Chapter 4
Based on the definitions given in the chapter for a Christian
counselor, pastoral counselor, lay counselor, biblical counselor, and
professional counselor with a Christian worldview, which of these
roles do you currently identify with or aspire to the most and why?
What are some issues that you need to pay attention to in your
professional development as you navigate between professional
counseling and the Christian faith commitments that you may
have?
The four types of Christian counselors include pastoral counselor, lay
counselor, biblical counselor, and professional counselor with a Christian
worldview. The type of Christian counselor that I currently identify with and
aspire to the most is a professional counselor with a Christian worldview.
Being a professional counselor with a Christian worldview, it is imperative to
follow the guidelines of ethics that the American Counseling Association
provides. One of the reasons why I would identify as a professional
counselor with a Christian worldview is that I do not expect all my clients to
believe in God or all of my clients to be Christians. I would also identify as a
professional counselor because I hope to obtain my LCPC once I finish grad
school. Some issues that I need to pay attention to in my professional
development as I navigate between professional counseling and the
Christian faith commitments is to rid myself of all biases I may have
pertaining to a particular culture, religion, community etc. I would need to
remind myself that Jesus loves all people and helped people from all walks of
life I am to do the same. I also need to make sure I do not unintentionally
impose my own beliefs on to others when it comes to my spirituality and
religion. I am to meet clients where they are in their journey and try to lead
them down the road to healing.
How do your views align with an integration model? What
challenges do you foresee in using an integration model?
In our textbook, Entwistle’s integration models are explained. The model
that I identify most with is the allies model. I will apply the allies model to my own
life by being a servant of God and spreading the Gospel whenever I can in order to bring people
all over the world closer to God. My goal is to look beyond solving people’s immediate issues at
hand. Ultimately, my goal is to help client’s find their purpose in life and help people to achieve
eternal life in any way that I can. In order to use the allies model in my professional practice, it
is vital to make sure my client believes in God and is interested in establishing an intimate
relationship with Him. According to Entwistle, my client would have to believe that God’s truth
is revealed in God’s Work as well as God’s Word (2015). A challenge I foresee with using the
allies model is that if I were to impose my own beliefs and values upon my client, then I would
be breaking standard A.4.b. of the ACA Code of Ethics. Therefore, I need to make sure I have
knowledge of my client’s beliefs and worldview. My client may hold the belief of one of the
other five models, and that is something I will need to accept and work through. Entwistle
emphasizes the idea of “loving our neighbor” in the allies model. The bible talks about loving
our neighbor as one of the greatest commandments and states, “The second is this: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these’” (Open Bible, Mark
12:31). In order to be a servant of God and believer of the allies model, it is always important
to love your neighbor and extend a helping hand to others regardless of their culture, beliefs,
sex, religion, etc.
How might Code A.4.b of theACA Code of Ethics(2014) relate to
you as you pursue a degree in professional counseling? How could
you operate as a counselor from a Christianworldview and not
impose your own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors onto your
clients?
The ACA code of ethics can always be used when an ethical dilemma arises and is the
framework which counselors are to work within. Specifically, standard A.4.b under the ACA
code of ethics may relate to me as I pursue a degree in professional counseling. Standard A.4.b
states that counselors are not to impose their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors onto your clients. This may be a tough standard to abide by as it is our jobs as
disciples to spread the Gospel and bring people closer to God. Sometimes, I believe that a lot of
client’s problems would be lessened if they were pushed towards God’s love. This will be hard
for me as I talk about my spirituality often but will need to refrain in doing so as it is unethical as
a professional counselor. My goal to operate as a counselor from a Christian worldview and not
impose my own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors onto my client is by rather than using
Scripture, I will do my best to image God. This means being present with my clients in a
nonjudgmental way. My hope is that maybe my clients will see how God works through me and
would, in turn, want to seek Him out. Lastly, I could operate as a counselor from a Christian
worldview and not impost my own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors onto my clients by
acknowledging the fact that my clients are not always going to hold the same beliefs and values
as me and respect that we, as human, all hold different values and beliefs and that’s ok. I will
also be empathetic towards them and make sure that I listen without bias.
Thank you so much for watching my video discussion post on integration and I hope everyone
has a great week.
References
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved September 12, 2020,
from https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
Entwistle, D. N. (2015). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: An introduction
to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration (3rd ed.).
Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.
Open Bible. (2020). Retrieved September 12, 2020 from
https://www.openbible.info/topics/love_your_neighbor_as_yourself
REPLY TO TYLER BEAM
Hey Tyler
Thank you so much for your video blog on integration. I enjoyed your video and loved to hear
your perspective on integration.
I liked how you mentioned that sometimes our faith comes to the surface without us even
realizing it and importance of deciphering between when it is and is not appropriate.
I believe that it is appropriate to bring up God when clients wish to integrate spirituality into
their sessions.
Personally, I would be ecstatic if any of my clients wanted to include spirituality in counseling.
According to Tan, as a Christian counselor, it is important to be aware of the legal and ethical
issues pertaining to psychotherapy and Christian counseling (2011). First, I would have to make
sure my client wants to integrate spirituality in counseling. It would be unethical for me to
proceed with Christian counseling without my client’s permission and would not align with
standard a.4.b of the ACA code of ethics.
A way I would integrate spirituality in my counseling sessions is to love my clients just like God
does. I would avoid client harm at all costs.
I also like how you mentioned as a Christian counselor having high character with compassion
and showing good stewardship and integrity. I think these are important attributes in carrying
out best practice.
I also agree with you in that it is not our job as counselors to impose our own values and beliefs
onto our clients, although this can be tough at times.
In addition, a challenge for me will be to put all biases aside thatI may have pertaining to my
clients beliefs and values. It is likely that my beliefs and values will not always align with my
clients, and that is ok and normal. That being said, it is vital that we always listen to our clients
in a nonjudgmental manner.
Thanks again and I’m Looking forward to reading more of your posts as the semester goes on!
References
Hello Amanda,
I enjoyed your video post on integration and found it to be very detailed in your description and
examples of integration.
Like you, I will identify as a professional counselor with a Christian worldview.
In the textbook, Simmons, Lilley, & Kuhnley mention that it may or may not be appropriate for
counselors to include an explicit statement of their faith or worldview in the informed consent
offered to clients, although I think in a more secular counseling environment it would be
inappropriate to do so. This would risk imposing our values, attitudes, beliefs, and behavoirs
into our clients which would violate standard A.4.b of the ACA code of ethics.
According to Simmons, Lilley, & Kuhnley, when working as a professional counselor with a
Christian worldview, our job is to imitate Christ’s character when working with our clients
(2020). 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Let all that you do be done in love”. As a professional
counselor with a christian worldview, it is vital that we counsel with love and patience.
I like how you mentioned that we will probably encounter many individuals with different faith.
I agree with you in that fingerpointing when we don’t necessarily agree with our clients’ choices
and values is something that we should never do. I believe it is our job to listen and guide our
clients without judgement.
I also agree with you in that we should have a clear understanding of our clients beliefs and
worldview in order to provide best practice.
I like how you mentioned the technique of bracketing when nagivating and making sure we are
in alignment with standard A.4.b of the ACA code of ethics.
Thanks again and good luck in pursuing your counseling degree. I’m sure you’ll do great!
References
100 Bible Verses about Love. What Does the Bible Say About Love? (n.d.).
https://www.openbible.info/topics/love.5
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved September 12, 2020,
from https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
Simmons, R., Lilley, S., & Kuhnley, A.K. (Eds). (2020). Introduction to Counseling: Integration of
Faith, Professional Identity, and Clinical Practice. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
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