Jo urna l o f Applie d Chris t ia n Co uns e l ing

Proverbs4:6-86Donotforsakewisdom,andshewillprotectyou;loveher,andshewillwatchoveryou.7Thebeginningofwisdomisthis:Getwisdom.Thoughitcostallyouhave,getunderstanding.8

Cherishher,andshewillexaltyou;embraceher,andshewillhonoryou.

Spons ore d by Chr is tian Couns e lors of T e xas

www.cctx .org

Volume2Number1 Spring2016 JournalofChristianCounseling

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Jo urna l o f Applie d Chris t ia n Co uns e l ing Edito ria l B o a rd

Founde r and Exe cutive Editor

John T ravis Spoe de , Jr ., Ph.D., LPC- S, LCDC, NCC, CSC

Dire c tor , Ce nte r for Re s e arch and Doctora l Studie s &

As s is tant Profe s s or a t Hous ton Baptis t Unive rs ity

Founde r and Exe cutive Editor

T om Ke nne dy, Ed.D., LPC- S

Program Coordina tor , Chr is tian Couns e ling &

As s ocia te Profe s s or a t Hous ton Baptis t Unive rs ity

Co py Edito r: Dr. Ruth Cutt ing

Jo urna l o f Applie d Chris t ia n Co uns e l ing (JACC) is the official journal of the Chr is tian Couns e lors of T e xas . JACC publis he s quality pe e r re vie we d work re late d to the fie ld of Chr is tian Couns e ling.

T y pe s o f Ac c e pta ble Ma nus c ripts : JACC will cons ide r pape rs in the following are as

• Book re vie ws re late d to lite rature in the fie ld of Chr is tian couns e ling • Lite rature re vie ws about is s ue s that Chr is tian couns e lors face • Conce ptual, policy and pos ition pape rs re late d to is s ue s and tre nds in the

fie ld of Chr is tian couns e ling. • Cas e s tudy or application of couns e ling te chnique s • Original re s e arch with an applie d focus for practitione rs in the Chr is tian

couns e ling fie ld.

***All s ubmis s ions s hould be the author’s own or iginal work and may not be s ubmitte d for cons ide ration s imultane o us ?? to multiple journals . Authors s hould not re publis h mate r ials unle s s e xpre s s wr itte n pe rmis s ion is obtaine d fro m the e dito rs o f the o rig ina l publis he rs and provide d to the e ditor ial board for cons ide ration and re vie w.

S ubmis s io n Guide line s : Manus cr ipts s hould be s ubmitte d to tke nne dy@hbu.e du and js poe de @hbu.e du. Manus cr ipts s hould be formatte d according to the Publication Manual of the Ame rican Ps ychological As s ociation (APA; 6 th e dition, 2010) and the journal’s e ditor ial policie s . Any figure s that we re not cre ate d by the author’s mus t have the pe rmis s ion of the or iginal cre ator pr ior to be ing s ubmitte d for publication with JACC. (T able s and figure s us e d in the JACC may not be copie d and us e d from anothe r author(s ) without pr ior wr itte n pe rmis s ion from that author(s ).)

***Jo urna l o f Applie d Chris t ia n Co uns e l ing is publis he d biannually in the fall and s pr ing, by the e ditor ial board thro ug h the Chr is tian Couns e lors of T e xas (www.cctx .org).

Co nte nts Le tte r f ro m the Edito rs

Art ic le s

Co uns e lo r P e rc e pt io n o f Co mpe te nc e in Addre s s ing S piritua l a nd Re l ig io us Dime ns io ns in T he ra py : Implic a t io ns fo r Co uns e lo r T ra ining Joan S . Dav is , Ph.D., S te phe n A . A rm s trong, Ph.D., & Ry an D. Fos te r, Ph.D. Wo rks ho p S umma rie s

Cre a te d fo r Re la t io ns hip: A Re s o urc e Guide fo r Inte g ra t ing F a ith a nd N e uro s c ie nc e fo r Dis tre s s e d Re la t io ns hips Pam e la Be rm e nde r, MA B e S tro ng a nd Co ura g e o us : F a ith- Inte g ra te d Ada pta t io n o f T ra uma -F o c us e d Co g nit iv e - B e ha v io ra l T he ra py fo r S uppo rt o f Child S urv iv o rs o f Ma ltre a tme nt . Ge rald E. N is s le y , Jr., Ps y .D. Applic a t io n

Et hic s C o r ne r : CACREP a nd Impo s ing ACA V a lue s o n S tude nts T om Ke nne dy, Ed.D. B o o k Re v ie w s

Re v ie w o f Ha lf T r ut hs : Go d He lp s T ho s e W ho He lp T he m s e lv e s a nd Ot he r T hing s t he B ib le Do e s n’t S a y ( B y : A d a m Ha m il t o n) Re vie w by T om Ke nne dy, Ed.D.

Re v ie w o f He lp s fo r C o uns e lo r s : A Mini- Ma nua l fo r C hr is t ia n C o uns e l ing ( B y : Dr . Ja y E. A d a m s ) Re vie we d by John Spoe de , Ph.D.

