Yhomit 2016925 quick responses

 

Discussion 1 by Kelia

From a Christian perspective, the Bible provides a fundamental truth about suffering. According to God’s word pain was not intended for humankind. Genesis 1:27 (International Standard Version) says, “So God created mankind in his image; in his image God created them; [an] he created them male and female.” Therefore, when humanity was created, there was no physical pain, emotional pain, and no suffering. Death and suffering came into existence when Adam and Eve failed to obey God’s explicit instruction after Satan’s deceitfulness.

In essence, Satan is the source who introduced emotional and physical suffering. Moreover, God has given humanity free will to distinguish right from wrong with an unwavering knowledge that our choices have consequences. Yet, God has given us the most wonderful and the undeserving gift of Jesus Christ as our redeemer.

The case scenario provided in this week assignment exemplifies a prominent struggle in society, divorce. Some of the pain that humanity deals with is unavoidable and some are redemptive, but the majority of it is needless (as cited in Brewer & Peters (n.d.), “Spirituality, suffering and counseling Dynamics”).  Divorce can bring much suffering to the individuals who are going through the separation and to their children and loved ones. At times the separation may be amicable. However most of the times couples are not prepared to confront the pain and suffering caused by the decision made, and the divorce proceeding can get distressing.

Consequently, causing a lot of psychological and physiological damage to the individuals involved in the process.

The client in the case scenario presented will highly benefit from the assistance of a counselor who embraces the principle of integrative counseling. First, the main concept that will allow me to help my client efficiently is to believe that it is necessary to see the client from a redemptive worldview perspective (as cited in Brewer & Peters (n.d.), “Integration of Psychology”). So that I may be able to encourage and help the client seek the vital relationship found through Jesus Christ. This will comprise my ability to be able to conceptualize, adhere and apply all of the seven earmarks of the integrative counseling spectrum.

The Second concept that I will be making use of, is self-awareness and humility. Also, part of the seven earmarks of integrative counseling.  Self-awareness and humility are intra-personal qualities (as cited in Brewer & Peters (n.d.), “Integration of Psychology”).  These qualities are essential in building rapport with a consumer. It reflects the genuineness, empathy and compassion. Most importantly, it is a way of life (as cited in Brewer & Peters (n.d.), “Integration of Psychology”). It shows that the love of Christ is in the counselor’s heart, and therefore, my best interest is to help the client thrive and transcend all of the negative experiences suffered throughout the divorce process. I will help my client conceptualize that she should not give power to the negative experience to define her future. Thriving and transcending will allow my client to heal and to take that negative experience and transform it into a meaningful and purposeful personal narrative.

The third concept that I will be introducing is listening. Listening is a skill that is vital in the counseling field. According to the third-week lecture not only do we listen with our ears, but also with our eyes (as cited in Brewer & Peters (n.d.), “Spirituality, suffering and counseling Dynamics”). It is vital to pay attention to the body language of my client. The skill of listening will allow me to pick up on the “non-verbal” cues of my client that will allow me to identify “faulty thinking” that my client may be rationalizing (as cited in Brewer & Peters (n.d.), “Spirituality, suffering and counseling Dynamics”). Once the rapport has been established, I can help my client confront her faulty thinking.

The fourth concept that I will make use of in the counseling process is the integration of hospitality. Hospitality is a powerful tool that will permit the client to see me as a real person without the need of self-disclosing personal details so that I can build a relationship with her. Hospitality will be of great avail to my client because she can relate to the fact that she is not the only person suffering in the world but that her counselor also experiences suffering as a part of life (as cited in Brewer & Peters (n.d.), “Spirituality, suffering and counseling Dynamics”).

The fifth and final concept that I will integrate to the counseling session is the use of both implicit and explicit prayer along with the Word of God. However, the level of prayer and scripture reading must be parallel and appropriate to the client’s level of faith development and suitable for the level of my relationship with my client (as cited in Brewer & Peters (n.d.), “Spirituality, suffering and counseling Dynamics”).

The concepts that I have chosen to utilize with this case will help and encourage my client identify needless suffering. Once my client can identify the needless suffering she is experiencing she will then be able to feel immediate relief. She will no longer feel that feeling of futility, but instead, she will experience hope.

