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DB suffering clients 506
Integration of Spiritualty and Counseling (Liberty
University)
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DB suffering clients 506
Thread: For this discussion, we consider how to counsel suffering clients.
The class lectures, your textbooks, such as Neff & McMinn Chapter 1, all
discuss the concept of suffering, lament, and factors guiding how we
counsel those who are struggling with trauma and pain. In fact, a careful
reading of the Reading & Study materials indicates numerous concepts
and principles that we could apply as we counsel those who are hurting.
1.
Considering the numerous points that were made, make a list of at least 5
concepts (“questions to ask myself as I counsel those who are suffering. . .
“) that you found particularly helpful, insightful, unique, or had not thought
about before. What guidelines would you particularly emphasize as you
counsel hurting people?
2.
Then consider this client’s statement: Client: “Dr. Counselor, I have been
coming to you now for six weeks. I am not sure that counseling is working. I
don’t feel any better now than when we started talking. Why are you not
helping to remove this pain that I am feeling?” If your client expects that
you help to remove the suffering, how would you respond, based on what
you learned from your study for the week?
Make sure to integrate appropriate concepts from the class sources,
previous courses you may have taken, passages of Scripture that directly
relate to the concept, or ethical considerations from the ACA Code of Ethics
(2014) and cite correctly, per current APA format.
Replies: As you reply to your classmates, probe their answers. Did they
justify why their list of concepts was so important—or non-obvious? Was
their answer to the client persuasive? Make sure to integrate appropriate
concepts from the class sources, previous courses you may have taken,
passages of Scripture that directly relate to the concept, or ethical
considerations from the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) and cite correctly, per
current APA format.
Five concepts that I found to be helpful, insightful, unique or had not thought about before.
Neff and McMinn (2020), ask the question, “What does your relationship with grief look like?” I
had to do some introspective work because I handle my grief differently then I handle others.
With my own grief I tend to constrict, hold it in, rationalize why it happened and push myself to
move on. I find it much harder to be compassionate with myself then others. I will allow others
to expand, but I allow little room for processing my own grief. This is important discovery for
me, because how can I really go into the pain of clients if I have a difficult time facing my own
pain?
By reading Neff and McMinn (2020), I discovered that lament involves suffering, crying out and
giving a voice to our deep aches. I learned that lament resists the way things are and wants to
move to make things better. I now understand that lament is something we never move out of.
As Neff and McMinn (2020) say, lament leads us deeper into the heart of God. This is certainty
important to recognize that lament is a journey not a destination.
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A beautiful goal that the presentation Christian spirituality and the ministry of counseling
mentions (Peters, n.d.a), describes the clients as strangers to us (the counselor), a stranger to God
and to themselves. Our job is to convert them to be a friend to us, God and themselves. A couple
of ways I found meaningful, is risk asking the tough questions and to care enough to set with
them in their anger and through their tears.
I was amazed to learn that hospitality is a form of solidarity. I had never seen this gift of
welcoming as an act of giving the sufferer a place to rest. In the story of Zacchaeus found in
Luke 19:1-10 (New International Version, 2001), I always saw Zacchaeus as the one who was
being hospitable to Jesus by taking him home. Now reading it from this perspective I now see
that Jesus was the one offering hospitality through his “seeing” Zacchaeus in the tree and
offering a heartfelt welcome as Peters (n.d.b) says in the presentation. This concept is so
important because it gives us an opportunity to be a safe place for our client to be, just as Jesus
was for Zacchaeus by being non-judgmental, loving, a warm place to rest a burdened heart.
Some of the guidelines that I would use for myself as a counselor is remembering that I am
called to be a vessel though which the Holy Spirit works. I do not heal or restore the Holy
Spirit does and I need to relay on him. Secondly, I need to remember that I do not need to fix
but have the posture of a servant to my client. It is not about the techniques; I just need to make
myself available (Peters n.d.b)
A client who expects me (as their counselor) to fix their problem, I would respond as follows by:
Clarifying my role as a counselor. I am here to walk though this difficulty with you. I would
explain to the client that I do not have the solution or answers. I cannot make the suffering go
away. By explaining my role as counselor, I am helping in the healing process (Peters n.d.b). I
would also explain to my fellow Christian client that Jesus promises to comfort those who mourn
(Matt 5:4, New International Version, 2001), and I as a counselor am there to help with the
process of mourning, lamenting, and grieving.
References
Neff, A. M. & McMinn, M. R. (2020). Embody integration: A fresh look at Christianity in the
therapy room. Intervarsity Press.
New International Bible. (2001). Women’s Devotional Bible. Zondervan.
Peters, C. (n.d.a). COUN 506 Week Three, Lecture One: Christian spirituality and the ministry
of counseling [Power Point]. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.
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Peters, C. (n.d.b). COUN 506 Week Three, Lecture Three: Spirituality, suffering and counseling
dynamics [PowerPoint]. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.
Replies: As you reply to your classmates, probe their answers. Did they justify why their list
of concepts was so important—or non-obvious? Was their answer to the client persuasive?
Make sure to integrate appropriate concepts from the class sources, previous courses you
may have taken, passages of Scripture that directly relate to the concept, or ethical
considerations from the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) and cite correctly, per current APA
format.
When I consider clients that are suffering, the first thing that comes to my mind is. Is
this the
reason they are coming to counseling? In the chapter readings Neff & McMinn it
talks about looking beyond spiritual defenses that might keep our client from
experiences the fullness of life by God (Neff & McMinn, 2020). In my opinion, this is
very important because as a counselor I have to be keen on spiritual warfare, and
the things that are going on with clients. Some guidelines that I would emphasize
when counseling hurting people it to maintain counselor and client boundaries.
These boundaries will be very important not only to the clients whom are suffering,
but also to self-care of the counselor.
When considering the client’s comments in regard to coming to counseling for sex
weeks and not feeling better the first thing I would remind the client it there is no
time for healing.
I would remind the client that each person is different, while some clients may only
need one or two sessions it may take over a year for other clients. When having a
client that is so much pain, and they are feeling as if they are stuck in the
counseling session, I would offer the client a choice to receive counseling from
another counselor if he or she feels they need someone else. I would encourage
the client to understand that as a counselor, I can not take away their feelings of
pain and suffering. I would however offer the client tools to be able to help deal and
cope with what they are feeling.
