tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149500133380680729.post4220435216521804122..comments2010-10-15T14:53:23.944-05:00Comments on Southern Families: Bridging the GapJ. Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16191000641317893388noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149500133380680729.post-42648935496472331442010-06-11T18:29:55.678-05:002010-06-11T18:29:55.678-05:00Religion plays a big part in the lives of the wome...Religion plays a big part in the lives of the women I help. My work involves helping pregnant women and mothers with substance use and mental health problems get back onto their feet. Through counseling (group and individual), case mgmt and increased access to resources, increasing self-sufficiency, and increasing natural supports, these women can and do improve their lives, one step at a time. Many of the women I help have lost their faith (in general, and some specifically) during the time of active addiction. In Recovery, this is a time for them to experience pain, joy, happiness and grief. Using drugs became a part of coping for sometimes years and years; it follows that faith, and belief that things will get better by the grace of a higher power or God, will help them some, even if they do not fully understand how. <br /><br />We do not offer religious connections or readings that are strictly religious; however, we often utilize readings that contain messages of faith. It is the hope contained in these messages that is often the seed planted that day. <br /><br />I tend to agree with the posts: rather than fear religion's connection with science, we need to allow those we work with to show us how they NEED and WANT it to connect, to some extent. After all, the people we serve often show us and tell us what they need in other ways too.<br />- Amanda Carrick, UNC Horizons at Alamance<br />NCSU Grad student --HDFS (FYD) programAmanda Carricknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149500133380680729.post-28354430366147508912010-06-08T02:21:32.284-05:002010-06-08T02:21:32.284-05:00Well, I happen to be one who believes that faith d...Well, I happen to be one who believes that faith does, indeed, impact family relations. Mostly positive, sometimes negative (I don't particularly like it when pastors wade in uninvited into divorce negotiations, for example because they tend to have some "theological" considerations that sometimes don't play well with my goals).<br /><br />It seems to me that, whatever one's feelings about religion are, this is one facet of life that ought not to be ignored in any study of family dynamics.<br /><br />As for a facility being affiliated with a relgious organization as be "offputting," that is simply amazing to me. Can't we drop our prejudices in favor of a good, accessible facility?Cynthia Moodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01659321884351889223noreply@blogger.com