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Attitudes and Beliefs
Abstract
The many beliefs, morals, values and experiences that counselors who are Christians feel
deeply about can have a strong impact on interactions with clients. The relationship between
clients and counselors should be of the upmost importance because it can/will directly affect how
the overall client-counselor interactions flow through each session. Challenges may arise but as
counselor, one must acknowledge and work through them personally, in order to give the client,
the best care possible. The Code of Ethics should be in the forefront of counselor's minds and be
a guide to help navigate in the midst of an ethical dilemma. Utilizing the Attitudes and Beliefs
Inventory, I will discuss how I would react, respond and what action I would take in regard to
three questions that was most impactful to me as a future counselor.
Keywords: Gay, lesbian, rape, pedophilia, attitudes, beliefs, react, respond, act
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Attitudes and Beliefs
Benchmark: Attitudes and Beliefs Reflection Paper
As a born-again African American male, I was raised in a home where my mother, a
minister, ensured God was at the forefront of everything did. She raised us any saved mother
would and ensured we were given every opportunity to enhance our personal relationship with
God. As I grew older, I slipped away for a time to "find my own way" and turned my back on
God. However, I know, he never turned his on me. Throughout my walk with God, I have gained
and strengthened my Christian values, along with the morals that was stilled up me by my
mother. I try my best not to judge those who have differing morals or values than mine because I
hold steadfast to what the Bible says in Matthew 7: 1 (Holy Bible, New International Version,
2011), " Do not judge, or you too will be judged".
Reaction
While going through the Attitudes and Beliefs Inventory I found a few that would test my
values and ethics both personally and as a counselor. For the sake of this assignment, the three
questions that resonated to me the most were, as follows: a high school student who believes she
is a lesbian and wants to discuss how to "comeout" to her parents, a man convicted of pedophilia
and court-ordered for counseling and a man recently released from jail after serving a sentence
for rape. Each of these have significant aspects to them and as a Christian, way heavy on my
heart.
In regard to the first statement on homosexuality, this topic has been one that has taken
up a lot of bandwidth in every media outlet or conversation. The rights of Gay population
benefited from movements in the 1970s and built on that momentum through the 20th and 21st
centuries (Nitsun, 2022). Homosexuality is a sin in Bible that God called an abomination. It was
also one of the main reasons Sodom and Gamora was destroyed. God created man and after a
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Attitudes and Beliefs
woman for him to have a companion. My first thought is God does not make mistakes, so when
he created a woman for Adam, he did so with reproduction in mind. Those who are proponents
of homosexuality implying that God made is not perfect and mistakenly has them in love with
someone of the same sex. This was a topic I had to dig deep and have the Holy Spirit work
through me in order for me to understand even though they believe in homosexuality, I must
accept them as a person but do not have to accept what they are doing.
In response to the second statement regarding pedophilia, this topic is very difficult to
understand for me. As a father of three, I cannot come to the understanding how anyone could
think that any feelings or touching of a child is "okay." When hear of or see shows of adults
preying on children, it puts a knot in my stomach. Someone may have experienced some trauma
of their own that brought them to the point of pursuing a child, but there is no excuses for
stealing a child's innocence from them.
Lastly the statement regarding the man who served time for rape angers me just as much
as the second. Having consensual sex with someone is such a "weak" move in my eyes. I could
not imagine anyone I love going through such a traumatic event. I am a military Sexual Assault
Prevention and Response Volunteer Victim Advocate and I get infuriated every time I get a call
on my hotline because of the trauma it causes the victim. Rapist dismiss God's vision of sex
which is beautiful and something a man and woman does to consummate their marriage.
Response
I personally struggle with homosexuality because of my upbringing and my salvation.
The Christian values that were instilled in me have been branded on my heart. In an article by
Weber and Urick (2023) they said, "Values are fundamental beliefs that convey what is
important in many various aspects of one’s life. They guide perspectives and behaviors, and
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Attitudes and Beliefs
influence prioritization among available decision options" (pg. 113). I have read the Bible front-
to-back many times and each time it speaks of homosexuality as one of the cardinal sins. I grew
up in a household with my father, mother, and three siblings. I was taught that God created man
and woman. They would have discussions with us all the time about dating and relationships.
Having a same sex partner was never spoken about. I attended a non-denominational, full-gospel
church. My Pastor would always say speak the words, "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam
and Steve." We all took that for a joke most times but in all reality, there is one-hundred percent
truth in that statement.
I have family members who are homosexual and I have a hard time understanding why or
how that could be. They attended the same church I did and was raised is the very same way and
believed we all had the matching morals, values and beliefs. I know God is merciful and shows
us grace but am a firm believer that God will not allow a homosexual in heaven even though they
attend church every Sunday and live a "righteous" life. God tells us to repent and turn from our
wicked ways. Romans 3: 23-24 states, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and
all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus"(Holy
Bible, New International Version, 2011). God can and will redeem all those who come to him
but we must bring our sins to the feet of the alter.
