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Counseling to Faith Volume II

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Both chaplains and mental health providers typically receive formal education and training in multicultural issues. This includes ethnic, racial, gender, and age differences among others. Only more recently has there been an increased focus on religious and spiritual diversity from a cultural perspective. A Christian-based intervention model would likewise require a central understanding of its particular distinctives.

Even though there is an accepted diversity within the subculture, Hodge makes the following observations about the nature of evangelical Christianity:. One common way of thinking about this particular population is as an inclusive, transdenominational Protestant movement characterized by a a relationship with God, b a spiritually transformed life, and c an authoritative view of the Bible.

A spiritual awakening or conversion results in a transformed life. Moral conduct and personal devotion are evidenced in such forms as acts of social justice, worship, service to the poor, relaying the availability of a life-changing relationship with God to others, and Scripture reading.

Biblical narratives are retold with the expectation that individuals will encounter God in their everyday lives. These Christians refrain from privileging a material worldview that precludes the existence of the supernatural. Enlightenment-based assumptions about the materialistic nature of reality are rejected in favor of a worldview that allows for an experiential understanding of the sacred. For evangelical Christians, the spiritual and the material are not two separate realms, but a holistic unity.

Historically, the Bible has been a source of comfort, guidance, and spiritual direction for many who are faced with unexpected tragedy, grief and loss, or when the unexplainable occurs. A number of indicators confirm that there is a national upward trend of clients seeking to address spiritual issues and concerns in receiving mental health services Morrison et al, ; Rose, et al, Given the fact that the United States has essentially been a nation at war for over two decades, the extant research overwhelmingly supports the benefits of spiritual integration with treatment for combat stress, Traumatic Brain Injury TBI , PTSD, and various affective disorders.

In fact, the opposite outcome is evidenced when people struggle spiritually. Witvliet et al posited that negative religious coping, especially difficulty in forgiving oneself, resulted in increased symptoms of depression and anxiety for veterans suffering from PTSD.

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If veterans who are unable to stay connected to their belief system and faith practices face a greater risk for physiological and psychological distress Weaver et al, , then there is a strong incentive to explore the role of spirituality and faith-based interventions when considering a comprehensive health and wellness response. Since the constructs of forgiveness including self-forgiveness and the alleviation of guilt are core themes among Christian denominations, clergy and professional caregivers are in a primary position to offer credible help when clients are having difficulty in these areas and to the extent that optimal mental health functioning is compromised.

This accentuates the existing need to provide competent and culturally relevant resources to counselors, especially when surveys and polling data consistently demonstrate the importance of faith to a majority of Americans. Conversely, spiritual distress can lead to poorer health outcomes Pargament et al, Linking clients with church and para-church resources has proven to be an effective approach Shifrin, Modalities that are utilized may incorporate spiritual autobiographies, role playing, journaling, class presentations, spiritual readings, etc.

Even though CACREP has mandated in their Standards the need to address spirituality in the core curriculum of counselor education programs, at present, neither CACREP nor any other accrediting body specifically addresses spiritually-oriented counseling certificate programs. The implication is that treatment providers need to think and practice in terms of a bio-psycho-social-spiritual orientation. In recent years, there has been a push for counseling practitioners—across disciplines and at all levels—to develop spiritual competencies in the assessment and treatment of mental and emotional disorders Hodge, In fact, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations JCAHO , the accrediting body for most hospitals in the United States, now recommends that spiritual assessment be completed with all patients Hage et all maintain that this is a frequently neglected focus of multicultural training in most academic settings.

Perhaps this is why a random sample of over members of the American Counseling Association strongly advocated the value of faith-based competency among practitioners Young et al, To conclude otherwise is to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to this reality. One critical question that must be addressed is what to do when there appears to be a conflict of values within the therapeutic process. This mindset would be in direct contradiction to a Judeo-Christian orientation. Perhaps at the forefront of this debate lies the issue of gender identity counseling. Which set of values is more valid?

Counseling Topics Bibliography

Should the client have the autonomy to make that decision? These individuals were intentionally identified as being nationally recognized for their expertise in teaching and research in the area of spirituality in counseling. Though the efforts of these panel members are to be commended, Dobmeier and Reiner found that most counseling students and interns are by in large, still unaware of ASERVIC at all. The following are eight of the competencies that have particular relevance to the discussion:.

