What if the way you're trying to grow is actually keeping you stuck?

In this episode, Catholic therapist Adam Cross, LMFT (#116623) unpacks a pattern he sees constantly in his clinical work: clients who want to be better, more disciplined, more spiritually mature, but who are driven by an internal critic instead of love. That fear-based motivation, he explains, often leads to burnout, numbing, and avoidance instead of real change.

Topics covered:

• The internal critic and where it comes from
• Fear-based growth versus peace-based growth
• Why doom scrolling and numbing out happen
• The "how" and "why" behind our goals
• 1 Corinthians 4 and the judgments of others
• Resting in being already loved by God

You don't have to earn your worth to grow. You already have it, and that changes how you pursue every goal.

Have questions? Visit my website: adamcrossmft.com Adam Cross, LMFT #116623

Catholic therapists need support too.

In this episode, Adam Cross, LMFT (#116623) and founder of the Catholic Therapy Center, introduces Renew: a new bi-weekly online group for Catholic therapists built on prayer, community, and shared clinical experience, rooted in the Holy Spirit and Catholic anthropology.

Topics covered:

• The hunger for community among Catholic clinicians
• What Renew offers: prayer, consultation, and support
• Why Catholic therapists need other Catholic therapists
• How to join, launching August 2026

Learn more and sign up at catholictherapycenter.com.

Adam Cross, LMFT #116623

Why does slowing down feel so unsafe, even when we know it's good for us?

In this episode, Catholic therapist Adam Cross, LMFT (#116623) unpacks why contemplative prayer isn't just a spiritual discipline, it's a genuine tool for psychological healing. Drawing on a recent conversation with Dr. Tim White of St. Mary's University and patterns he sees constantly in his clinical work, Adam explains why clients with anxiety, OCD, and scrupulosity often struggle most to be still, and why that stillness is exactly where healing begins.

Topics covered:

• Lectio Divina and Ignatian prayer as contemplative practices
• Contemplation as receiving, not analyzing
• Bringing God into ordinary daily moments
• Catholic contemplation versus secular mindfulness
• Fr. Jacques Philippe on God's unwavering presence
• Becoming childlike again as a path to healing

Slowing down isn't unproductive. It might be the very thing you need most.

Have questions? Visit my website: adamcrossmft.com Adam Cross, LMFT #116623