Warm, genuine, a delightful lady, dedicated to excellence these are all adjectives in which describe child psychiatrist along with also author Grace Ketterman, M.D. The daughter of pioneering parents, she grew up on the plains of Kansas, distinguished herself as a physician in a field dominated by men, established a unique psychiatric treatment center for adolescent girls, led inside the development of a statewide support system for the families of prison inmates, along with also rose above the pain of personal along with also family tragedy. In all of This particular, Dr. Ketterman has never deviated via allowing her commitment to Christ to penetrate every aspect of her life, practice, along with also writing. Still practicing psychiatry at age 72, Grace Ketterman will be a quiet, humble, inspiring pioneer in Christian counseling whose life along with also dedication can be a product to us all.
Tell us about your background, home life, along with also how you got into the field of psychiatry.
GK: I was the sixth of seven children born to a farm family who had migrated to Kansas via Pennsylvania; they were Mennonite people, very staunch, hard working, not bad values kind of family. My grandmother, however, had been converted to the Wesleyan Methodist faith by her husband my grandfather, whom I never knew. He was a circuit rider on the Kansas plains. So I have a very fascinating family background. We lived on a farm out-side a smaller town of Newton, Kansas, along with also went to a one room country school, where there were 20-25 students with one teacher. All eight grades were represented along with also I was the only one in my grade for eight years. Then I went to a high school where I was one of 200 in my class one of the major transitions of my life. The value of work was high on my list via early in my life. During the distresses of the Great Depression, every family member was needed to help make a living, We were truly a team. When I was only 12, I worked for a neighbor. We worked hard at cooking for their farm hands, gardening, cleaning, along with also a list of chores. For some eight hours, I received the magnificent sum of $1.00 total. yet I felt rich!
During high school, I worked in a laundry, served as a cashier at a restaurant, along with also kept my grades high. I remained active in my church as well under the ministry of the best pastor I have ever known. I did well in school, went to a church college For just two years, then transferred to Kansas University just as World War II veterans were all coming back again, a transition via a very smaller school to a very huge number of people. In college, I served as housemaid, worked in a ladies clothing store, graded papers for a professor, worked inside the bacteriology department along with also the school cafeteria. I was ready to apply for med school in my senior year, yet I thought I might not be accepted because so many veterans were applying, along with also they deserved preferential acceptance. Women were not well-liked as doctors in those days. The Dean of our medical school interviewed me to determine whether I was a fit candidate. He was an austere man, along with also I was scared to death of him. He asked me about my work history, along with also I reviewed the jobs I have just listed. To my surprise, he smiled warmly along with also said, I see you are not afraid of hard work. along with also I suspect you have become acquainted which has a wide range of people.
in which will help you to be a not bad doctor! Gratefully I was one of 5 women accepted to med school at KU where I spent four years in rigorous training. After medical school, I did an internship in a Jewish hospital, Menorah Medical Center in Kansas City. My husband along with also I were married in my junior year in med school. During my internship, our first child was born, a tiny daughter who has grown up to become a wonderful psychologist. After my internship, I worked For just two years in public health. There I gained my liberal education! I examined indigents, people in jail, along with also the prostitutes who were brought in. We had a huge VD clinic. After my husband finished school along with also was able to earn a living, I went back into a pediatrics residency at General Hospital in Kansas City, practiced pediatrics for six long, busy, wonderful years. I soon realized why I was always tired when I counted how many hours a week I was spending at work one week This particular was 100 hours. So I knew I had to make some modifications. I was offered a fellowship in child psychiatry, along with also in which enabled me to limit my practice. I have been in psychiatry ever since.
In those days when you were beginning your practice, was child psychiatry primarily a male profession?
GK: Medicine was very much dominated by men there were 5 women in my medical school class of about 75. In my residency, I was the only female in all fields of medicine in our hospital, along with also for many, many years, women were very much inside the minority. in which began to change probably inside the late 70s, along with also at This particular point there will be an equal number of women maybe more. So This particular has changed a lot.
What was This particular like being a Christian in This particular kind of secular environment a Christian, child psychiatrist, female? This particular sounds like an unusual combination.
