An Interview with Katherine Thompson

by Gordon Nary

Gordon: Where were you born? Tell us about your family.

Katherine: I was born in Burnie, NW Tasmania, which is an island to the south of Australia. The town was within the ‘Bible Belt’ of my home state. It was religiously conservative, and mostly protestant. For the first 14 years of my life, I lived with my family in a house that looked out to Bass Strait, one of the roughest and most treacherous stretches of water in the world. I would spend hours watching the sea, wandering the beaches, and going bush walking with family and people from church. The wild of nature was all around. Contemplating God in nature was built into who I am.

Gordon: Please list the colleges and universities that you attended, degrees earned.

Katherine: My family moved to Melbourne, on mainland Australia mid-way through my secondary schooling. This opened up a whole new world to me. One that was multicultural, diverse and full of new ideas. I studied Psychology and Psychophysiology as my first degree, thinking I would like to become a psychologist. But I found I liked the science part of my course better, and found psychology to be dry and boring. I didn’t connect with it. Instead, I chose to go down the path of becoming a clinical researcher with a PhD in Psychological Medicine. Over my research career I have researched youth mental health, psychosis and borderline personality disorder at the University of Melbourne.

When I completed my PhD I felt God ask me to complete a degree in theology in preparation for going to minister in another country. I studied this at night while I worked my first research job, continuing over the time I had my son, sometimes taking him to class with me after he was born. The University of Divinity, in Melbourne, allowed me to study alongside people from other church traditions, Jesuit, Salvation Army, Anglican, Church of Christ and Baptist. It was a rich time of formation. I majored in systematic theology which taught me above all things to learn to ask the right questions.

When I returned from living in Central Asia, while my son was young and starting school, I completed my Social Work qualification. I specialised as a Mental Health Social Worker. I now work in private practice, with young people aged 12-25 years, and people who work in ministry.

Gordon: Please list all licenses and certifications that you have and the institution that awarded them.

Katherine: Bachelor of Arts (Psych/Psychophys), Swinburne University, Melbourne

Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons), Swinburne University, Melbourne

PhD in Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne

Bachelor of Theology, University of Divinity, Melbourne

Bachelor of Social Work, Monash University, Melbourne

Accredited Mental Health Social Worker

Gordon: Tell us about your work as Head of Research & Senior Lecturer in Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing at Melbourne School of Theology Eastern Colleges

Katherine:   I wanted to conduct a study that aimed to improve the psychological assessment of candidates who were applying to work cross-culturally, and approached Melbourne School of Theology to sponsor this research. They were supportive of this work and allowed me to complete the project. They also shared a vision of developing a course aimed at equipping Christians to work with young people who had mental health issues. I have since written and developed postgraduate degrees in Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing that are faith integrated, with the hope that this will lead to systemic change in the way the Church supports young people to live their lives.

Gordon: What are some of the more common factors that impact student mental health and  how do they need to be addressed?

Katherine:  Youth mental health is important because 75% of people develop their first episode of illness before the age of 25 years. So this means the age range of 15-25 provides us with an important opportunity for prevention and early intervention. This age range is also key for developing our sense of identity, values, and life skills. In the context of faith, it’s really important for the Church to support young people in this journey so that they can live full and flourishing lives.

Gordon: You are a popular book author. Please provide an overview of your book Christ Centered Mindfulness: Connection to Self and God.

Katherine: I wrote Christ-Centred Mindfulness at a time when the Church was largely silent about popular mindfulness. I encountered it at work in the mental health field all the time, and was curious to understand where it came from and why it worked, only to find out that the majority of practices were based on Buddhist meditation. In my book I give a comprehensive background to the popular mindfulness movement, and offer a more appropriate faith integrated alternative. What I refer to as Christ-Centred Mindfulness is an integration of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and traditional Christian contemplative practices.

Gordon: Please provide an overview of your book The Discipline of Suffering: Redeeming Our Stories of Pain .

Katherine: The Discipline of Suffering offers a post-modern way to help people who are suffering move from a place of deconstruction to reconstruction in their faith. It challenges our Western idea that we need to avoid suffering and instead argues that it can be a spiritual discipline that helps us grow, heal and develop a deeper faith in God. It offers practical strategies, real-life stories and useful skills to help reconstruct our broken lives, equipping us to navigate difficult times.

Gordon: Please provide an overview of your book Breathe.

Katherine:  Breathe is a Christ-Centred Mindfulness mini-book that is designed to be picked up and used for contemplative practice. It focuses on the theme of the Holy Spirit as a creative and untamed wind. It teaches skills to contemplatively breathe, and provides simple theological insights that make sense of this practice.

Gordon: Please provide an overview of your book Still.

Katherine:  Still is a Christ-Centred Mindfulness mini-book for everyday contemplative practice. It uses the metaphor of the sea to describe our emotions, and build skills to sit with them, ride them out like waves, and be able to sit with God in stillness during stormy times.

Gordon: Please provide an overview of your book Abide.

Katherine:  Abide is a Christ-Centred Mindfulness mini-book that explores the image of Jesus as the vine from John’s gospel. It encourages contemplative practices that help us abide in Christ, each day, every moment of the day, intentionally.

Gordon: What is your favorite book and why is it your favorite?

Katherine: I don’t really have a favourite book. More recently I have been challenged by Richard Rohr’s book, Falling Up, and Henry Nouwen’s book, The Prodigal Son, trying to work out how this applies to the spiritual journey of the second half of my life.

Gordon: Thank you for a great interview your inspirational books.