The Catholic Therapist

Is it possible to fear God and trust him at the same time?

In this episode, Catholic therapist Adam Cross, LMFT (#116623) sits down with Dr. Anthony Isacco, licensed psychologist and Director of Training for the PsyD program at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, for his third appearance on the show. Together they untangle one of the most common, and most misunderstood, tensions in the spiritual life: the fear of the Lord.

Topics covered:

Healthy fear versus anxiety and scrupulosity

Why so many Catholics struggle to admit they have a good relationship with God

Pope Leo's teaching on human dignity as unearned, not achieved

Discipline as an expression of a father's love, not rejection

Parts work, Internal Family Systems, and integrating psychology with Catholic spirituality

Practical tools for working through fear: thought records, perspective-taking, and the Penn Inventory of Scrupulosity

Whatever your relationship with fear looks like right now, this conversation offers a path back to trust, and a reminder that God is a father, not a master.

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

What if the scariest part of a horror movie isn't the monster, but the isolation?

In this episode, Catholic therapist Adam Cross, LMFT (#116623) reviews the horror film "Obsession" and unpacks what it reveals about consent, codependency, and what it truly means to love.

Topics covered:

The Twilight Zone episode that echoes Obsession's premise

Why no character in the film is fully consenting to what happens to them

Consent, free will, and mortal sin in Catholic moral theology

Codependency vs. real love

Becoming free to give ourselves as a gift

The devil's lie that God doesn't care

Even in suffering, we are never without choice, support, or God's presence.

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

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

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

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