GK: When I commenced to think about going into psychiatry, my younger sister, who will be a registered nurse, warned me in which psychiatry was pretty secular along with also in fact, she believed, atheistic. She was actually concerned lest I be dissuaded via my faith. So I was very cautious along with also spent a great deal of time in prayer, in communication with the Lord, along with also in spiritual fellowship in my church along with also Christian groups throughout my training. God actually helped me avoid those pitfalls of doubts along with also has helped me to coordinate Christian principles along with also biblical truth with my psychiatric training. Its been a wonderful walk.
Describe some of your early years at the Florence Crittenton Home for unwed mothers.
GK: After my two-year fellowship in child psychiatry, I stayed on staff at the hospital along with also, again with guidance along with also help, did the lion’s share of the work in developing the first inpatient program for adolescents at Western Missouri Mental Health Centera wonderfully growing, learning experience for me. Then the state mental health system became unbearable to work with along with also most of us inside the Child Psychiatry Department who had grown together over those four years left. I needed more time with my family by then three children. I took a position which has a maternity home, the Florence Crittenton Home, along with also worked with unmarried mothers, most of them teenagers. This particular was perfect for me. I had pediatrics experience so I could take care of babies. I had my training in psychiatry so I could help with the mother’s problems. I had some experience by then with families, so This particular was a great job time limited, crisis oriented, lots of time for my family This particular was a not bad era of time.
After about three years of in which, I encountered an incredibly rapid change inside the unwed mother scene. Teenage moms either got abortions or they kept their babies, along with also the need for the shelter of a maternity home became negligible. In three months, we went via thinking of adding on to our building because there were so many unwed mothers applying for shelter to so few applicants in which we could not pay our bills. We researched what the needs of our community were along with also found there was no treatment center for emotionally troubled adolescent girls. There were treatment centers for boys along with also younger kids, yet not girls. In my ignorance, I decided to move toward developing a residential care center for adolescent girls. God helped us get in which program going, along with also as I realized how massive the need was, I helped raise about six million dollars over a couple of years to build a wonderful, 100-bed children psychiatric hospital on 150 acres of land. With our administrator, we developed a very unique, successful program, very scripturally oriented, very definitely faith oriented. After about 15 years of very not bad success with This particular program, the health insurance business took a turn for the worse, along with also the ability to keep kids long enough to do the kind of definitive work they needed just dissipated our efforts. We went via about three month’s average stay inside the residential program to about three weeks maximum. in which’s at This particular point diminished to about 5 days. So the entire program in which we had built had to be changed along with also unfortunately has never been restored to the not bad quality of its earlier years.
How have you managed to integrate your faith along with also practice?
GK: I think the main thing will be the absolute certainty I have in which Gods truth will be The Truth. Whatever seems to conflict with his truth has got to be understood along with also explained. Sometimes its a matter of understanding along with also explaining; sometimes This particular’s a matter of saying Hey, I just have to disagree with in which I can understand in which theory or technique, yet I do not actually agree with This particular. God has honored my commitment, along with also I think the Holy Spirit actually will be the bearer of truth. He will be the spirit of truth, he actually guides us, along with also knowing in which certainly helped me stay truthfully committed to my faith in practice.
Give us an example of when your Christian faith has had a significant role in your work in child psychiatry.
GK: In my training days, I remember working under supervision which has a Christian family. I was taught very emphatically not to talk about religion, yet I dared to differ with in which, along with also when I felt actually guided, prompted by the Lord to talk about faith, I did. This particular particular family had a not bad church background yet they’d walked away via This particular along with also were not very involved in any church. Through the problem they had with their son, the pare nots realized they needed help, along with also they were very willing to talk about their faith, where they’d lost This particular, along with also how they wanted to get This particular back. My mentor at in which time was kind of an out-of-touch Christian, who since has come back to a marvelous walk with God. He has told me in which he thinks a lot of depression actually will be due to the fact in which people, like This particular family, have lost touch with their faith. They go through a grieving experience grief along with also depression can be so similar along with also I have thought about in which a lot as I have worked with people.
How have you seen the field of child psychiatry change over time?
