Page 137 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 23

Ewa Jakubek - psychotherapist in the process of cer�fica�on. Works in the
integra�on stream. Graduate of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Colle-
gium Medicum UMK. Completed postgraduate studies in family media�on.
Completed a clinical internship at the Psychiatric Hospital in Toruń. Pre-
vious experience gained as a volunteer and leader of the Alpha Course for
addicts in addic�on treatment centres in Czerniewice and Toruń, as well as
a volunteer at "Powrót z U" (Kujawsko-Pomorskie Society of Families and
Friends of Addicted Children). She is an animator of the Ministry of People
Helping Others at the Jesuit church in Toruń. On a daily basis, she works in
a hospice, gaining experience in helping people in mourning and struggling
with the effects of terminal illnesses. She is a member of the Associa�on of
Chris�an Psychologists.

"Why would you describe yourself as a Christan psychotherapist?"
Ques�ons to Ewa Jakubek (Poland)

How did you end up studying psychology/psycho- It was important for me to combine psychothera-
therapy? peu�c knowledge with the resource of faith, so in
order to con�nue developing and then effec�vely
Psychotherapy and psychology were not my first help people, I chose a psychotherapy course orga-
choice. First, I graduated from the Faculty of Health nized by the Associa�on of Chris�an Psychologists.
Sciences and worked in a hospice in the coma ward Thanks to this, when I started my prac�ce, more
for two years. There was no contact with the peo- and more people began to contact me for whom
ple placed there. However, because I am a very re- common values were important. Some of them
la�onal person by nature, I did not feel at home said that they had previously had a dilemma whe-
there. I went to my director with a request to ther, as believers, they should use psychotherapy -
change the ward and I was transferred to work with as if God himself were not able to help them.
people suffering from cancer, also in the hospice. Some�mes you can s�ll come across such an opini-
Here, I very quickly felt like a fish in the water. I on among some pastors in the church. I am convin-
knew that this was my dream job. I cared not only ced that one does not exclude the other, but they
for the bodies of my pa�ents dying of cancer, but rather complement each other. I experienced this
also talked a lot with them and their families. I was myself during my psychotherapeu�c process, in
keenly interested in how to help them in such a cri- which every trainee in the psychotherapy course
�cal situa�on and, apart from listening and exchan- must complete at least 100 hours. For me, it was
ging thoughts, I began to draw extraordinary such a revealing, libera�ng and refreshing experi-
strength from my faith in the fact that in Jesus we ence that although at first these hours seemed to
have confident access to Heaven and do not have be too many - a�er they were over, seeing the good
to fear death. Some of my clients started telling me fruits, I con�nued my own psychotherapy.
that they got a lot out of talking to me and that I
should do psycho-oncological therapy. That's when
I started wondering if I should actually go in that di- Why would you call yourself a Chris�an psycho-
rec�on and decided to do something about it. therapist?

What was the focus of your study/training? Did A very good ques�on. I wondered about this myself
you get any results that you would especially like years ago. Shouldn't science be fundamentally neu-
to emphasize? tral in terms of worldview? There is no Chris�an

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