The critical alliance counselors must build with their clients is based on an abiding presence of trust. Clinicians have an ethical responsibility to treat their clients within their relevant culture and value system, or to make an appropriate referral whenever there is a lack of competence based on education, training, and experience , expertise, or the inability to facilitate a productive therapeutic process. Primary Responsibility — The primary responsibility of counselors is to respect the dignity and promote the welfare of clients. Personal Values — Counselors are aware of—and avoid imposing—their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Boundaries of Competence — Counselors practice only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, state and national professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience. Whereas multicultural counseling competency is required across all counseling specialties, counselors gain knowledge, personal awareness, sensitivity, dispositions, and skills pertinent to being a culturally competent counselor in working with a diverse client population.

Psychologists are aware that special safeguards may be necessary to protect the rights and welfare of persons or communities whose vulnerabilities impair autonomous decision making. Psychologists are aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status and consider these factors when working with members of such groups.

Psychologists try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone activities of others based upon such prejudices. And finally, the following are also pertinent excerpts from the definitive Code of Ethics for Christian counseling and caregiving by the American Association of Christian Counselors Therefore, Christian counselors express appropriate care towards any client, service-inquiring person, or anyone encountered in the course of practice or ministry, without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual behavior or orientation, socioeconomic status, age, disability, marital status, education, occupation, denomination, belief system, values, or political affiliation.

Importance of Faith in Counseling

Consent in Christian Counseling — A Call to Integrity The fundamental right of client self-determination is a foundational pillar for counselors and their clients. Consent allows for the counselor to operate transparently and with integrity, and for the client to make an informed and voluntary decision to engage in the helping process.

Consent for Biblical and Spiritual Practices in Counseling Christian counselors do not presume that all clients want or will be receptive to explicit, spiritual Judeo-Christian interventions in counseling and therefore, obtain consent that honors client choice, receptivity to these practices, and the timing and manner in which these elements are introduced. This includes, but is not limited to the following: Cultural Regard in Christian Counseling — A Call to Dignity Cultural, ethnic and racial diversity are important factors for consideration in the delivery of counseling related services.

Cultural competency signifies a minimal level of knowledge and awareness that represents such things as the values, norms, and traditions of another that influence perception, thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, identity, communication, relational dynamics, behaviors, life experiences, customs, spirituality and the understanding of the cause, symptomology and remedy of human problems. Counselors share their own faith orientation only as a function of legitimate self-disclosure and when appropriate to client need, always maintaining a posture of humility.

Christian counselors do not withhold services to anyone of a different race, ethnic group, faith, religion, denomination, or value system.

Xulon Press book Counseling to Faith Volume II | Harry S. Davis - Book Trailers

Clinicians, researchers, educators and accrediting bodies must help ensure that those individuals seeking mental health treatment are able to do so in a manner that consistently advocates for their right to self-determination and the freedom to engage treatment environments that respect their cultural diversity. Appropriate and professional referrals are a well accepted practice in cases where a conflict of values exists. Yes spirituality is mysterious and yes, it is real. Faith and faith-based treatment models continue to show promise in the literature and researchers should be encouraged to pursue the ongoing exploration of this dynamic construct.

It has a hopeful contagion effect that can motivate a client and enhance the change process in ways that are transformational because it incorporates the whole person. Does faith make a difference? American Association of Christian Counselors AACC code of ethics.

American Association of Marriage and family Therapy AAMFT code of ethics. American Counseling Association ACA code of ethics. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Retrieved April 7, from www. American Psychological Association APA code of ethics. Canadian psychiatric inpatient religious commitment: An association with mental health. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 47 , Incorporating spirituality into care counseling courses: Ideas for classroom application.

Counseling and Values, 50 3 , Public administrator attitudes about spirituality: American Review of Public Administration, 30 4 , In session with Dennis S. Primary Psychiatry, 13 8 , Traumatic stress and religion: Is there a relationship? A review of empirical findings. Journal of Religion and Health, 45 3 , Church attendance and health. Journal of Chronic Disease, 25 , Spirituality in counselor education curriculum: A national survey of student perceptions. Capturing the heart of leadership: Spirituality and community in the new American workplace.

Paperback , 76 pages. Published December 1st by Institute for Nouthetic Studies. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Importance of Faith in Counseling , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Importance of Faith in Counseling. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Nov 07, Marc Plazola rated it it was amazing. Jay Adams provides an incredibly needed emphasis on faith that counselors often lack in the realm of counseling.

Adams sets the premise of the book on Hebrews Surely, "without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith and works without the other is dead James 2: So, by not emphasizing faith, we would be trying to encourage our counselees to please God with dead works! This book is definitely a resource belonging on the bookshelves of all counselors.

Walter Marques rated it really liked it Aug 13, Christians and Popular Culture. Crossway Books, pages. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business.

Counseling Topics Bibliography

Importance of Faith in Counseling

Xulon Press book Counseling to Faith Volume II | Harry S. Davis - Book Trailers

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