GK: Well, its moved via more of a Freudian, developmental kind of specialty to a very permissive specialty. A lot of respect will be shown to children, along with also I believe in showing respect. yet showing respect has taken precedence over teaching the children respect. So much respect will be given to them, yet they are not taught to give in which back. Grace (1st row) in a field dominated by men! inside the psychiatric field, we have gone via counseling along with also family guidance, family therapy, along with also pare not guidance to a lot of medication. I fought in which as long as I could, yet as more discoveries came along showing how much physiological change there actually will be, I have had to say in which medication will be a gift via God, just as penicillin will be for strep throat. So I use psychiatric medications, yet in which’s kind of an adjunct to the insight, supportive, guiding kind of work in which I do.
What some other kinds of modifications have you seen over time in terms of treatment, especially of children with psychiatric problems?
GK: With the modifications in managed care, our goals shifted via finding reasonably complete healing of the child along with also family in which enable a child to go back home along with also live successfully with his or her family. At one point, for 5 to seven years, we had 75% to 80% success with our kids, in terms of not having recurrent hospitalizations, not having legal problems, along with also their being able to adjust in their homes along with also communities. We went via in which success rate to being unable to measure change. along with also via doing not bad counseling, we went to being able only to offer kind of a cooling-off period for families in crisis, a chance to medicate the patient, along with also hopefully line the child up with an outpatient aftercare program.
How will be Crittenton treating most children today?
GK: They are getting very brief inpatient care, along with also then they still have what we developed as a day program a very special, wonderful school where kids have academic success, some ongoing counseling, along with also some recreation therapy. They have continued to focus on very intense family therapy, which will be key in generating any progress at all.
might you say then in which the insurance industry along with also managed care are setting the direction for Christian counseling?
GK: To some degree, along with also in a horrifying way, yes they are. When I reached the age of 65, I realized in which I needed to retire via the heavy load in which Id carried. So a brand-new medical director was hired, along with also I tried to stay on as an adjunct along with also a mentor. Unfortunately, the brand-new director was not interested in my mentoring or any Christian approach. I no longer had an influence in hiring staff, so as I saw things deteriorate, I offered everything I could to salvage the spiritual values, along with also finally I knew I could not handle the grief over the awful loss of so many not bad things, so I retired about 5 years ago.
What have you been doing since your retirement?
GK: I do half-time private practice, which will be very different, very rewarding. I love my private patients, along with also I have continued to do a little writing. I have some time for my grandchildren, along with also I actually have a great life.
How did you get commenced in your writing career?
GK: You know, in which was a actually fun story. I began telling patients who had unique experiences in which I wished they might write about them, because those experiences are similar to others along with also they could be very helpful. A patient finally said to me, You’re always telling me to Write why do not you write? So I said, Well, I do not have time. Someday, if I break a leg, I will write. A couple of years later, guess what? I broke my right ankle, along with also while I was laid up in bed, I had two invitations to write. One was via a little Christian Sunday school periodical, along with also This particular was agony to write only 200 words! yet a friend then decided to write a book on teenaged rebellion along with also thought in which I could help with in which, so I wrote Teenage Rebellion with him. The publisher must have liked my style or what I had to say, so I had more along with also more invitations to write. I have never had to go through the horror of having a manuscript rejected, because I have written at the request of publishers.
Are there any of your books in which you have felt especially not bad about?
GK: A little book called Understanding Your Child’s Problems will be my favorite. I had a spiritual growth spurt during the writing of This particular, along with also I did a lot of Scripture research. This particular may still be in print. in which’s probably my favorite yet not the best seller. The most successful book has been a little paperback called When You Feel Like Screaming in which I wrote in conjunction with Pat Holt, a teacher via California. in which book has had a long along with also vigorous career. Only recently, This particular has been translated into Spanish.
What are you working on at This particular point?
GK: I have just sent in a second revision of a manuscript on a book on forgiveness, relating some of the real tragedies of my life along with also how I learned so much about forgiving through those experiences. Its with the editor at This particular point, along with also I assume This particular will go to print soon.
Tell us a little bit about how tragedy has influenced your life along with also your work.
GK: Well, I have been through some difficult times as you can imagine. In pediatrics, I have lost patients. In personal relationships, I have had betrayals along with also a lot of sad times. A horrible tragedy hit my family in 1984 when I found in which my husband was in jail. We had had some difficulties, along with also I just could not reach him anymore. There were a lot of difficult financial stresses along with also debts, as well as many losses along with also grief. I tried to comfort along with also help yet could not. I suspected he was having an affair, so finally I filed for a separation along with also eventually for divorce.
