This is a really tricky issue to address, Kim, both here in the forums and out in the "real" world. Maybe the mental health workers you deal with have had experiences where folks expressed religious ideas as part of their symptoms. You mentioned the "I'm Jesus Christ" or "I'm God" kind of thing...perhaps they've dealt with a lot of clients who have said those kinds of things and now they're on their guard.
It doesn't help that most agencies don't provide their workers with clear guidelines about what is and isn't acceptable in terms of talking with clients about religion. On one hand, they're scared of being sued for discrimination; on the other, they have to worry about appearing out of touch with their clients.
I once knew a therapist who told me that if his supervisor knew that he was talking with people about their faith at all, he'd be fired.
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