family life is just as much a source of pain and turmoil as everything else.

Some are better than others at coping with circumstances like these. Some people even seem to thrive under pressure. But everyone has their breaking point. So where does someone turn when there is nowhere else to go, when they’ve reached their wit’s end? Some turn to religion, to their church, temple, mosque or whatever belief they subscribe to. Others may seek help with professional counseling.

This is where Samaritan Counseling Center of Southwest Georgia enters the picture. Having opened its doors in Bainbridge in 2007, the center saw an increase in counseling sessions following the pandemic. According to executive director Chris Beam, the usual amount of sessions for a given year is 3,000.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, that number jumped to 4,000, despite the oppressive lockdown restrictions.

“I can tell you one of the reasons why,” Beam said, “is because we switched to teletherapy really quickly. Everything shut down on one Friday, and we already had everything in place to do teletherapy even before that hit, and so, that Monday we started up.” He continued, elaborating, “Probably why there were so many more, is when we’re calling the client, they’re saying, ‘I don’t feel like it today’, skipping out. Plus, the need was there. A lot of people were just at home, needing help.”

Beam listed off some of the most common issues the Center deals with, which includes depression, anxiety, parenting/childcare issues, marriage counseling, anger management, PTSD, ADHD, and OCD, as well as the occasional case of substance abuse, though he specified that most substance abuse cases were referred elsewhere. “Just because, with substance abuse,” he explained, “if you’ve got somebody who’s been drinking for 14 years, coming in here and talking to me once a week, while you’ve got another 168 hours in the week to deal with.”

The top four of all these issues the Center sees are depression, anxiety, marriage and childcare. For issues like depression and anxiety, Beam stated some of the most effective methods of treatment were talk therapy, which the Center offers, in addition to medication. “That doesn’t mean everybody needs medication, or everybody needs talk therapy,” he clarified. Some cases of depression, Beam stated, are situational, while some are attributed to the person’s natural disposition. “Really, it’s addressing, ‘What are you thinking, what are you feeling, what are you doing?’ If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting.”

As for marriage issues, the biggest commonality seen in cases, according to Beam, is “just two people that are having a hard time getting along with each other.” He explained, “I know that almost sounds too simplified, but they’re at the point where they do not believe the other person is for them, they think they’re against them, and they’re more focused on what the other person is doing wrong, than what they’re doing.” He described it as a cycle, saying, “So if one person’s yelling and screaming when they get mad and the other person shuts down, well as long as they keep yelling and screaming, this other person’s gonna keep shutting down. But when they shut down, this person feels disconnected, ignored, it’s just as hurtful, it just looks different.” The focus of marriage counseling, Beam said, is changing the couple’s dynamic from trying to win an argument, to communication and understanding.

There are physical symptoms one should look out for to judge whether they should seek professional help; these include changes in sleep habits and fluctuations in appetite. A persistent problem or feeling is definitely something to consider. “Everybody has a bad day,” Beam said, “but when you ask somebody how they’re feeling, and they tell you, ‘I’ve been depressed for eight months’, that’s a long time to be dealing with it.”

Spirituality is also considered at Samaritan Counseling Center, as the name suggests. Beam recounted how he became saved while attending Georgia Southern, during which time he got involved in music ministries. He began receiving requests for advice during this time, which planted the seed for his eventual transition into the counseling field. “Sometimes it feels like you’re parenting, sometimes it feels like you’re a teacher and you’re teaching,” he said. “Sometimes, especially with what we do because we’re faith-based, sometimes it feels like pastoring people.”

While Samaritan is a faith-based organization, it is not only welcome to Christians. “We don’t push our faith, we don’t push our perspective off on anyone,” Beam said, “but… I also think there’s a spiritual aspect to it.” He continued, “I think even nonreligious counseling services or organizations recognize the need for figuring out, ‘What do you believe, and how does this affect you?’ ‘What is your source of strength?’” While not attempting to push clients to believe, their therapy does take a Scriptural perspective.

To help manage stress, Beam encouraged the usual steps, such as proper rest and activity. Managing one’s thoughts was another suggestion. “Look at what you’re thinking, what are your thoughts,” he said, “because for all of us, we’ve got this voice in our head that keeps going round and round, and we believe it… and sometimes it can sound so subtle. ‘What’s the point?’ ‘Why try?’ ‘Just give up, it’s not going to work.’” He continued, “You think that, just like that, for even six seconds, and you believe it’s not going to work, and none of that is true.” According to a study Beam cited, roughly 40% of what a person’s inner monologue tells themself is untrue.

In conclusion, Beam encouraged people to be proactive with their mental health, saying, “Don’t wait ’til you get that flat tire.” He summed up Samaritan’s work as: “What we do here, is we try to come alongside people to help them with whatever it is they’re struggling with. We don’t have the answer to every problem, but we’re willing to come alongside them and help them, whether it is mental, emotional, spiritual or relational. It’s just what we do.”