Editor:  When did you start working at Meier Clinics and in what capacity? 

Dr. Lane Ogden:  January 15, 1987.  I have been a psychologist at the Richardson clinic for 21 years.

E:  Did you always know you wanted to be a psychologist? 

LO:  As a sophomore in college, I knew this was what I wanted to do.  I never thought I should be anything but a psychologist.  It fits with who I am as a person.

E:  What is one of the most fulfilling aspects of your job as a psychologist? 

LO:  On a regular basis, I get to see people that have damaged, impaired lives find healing.  I get to see people changed.  I get to see the transition from the first to last session - to see them become productive and functional, and to know that I played some part in that.

E:  How do you integrate your faith in your counseling practice? 

LO:  How do I practice in a way that's different from "brand X" psychologist?  First of all, I think of the Christian aspect as an added dimension rather than just something different.  In other words, I strive to be the very best psychologist I possibly can as anybody would define being a good psychologist.  Then, additionally, I bring biblical principles into the mix; it's a "bonus" instead of a substitution.  As to the practicalities of how I interate my faith, there are several things.  First of all, I spend time in prayer for my people and ask them to pray for me and for healing.  I have a firm belief that this changes things.  Secondly, I'm very open to and encourage direct discussions about what the Bible says about particular issues that may come up in therapy.  I think all truth is God's truth and that the Word is one of the primary ways we can find this truth.  Finally, and perhaps I should have said this first, I think we must filter everything that science, culture, or society says through the grid of Biblical truth.  This sometimes excludes certain techniques or attitudes a psychologist might otherwise endorse.  I see myself as requiring a higher standard of validity out of which I strive to operate than if I chose not to present myself as a hybrid - a "Christian Psychologist."  

E:  What do you see as one of the biggest problems people come in with? 

LO:  The biggest problem, I guess, is that Christians get caught up in day-to-day life and lose sight of the big picture.  They lose perspective.  They forget who they are and what's really important.  Losing perspective or priority can take you down many disasterous psychological pathways.

E:  Who had the most influence on you growing up? 

LO:  Two men.  First is my father who could and still can always find the positive, the good, the hopeful in situations and people.  No matter what happens, he sees the glass as half full and the next step is just to wait and see what God is going to do with a half full glass.  Another is Frank Pollard, a man who was my pastor in high school and early college.  He was incredibly skilled at helping me and others figure out how to apply the Bible to our lives and so to make it become a source of faith, not religion.  In my practice, I still utilize many of the principles, the sayings, the words he shared with me many years ago.

E:  Would you share one of those sayings with us? 

LO:  "One of the good things about blame is that there is always enough to go around and so that's not an issue."  That helps a whole lot in moving people towards forgiveness.  Another is, "What God wants for me is exactly what I'd want for me if I were as smart as He is."

E:  When and how did you come to know Christ as personal savior? 

LO:  It was a summer time revival where my dad was a pastor.  I was 7 years old.  It was in a little bitty country town in Oklahoma.  I had talked to my dad a lot of times before, but it suddenly dawned on me that there is a time and place you make a decision about what you want to do and this was the time.  I walked down to the front and made my profession of faith.  I was in the second row so it wasn't a long walk.

E:  What gets you up and out of bed in the morning? 

LO:  Just knowing that no two people are the same and no two days are the same.  It's an adventure to see what's coming my way.

E:  What kind of activities do you enjoy outside of work? 

LO:  Anything that can be done outdoors.  I like to fish and hunt, and just be outdoors.  I also enjoy gardening and cooking.  The single most pleasurable thing I've ever enjoyed is being a father.

E:  What is one thing you've always wanted to do but haven't done yet? 

LO:  When I was in the first grade and learned there were seven continents and decided I wanted to go to every one of them.  I have not been to Antarctica or Asia.  I kid that if I finish and reach my goal, I might die so I'm holding off a bit!

E:  Is there an interesting fact about you that few people know that you would want to share?

LO:   I lived for a couple of years as a missionary kid in Africa.  That really was a big part of influencing who I became. 

E:  Thank you, Dr. Ogden, for taking the time to share a little about your life with us.  Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? 

LO:  The idea that we are all in this together.  We're on a journey.  We're here as God's agents to help people on that journey.  It never ends.  We're all going somewhere.  Some times the things that seem horrible are just a turn in the road and we don't see where that needed to happen until later.  Maybe we can look back and see how what seemed horrible moved us closer to where we needed to get.