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Prayer and counseling DB
Integration of Spiritualty and Counseling (Liberty
University)
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Peters, C. (n.d.). COUN 506 Week Six, Lecture One: Prayer and Christian counseling
[PowerPoint]. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.
Hawkins, R., & Moitinho, E. (n.d.). COUN 506 Week Six: Prayer and the Christian counselor
[Video]. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.
Thread: The online lectures suggested some “cautions” or possible negative impacts when using
prayer and Scripture in counseling. The importance of those cautions may be better understood
in seeking to apply prayer and scripture with a client. Read the case study below and respond to
the following:
1. What would you consider the most therapeutic use of prayer with this client? Why?
2. What would you consider to be the most therapeutic use of Scripture with this
client? Why?
3. As you consider the integration of psychology and theology, discuss how you would
integrate theology into this case. What aspects from psychology would you bring into
this case?
4. How do your responses to the first two questions mesh with your response to the
third? Do they integrate?
Case Study:
Chichima is a 20-year old single woman who is the child of Nigerian immigrants. She was
referred for counseling because of a recent suicide attempt in which she ingested some pills and
then called a friend when she started experiencing some symptoms of the medication. She was
hospitalized for two weeks in her local hospital’s psychiatric unit, and upon her release, she was
referred to a local secular counselor. Because of her Christian faith, she received a referral to the
agency from her pastor. While in the hospital, she was prescribed an antidepressant and will
follow up regularly with her psychiatrist.
In her third counseling session with you, she divulges that 7 months ago, she found that she
was pregnant and decided to end the pregnancy through an abortion without telling anyone. The
due date for the baby was roughly the same time that she attempted suicide.
From your first two sessions with her, she shared that she is a Christian, but about five months
ago she pulled away from church attendance, much to the concern of her Nigerian parents who
do not know about her pregnancy and abortion. She felt that she could not pray anymore
because she felt that she had committed a terrible sin. She also reports feeling very
uncomfortable praying because of the shame she is carrying. She admits that she chose this
agency because of their Christian worldview. She knows that in order to heal, she will
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eventually have to work through the pregnancy and abortion, but the thought of participating in
any Christian practice scares her.
Replies: In your (minimum of two) replies to classmates’ posts, challenge conclusions as
appropriate.
Submit your thread by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of Module 6: Week 6 and your replies
by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the same Module: Week.
The most therapeutic prayer that I could use right now for the client would be to pray for her
outside the counseling session. As a counselor I acknowledge that God is the third party in this
session and that all healing comes from him I am just the instrument to help facilitate his work
(Hawkins & Moitinho, n.d.). I do not want to violate her freedom to self-direct (Peters n.d.) by
forcing her to start praying when it is obvious that she has an aversion to praying. I must wait
until we have had a few more sessions and explore her feelings of guilt and shame and attitude
toward religion and God.
As of now it would be best not to quote scripture but to model the principles of the Bible. Such
as hospitality, I can set with her and have an open heart of compassion, she can find there is
freedom from guilt and shame. As a counselor I can embody the freedom of Jesus, I can offer
hope and healing by assuring her that she is loved and valuable. I would read the verses from the
Bible in my own private devotional reminding me that God’s mercies are new everyday (New
International Version, 2001. Lam. 3:22) and review the story in Mark 2:1-12 (New International
Version, 2001) to see the power of forgiveness and healing Jesus has to offer.
Integrating psychology with theology, is not going to be complicated with Chichima. She has a
Christian background, so she is accustomed to Christian verbiage (such as salvation, grace,
church ect.), and sit seems that she wanted a Christian counseling agency. Therefore, I would
begin by exploring her family dynamics and upbringing. Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
(CBT), we can explore her past environment and better understand her beliefs and perceptions
about God and religion.
I believe the first two responses integrate very well by incorporating CBT and embodying the
love of Jesus through compassion. I can help Chichima move from an “outside change” to
“inside change” She has had a “dislocating” experience which has rocked her world and brought
her to question her existence (suicide) and she is also aware that she is in need of healing her
pain from the abortion (Peters n.d.). As the counseling session continue it is likely that
Chichima will see the need for healing from her childhood pain and come to see that her view of
God and religion have been damaged.
