Faith & Mental Health: A Balanced Journey
“It’s okay to love God and seek help.”
“It’s okay to have faith in God and still seek treatment.”
“There is no shame in being Christian and struggling with mental health.”
History
At just 16 years old, Dr. Rola made a life-changing decision — she chose to follow Christ.
Now, over 40 years later, she credits her faith for giving her strength, perseverance, and hope through life’s most difficult moments.
As both a clinician and a believer, she’s learned that faith and mental health don’t have to conflict — they can coexist beautifully.
“It’s okay to have faith in God and still seek treatment.”
“There is no shame in being Christian and struggling with mental health.”
Ordination & Ministry
Beyond her clinical expertise, Dr. Rola is also an ordained minister and serves as a Dean in ministry, actively involved in faith-based outreach programs, including work in Regina Port, New York.
Her ministry allows her to bridge the gap between faith and psychology — helping people experience healing of both mind and spirit.
Faith & Struggle
For many, faith becomes hardest to hold during seasons of struggle.
Dr. Rola believes that faith can be both a comfort and a catalyst — the force that pushes you forward when nothing else can.
Through counseling and ministry, she helps others understand that leaning on faith doesn’t mean ignoring pain; it means walking through it with hope.
Faith as Foundation
For Dr. Rola, faith is a powerful lens through which she understands the world, human suffering, and how she shows up for others. It shapes the way she sees people as valuable, worthy, and deeply important.
During her teenage years, her faith took shape through deeply personal spiritual experiences that were not imposed by parents or leaders. Through prayer, Scripture reading, and fasting, faith became a personal and chosen foundation. At age 19, she served in full time ministry for one year, a formative experience that preceded her later academic and clinical training.
Dr. Rola’s faith and intellectual curiosity developed together, shaping a view of Christian faith as a source of strength rather than limitation. This integration allowed her to fully engage in rigorous, secular clinical training while personally drawing on faith as an internal foundation. Her work as a psychologist remains grounded in evidence based practice, with faith informing her values rather than replacing clinical science.
In 2021, Dr. Rola was ordained as a Christian minister in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, reflecting a deepening of a lifelong calling rather than a departure from her professional identity. She continues to draw strength from faith as an internal source to bring hope and be present with others in their most difficult moments.
From time to time, Dr. Rola offers faith centered reflections that thoughtfully integrate psychological principles with Christian faith and Scripture. These reflections draw from both clinical insight and lived experience and are shared with care and respect for people of diverse beliefs.
“Faith didn’t remove my challenges — it gave me the courage to face them.”
— Dr. Rola
