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Introduction
Prayer has been utilized in recovery since the 1980’s in AA however has not been a main
component in counseling until recent years. Being able to integrate prayer has become a technique that is
vital to recovery and addiction counseling. In this paper I will be reviewing the journal article Using
Prayer as an Intervention With Clients Who Are Substance Abusing and Addicted and Who Self-Identify
Personal Faith in God and Prayer as Recovery Resources by Junke et al., (2009) and applying it directly
to a counseling session.
Summary
The article Using Prayer as an Intervention With Clients Who Are Substance Abusing and
Addicted and Who Self-Identify Personal Faith in God and Prayer as Recovery Resources by Juhnke et
al., (2009) talks about the contribution of prayer in addiction counseling. There are several
different journal articles that talk about the interaction between mental health, substance abuse,
and counseling. One overriding theme throughout these articles is that spirituality is a vital
component in addiction treatment (Juhnke et al., 2009). The American Counseling Association
(ACA) makes it a point to reference that counselors should treat all clients equally regardless of
their spirituality (ACA., 2014). The importance of integrating faith into counseling is shown in
the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP)
standards. CACREP standards require programs to educate students on the importance of
spirituality in counseling to become accredited by CACREP, the highest standard for counseling
programs (CACREP., 2016). For a long a time religion and spirituality was reserved for
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and later Narcotics Anonymous (NA). The fundamentals of AA are
based on God and prayer which can be seen by the twelve steps and traditions of AA. The focus
of prayer in AA can be seen in the opening line of the Serenity prayer “God grant me serenity…”
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(Dick.B., 1995). We can also see this in the third step of The Big Book to turn ourselves over to
the care of God (Willson., 2001). AA shows proof that personal prayer can lead to successful
recovery.
When a counselor feels that prayer can be helpful, they utilize a four-question assessment
to gauge interest of God and prayer, each question building on the last. If applicable the
counselor will move on to using prayer as an intervention. There are three methods to
implementing prayer in addiction counseling. The first method in this article is used when
creating treatment goals with the client. During this method, prayer is utilized to assist the client
with identifying treatment goals to sustain their recovery (Juhnke et al., 2009). Emphasis is
placed on reflecting what the client has mentioned about prayer and providing them with
different options on how to include it in the session (Juhnke et al., 2009). Method two of utilizing
prayer as an intervention implements prayer at the being of the session to assist with structuring
the counseling (Juhnke et al., 2009). In this option the client directs the use of prayer in the
session. The client can pray themselves or ask for assistance from the counselor. Method three
places an emphasis on prayer at this end of the session. The goal of this is to assist the client with
gathering the information presented in the session and assist in memory retention for later
sessions (Juhnke et al., 2009). At no time should prayer be forced onto a patient.
Interaction
The methodology used in the article was helpful to understand how prayer can be utilized
when providing addiction counseling. Prayer is about having a conversation; it can be someone
asking of a request of some type and involves being patient in waiting for a response. (Knabb et
al., 2020). The author provided several examples of how to have a conversation about prayer
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through the session. It was helpful when the author explored different avenues such as when a
client declined to pray in a session and how the counselor can still make an impact with prayer.
The author provided step by step directions and built on each previous response from the client.
Building upon each previous question helps with providing a one-dimensional continuum
(Juhnke et al., 2009). It was also beneficial to hear about contradictions when prayer should not
be utilized in a counseling session such as, having auditory or visual hallucinations, personality
disorders, and when one does not believe in God or faith (Juhnke et al., 2009). Understanding
when to use a specific approach such as prayer is helpful when establishing rapport with a client.
The impact of prayer can sometimes be misunderstood. When reading this article, it
showed the direct impact to the client and outcomes in the client’s recovery. Learning that prayer
can be utilized in counseling has allowed me to better understand my clients. Prior, only thinking
that prayer was used in faith-based programs or twelve step programs. The article also pointed
out that prayer could bridge the gap between treatment, client, and self. Having another level to
connect with your patient on is vital to performing counseling and having buy-in from your
client.
The reason for choosing this article is because of my background in substance abuse
counseling and being a certified substance abuse counselor. It is important to continuously learn
and grow to be able to provide the best client care. Having an open mind and learning new
techniques such as using prayer in counseling sessions can help me expand my repertoire of
counseling techniques. Another reason for choosing this article is due to having a limited
understanding of the connection between the role of faith and prayer in addiction. Even though
prayer is not something I practice it is helpful to understand when counseling clients who might
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place importance on prayer in their recovery. Counselors should seek on going education to
ensure that they are culturally competent as referenced by the ACA Code of Ethics (2014).