About three months later, we went out to dinner one Sunday evening along with also he was berating me just for This particular divorce, because he actually wanted to make our marriage work. I said I’d like nothing better, along with also if he could change, I was certainly willing to change. Still he berated me, along with also I could see in which he was not actually generating the spiritual along with also relational modifications in which he needed to make. Less than 48 hours later, he called me via jail. He had only a minute to talk, just enough to give me a piece or two of information in which I had no knowledge of. He had become involved which has a woman patient, who had used her teen aged daughter as kind of a seduction-bait. I do not know what else to call This particular. at This particular point he was accused of child sexual molestation. After almost a year of devastation, he was sent to prison, yet on in which first phone call, I received incredible insight. The information he gave enabled me to understand what had been going on along with also how devastating This particular was. Yet somehow I was able to say, I see, I understand, I can forgive you, along with also the kids along with also I will stand by you along with also help you through This particular. I still had no idea of ever getting back together with him, yet at least I wanted to support him through This particular. This particular was a nightmare a terrible time for him, for all of us, yet somehow I was able to keep going. At one point, I began to see This particular was Gods tough love in which was teaching my husband how to come back to fellowship with him.
I went to visit him almost every week which has a friend whose husband was also in prison. My friend along with also I developed a prison support group for families along with also inmates in which will be very active throughout the state of Kansas (in every prison we have an outreach to families). After four years along with also a few months in prison, Herb was released. Two years after Herb was discharged via prison, we felt in which we knew each some other again well enough in which we could remarry. We have had a wonderful marriage, yet This particular certainly took a lot of grace, a lot of understanding, along with also a lot of forgiving to provide healing along with also the healing will be a complete process at This particular point. Because of the publicity, people have known about This particular situation in my life. Wherever I go to speak pastors groups, counseling groups, teachers have found audience members who approach me with, If you could do This particular, then I can do This particular. So I think God has, in fact, used the tragedy in my life in a very wonderful way.
In what ways have you thought of yourself as a pioneer?
GK: I see myself as the daughter along with also granddaughter of pioneers. My grandfather was the first family member to come to Kansas via Pennsylvania leaving behind his whole community of people. In my grandmothers day, to have left Pennsylvania along with also come to Kansas on a train alone to marry someone she knew for only two weeks was certainly pioneering. I have great respect along with also admiration for my grandparents along with also their kind pioneer spirit will be in my blood. For a farmer, my father’s beliefs were rare in valuing education. He wanted to be a physician yet had no opportunity. So he urged all of his seven children to go into medicine. I was the first one with whom he was successful. I think my applying for medical school, even aspiring to such a career, was quite pioneering in its end. Women in medicine were thought of as pioneers in in which day. To continue working even after I had children which perhaps I might not have done, had I had hind sight was also pioneering.
What observations do you have for people who may be considering working with children?
GK: Working with children will be hard work, not very not bad in its pay. When you see people for an hour, you cannot charge the large fees in which even family doctors charge for a quick emergency a few stitches along with also a big fee. If you are altruistic enough to give up caring so much about money along with also more about preventive work, you will be able to work with children. As a twig will be bent, so grows the tree. If we can help parents which has a troubled child, we help the entire family. along with also if we can help in which child before he or she will be I immersed in difficulties in which will result in crimes along with also Imprisonment, what a huge economic advantage This particular offers our culture, along with also what a wonderful personal joy This particular will be to see in which kind of work!
What observations do you have on the state of Christian counseling?
GK: I think Christian counseling sometimes gets a little superficial. In our community, there isn’t enough of the family approach, not enough group therapy. I was trained thoroughly in group therapy back inside the 70s, yet even I do not use This particular at This particular point because its difficult, very hard work. Find a counselor for suggestions.
So, how do we keep Christian counseling via becoming superficial?
GK: I think by the kinds of thing in which AACC does: by conferences, by emphasizing academic responsibility, by insisting on not bad training, by being well read along with also up-to-date with current knowledge along with also research.
Perhaps we all should do more research along with also more sharing of research. I think This particular will be where Christian counseling has an edge. The best thing I offer my patients will be a caring heart. When they know in which they are important enough in which I can shed tears sometimes with them, I can laugh with them, be angry with them This particular does something in which I think no techniques inside the earth can do. in which’s what God wants to do through his followers in counseling!
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