Finally, it is important to understand that as counselors to promote change we need always to be aware of our limitations, prejudices and personal flaws. As counselors, we may be able to help consumers with their suffering but in order, for an inner transformation to take place we must always seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we need to be self-aware of our limitations and humbly invite the Holy Spirit to abide within us so that we can be God’s conduits that inspire inner and outer transformation that leads individuals to have a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ that will last a lifetime.

References

Brewer, G., & Peters, C. (n.d.). COUN 506 Week One, Lecture One: Integration of psychology and Christianity: why bother? [PowerPoint]. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.

 

Brewer, G., & Peters, C. (n.d.).  COUN 506 Week Three, Lecture Three:  Spirituality, suffering and counseling Dynamics [PowerPoint].  Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.

Discussion 2 by Jazmine

In order to be effective when counseling hurting clients I believe that I must be honest with my own beliefs and utilize concepts that will lead them to the path of redemption. However, Brewer and Peters (n.d.) hit it home for me by reemphasizing that I must evaluate the reason why I am engaging in certain interventions with the clients. In my counseling experience I was making the mistake that Hawkins and Clinton (2015) warned us to avoid, and that is to not be so quick to help heal the suffering because then they will not learn from it. The reason behind their suggestion makes perfect sense but I was satisfying my fear of not being helpful. There are several concepts that I would like to implement that I have not tried at all or given it the time to mature that I feel a natural inclination towards.

A starting point for me is to know what the client knows this gives me insight into their thinking and perceptions. So, the very first thing I wish to know is how does the client define the nature of suffering. Brewer and Peters (n.d.) explained that a person may feel that it is due to their rebellion, their purposeful destructive conduct or even as form of reprimand. Addressing this can highlight the awareness or lack of awareness that client may have, leading to many other areas where exploration may be needed. Next, I feel it is important to address the client’s view of sin and what role they play, if any, in that iniquity. This is very applicable regardless of client’s religious background; I would have to change sin into offense. McMinn (2011) discusses how we are accomplices in sin and to view ourselves as victims is not accepting our spiritual condition of brokenness. This is not to say you were not a victim of a sinful environment but you are responsible for the decisions that you make that include sinful ones. At the end it may highlight faulty thinking that is preventing healing.

  Another important concept I wish to incorporate is more hospitality. In Brewer and Peters’ (n.d.) presentation they expounded on the importance of hospitality, and it just highlighted that we can focus on the clients need but we must also confront issues that will help them. My natural inclination is to be supportive in counseling and confront sometimes to far in when it should have been sooner. If we are to help our clients becomes friends with themselves I feel that should include the challenging the areas that are not beneficial. Clients are not the only ones that are challenged thought.

According to Brewer and Peters (n.d.) one of our roles in Christian counseling is to be constant observers but if we are always talking then how much observing are we doing? This is why I feel solidarity is extremely important and beneficial when helping clients during their suffering. The example Brewr and Peters (n.d.) shared of Job’s friends just sitting their with him for many days without speaking just partaking in his sorrow. I think they messed up once they broke the silence but that is just my rant. However, we make the same mistake when we break the silence to quick or when we feel we must inject a sentence after a client’s sentence. Lastly, in any therapeutic relationship it is important for clients to understand the role of the counselor and what they should expect from them. Brewer and Peters (n.d.) explains that the typical inclination for clients is to want a drive-thru healing, and we do not have a menu for them to order a quick healing. A well informed client will be prepared of what to expect, not to say that they will not ask from time to time given the gravity of their sorrow. However, educating them on my role as their counselor can prevent any faulty thinking and if any arises it can be processed and used as a learning experience as well.

            In helping my client, Jamie, I would follow Hawkins and Clinton’s (2015) guidance and attend to her pain. This can be done by allowing her to express all the emotions so I can observe and reassess her narrative. Based on her state, we may also need to adapt her current action plan since it appears to not be addressing the reduction of her pain. Then as gently as possible I would reiterate my role as her counselor, and that the healing process is different for everyone. I wish to instill hope for her but not dependence on me as her counselors. Lastly I would try to encourage by reminding her that in every suffering God is working behind the scene, the challenge is to trust him.

 

References

Brewer, G., & Peters, C. (n.d.). COUN 506 Week Three Lecture Three: Spirituality, suffering, and counseling dynamics. [PowerPoint]. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.

Hawkins, R., & Clinton, T. (2015). The new Christian counselor: A fresh Biblical and transformational approach. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers.

McMinn, M. (2011).  Psychology, theology, and spirituality in Christian counseling. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.