Pedophilia is very challenging for me to wrap my head around. As stated before, I am a
father of three and I do not even want to think of what or how I would feel if something so
flagrant would have or happen to them. At one point in my life, I asked God if he would ever
forgive someone who did something so egregious. However, I know that God does and will
forgive anyone who is embattled with such mental disability. I am a firm believer, that no one in
a sound mental state could bring themselves to touch a child in an inappropriate manner. I
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learned from my parents, family and my church that we should protect the innocence of you
children.
In the same thought of pedophilia, my thoughts on rape is I cannot bring myself to ever
understand what would make someone forcefully have sex with another human being. We all
want to be loved and what it feels like but stealing it does not fill that void. My family and faith
has gotten me to understand that taking advantage of anyone for anything is not the right choice.
We should treat others as we want to be treated. The trauma that ensues after a rape is immense
and takes a tremendous amount of coping and healing to overcome.
Action
It is vitally important that counselors understand that they will work with a very diverse
client base. The individuals who walk through the doors are dealing with something and that
something could be against everything you stand for. I as a counselor who is a Christian must be
even more mindful that I should accept all people no matter what they believe, have done or
thinking. This may not be an easy tasks at times but if we are to be a beacon of light to those who
are in dark places, we need to put our faith in God to allow him to guide our hearts and minds. I
know I must be in a place of acceptance before I can assist any client. My heart must be softened
because of the values and beliefs I hold strong.
I must come to the understanding that a homosexual client is a person who may have
some past hurts, that may have brought them to the place to where they may not trust someone of
the opposite sex anymore. Their security blanket has become an individual from the same sex. I
recently received some news that someone very close to me was dating and is now engaged to
someone of the same sex. At first thought I was distraught but after some self-reflection I began
to ponder why a person with two children and a couple of grandkids decide now is the time to
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Attitudes and Beliefs
pursue a lesbian lifestyle. I am aware of their past relationships of: a couple divorces and a vast
amount of men coming in and out of her life. I then began to empathize with her on a personal
level and understand the hurt she was feeling. God had to show me that yes, it is sin but there is
also a broken heart/person on the other side of it. I do not have to accept or agree with the actions
of homosexuality but I will continue to love and accept the person as a special person in my life.
In regards to pedophilia and rape, these are issues that will take the most work on my
part. My head and heart even as I type this is heavy just thinking about this subject. I work with
victims (I call the clients) of sexual abuse and my heart hurts for them. I have yet to deal with the
other side of the coin on the subject. I would need to show some compassion to who have
sexually abused another individual. Society, in most cases, has already written them off. They
are being judged day-in and day-out so having someone they can speak with in order for them to
deal with their personal issue is vitally important. Everyone needs to be given a chance to
change. In the article by Leveson and Grady (2019) they stated, "Mental health professionals
should be committed to providing access to client-centered and compassionate care for all who
seek it" (pg. 4296). Not only that, as a counselor who is Christian, I need to show grace just as
Jesus Christ and others have shown me throughout my life. God sent his son to the Earth to
reconcile all of our sins, no matter what they are. There is no sin that God cannot redeem you
from as long as you bring it to him and turn away with a clean heart. The most important
statement is the individual must be convicted enough to do whatever it takes. I would trust God
to do the work in me in order for me to help guide my client to do the work for themselves. The
power of redemption can help someone overcome any and everything. I know I would need
God's help to saturate my heart and mind with forgiveness and grace so that I may have the same
for these particular clients in my care.
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Attitudes and Beliefs
Overall, as a counselor self-care is important so that we are able to be the best version of
ourselves for our clients. Feeding ourselves with positivity spiritually, mentally and physically
gives us the ability to stay strong for the clients we serve. I know I will not always have the same
beliefs or values as my clients but as long as I continue to understand that everyone deserves
assistance to heal and forms of grace. I must continue to train and learn about my own values
that could potentially create biases; which enhance my overall awareness and education on each
matter (Bayne et al., 2020).
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References
Bayne, H. B., Harness, L., Kane, B., & Warfield, M. (2020). Christian counselors and
affirmative counseling of Lesbian and gay clients. Journal of Counseling &
Development, 99(1), 60–71. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12354
Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Matthew 7:1. Zondervan.
Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Romans 3: 23-24. Zondervan.
Levenson, J. S., & Grady, M. D. (2019). “I could never work with those people .K.K. ”: Secondary
prevention of child sexual abuse via a brief training for therapists about pedophilia.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(20), 4281–4302.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519869238
Manning, R. R. (2021). Mutual enrichment between psychology and theology (pp. xix, 268).
Nitsun, M. (2022). Response to Stuart Stevenson’s paper — ‘the impact of homophobic
trauma on gay men.’ Group Analysis, 56(1), 81–84.
https://doi.org/10.1177/05333164221136068
Weber, J., & Urick, M. J. (2021). Searching for a stronger generational understanding than just
age: A multi-country analysis of Millennials’ Personal Values and moral reasoning.
Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 21(1), 110–135.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2021.1951920
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