A book that I am planning on reading is The Big Book from AA. Reading this will help to
educate me on what recovery with faith looks like and give me a better understanding and wider
approach when counseling clients. It is important to be multiculturally competent when
providing counseling in any specialty. Counselors should have knowledge and skills related to
cultures in working with specific populations (ACA., 2014). Another interesting read would be
an article about a faith-based treatment center and their treatment process. It would be interesting
to understand firsthand their process of recovery and treatment and how they integrate faith. This
article has helped me to expand how I think about “traditional” treatment programs. This article
provided clarity on how to assess a patient to see if prayer would be applicable to the counseling
session. It also showed me how to deal with resistance from clients who might use prayer outside
of counseling session but not inside a session.
My thoughts after reading this article are how prayer can impact diverse cultures during
recovery. There are many cultures that engage in several types of prayer. It would be interesting
to utilize this methodology on a multicultural scale. It would be vital to understand how the
impact of prayer would differ for someone who adheres to Christianity and someone who
adheres to Islam in recovery.
Application
In this scenario a patient comes into a counseling after 4 months of sobriety and relapsing
on alcohol. The client talks about their recent romantic break up in life leading to relapse. During
the counseling session the client provides information about praying when their grandmother
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passed away. The client talks about their previous time in AA and that it aided in their recovery.
In this counseling session I would explore the client’s faith to gain a better understanding
about the client’s values to see if it is applicable to integrate prayer. In an 8 weeks study
conducted by Knabb, Frederick, and Cumming (2017) it shows that engaging in prayer helped to
reduce depression, anxiety, and stress all of which are frequently correlated with increased
substance abuse.
If applicable I would ask the first question and only move to the next question with a
positive response. Having a positive response is important to make sure the client feels both
comfortable with prayer and impowered (Juhnke et al., 2009). Once we completed the
assessment it would better help me gauge how the client feels about prayer and which method of
integration to choose. For this example, I will choose method one and utilize prayer to aid in
setting treatment goals for long term sobriety with the client. Paul writes to Corinthians that there
is no temptation that is unordinary to men, that God will help us when faced with temptation and
provide us strength to endure and overcome temptation (New International Version Bible,
1978/2011,1 Corinthians 10:13). This shows us that we can use prayer to ask God how we can
create a plan to overcome temptation. During the session I would ask the client if they wanted to
pray and ask God for assistance in creating goals for recovery. I would try to empower the client
and ask if they would like to start the prayer and if not, I can lead them in prayer, and they can
join if they feel comfortable. Prayer is utilized to empower the client and aid in the recovery
process (Juhnke et al., 2009). We would then conduct a prayer in the session asking for God to
give the client strength and guidance to overcome his addiction and asking for specific things
that the client can do to stop using alcohol. Once complete I would inquire how the client felt
about praying in session and inquire if they would like to make it a normal part of counseling.
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References
Willson, B. (2001). Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and
Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism (4th ed.). Alcoholics Anonymous World Services.
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA Code of Ethics.
https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf.
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2016). 2016
CACREP Standards. https://www.cacrep.org/standards/
Dick B. (1995) The Good Book and Big Book: A.A.’s Roots in the Bible (Paradise
Research Publications ed.)
https://archive.org/details/goodbookbigbooka0000bdic/page/n5/mode/2up
Juhnke, G. A., Watts, R. E., Guerra, N. S., & Hsieh, P. (2009). Using Prayer as an
Intervention With Clients Who Are Substance Abusing and Addicted and Who Self-Identify
Personal Faith in God and Prayer as Recovery Resources. Journal of Addictions & Offender
Counseling, 30(1), 16-23.
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-
journals/using-prayer-as-intervention-with-clients-who-are/docview/194444334/se-2
Knabb, J. J., Johnson, E. L., & Garzon, F. (2020). Introduction to the Special Issue:
Meditation, Prayer, and Contemplation in the Christian Tradition: Towards the
Operationalization and Clinical Application of Christian Practices in Psychotherapy and
Counseling. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 39(1), 5–11.
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Knabb, J., Frederick, T., & Cumming, G. (2017). Surrendering to God’s providence: A
Three-part Study on Providence-focused Therapy for Recurrent Worry (PFT-RW). Psychology of
Religion and Spirituality, 9, 183-196
New International Version (2011). Bible Gateway,
https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist.
(Original work published 1978)
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