Volume2Number1 Spring2016 JournalofChristianCounseling

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Le tte r f ro m the Edito rs De ar Re ade r :

T hank you a ll for your continue d s uppor t. T he fir s t is s ue s of the Journal of Applie d Chr is tian Couns e ling (JACC) was we ll r e ce ive d. Countle s s hours have gone into the cre a tion of this journal. T he goal of this journal is s imple : Honor Je s us Chr is t and as s is t Chr is tian couns e lors in he lping the wor ld.

T hroughout the pas t s e ve ra l months , the Lord has taught me s e ve ra l things . Fir s t , Je s us Chr is t is wor thy of a ll glory, honor and pra is e . Se cond, tha t the things of God will e ndure fore ve r , and e ve n though I cannot compre he nd e te rnity God is fa ithful. Fina lly, tha t God is s ove re ign.

As I pre pare the Spr ing 2016 e dition of the JACC, know tha t we are moving forward with a s pir it of praye r and a de s ire to glor ify the name of Je s us Chr is t . T hank you to Dr . Ke nne dy for his le ade rs hip and patie nce . T hank you to the authors for s har ing your ta le nts . Fina lly, thank you to the re ade rs for your s uppor t. We we lcome your comme nts and s ubmis s ion. T oge the r we can s hare knowle dge and influe nce the de ve lopme nt of Chr is tian couns e ling around the wor ld.

T hank you for re pre s e nting the profe s s ion we ll!

Ble s s ings !

John Spoe de , Ph.D.,

LPC- S, LCDC, NCC, CSC

T o Our Fe llow Chr is tian Couns e lors :

Nothing is more re warding than he ar ing the Good Ne ws . Whe n we s it back and think about the advantage s and ble s s ings of be ing a Chr is tian, and e s pe cia lly a Chr is tian couns e lor , we s hould fa ll to our kne e s in pra is e and thanks giving.

Dr . Spode and I r e ce ive d good ne ws from s e ve ra l CCT me mbe rs who re ad the fir s t is s ue of the Journal of Applie d Chr is tian Couns e ling (JACC). T hanks to a ll of you for your s uppor tive fe e dback.

In this is s ue Chr is tian couns e lors have s ubmitte d ar tic le s s ummar izing pr ior works hops , book re vie ws , and the re is my Ethics Corne r . We have one re s e arch s tudy by thre e profe s s ors who found tha t s pir itua lly bas e d couns e ling was not taught we ll e nough to LPCs . It is a gre a t re ad.

For the ne x t is s ue we are inviting Chr is tian graduate s tude nts to s ubmit a lite ra ture re vie w on topics re le vant to the prac tice of Chr is tian couns e ling. P le as e contac t me for guide line s .

T hanks to Dr . John Spoe de for his de dica tion and dr ive to make this Journal a quality one .

As Dr . Spoe de s a id in his note , in a ll things re la te d to this journal, he and I want the m to honor God and he lp the Chr is tian couns e lor . Ame n.

In His name ,

T om Ke nne dy, Ed.D., LPC

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Artic le s Couns e lor Pe rce ption of Compe te nce in Addre s s ing Spir itua l and Re ligious Dime ns ions in

T he rapy: Implica tions for Couns e lor T ra ining Joan S . Dav is , Ph.D.

Dallas Baptis t Unive rs ity

S te phe n A . A rm s trong, Ph.D.

T e xas A&M Unive rs ity-Comme rce

Ry an D. Fos te r, Ph.D. T ar le ton Sta te

Unive rs ity

T he re s pons e s of 270 lice ns e d c linic ians we re e xamine d from two s ubgroups , Lice ns e d Profe s s ional Couns e lors (LPCs , n = 144) and Lice ns e d Profe s s ional Couns e lor Inte rns (LPC Inte rns , n = 126), conce rning the e x te nt to which the par tic ipants fe lt compe te nt to addre s s s pir itual/ re ligious inte re s ts and conce rns with c lie nts . Par tic ipants comple te d a s e lf- re por t as s e s s me nt on s pir itual compe te ncy and a s e cond as s e s s me nt which e valuate d the par tic ipants ’ couns e lor tra ining programs . Approximate ly 33% of par tic ipants indicate d the tra ining the y re ce ive d ade quate ly pre pare d the m to addre s s s pir itual and re ligious dime ns ions in the rapy. T he inte nt of this s tudy was to confirm the impor tance of inte grating re ligion and s pir ituality into the rapy and to e xplore s tra te gie s for e ffe ctive ly e ducating couns e lors - in- tra ining to compe te ntly addre s s the s e are as with the ir c lie nts .

T hough mos t adults in the Unite d Sta te s acknowle dge tha t r e ligion and s pir itua lity play an impor tant role in the ir live s (Ne wpor t, 2011) and many c linic ians and couns e lor e ducators have note d the s ignificance of s pir itua l and re ligious dime ns ions in the rapy, mos t couns e lor pre para tion programs do not provide s uffic ie nt cours e work to prope r ly tr a in s tude nts to compe te ntly addre s s re ligion and s pir itua lity with c lie nts (Adams , Puig, Baggs , & Wolf, 2015; Dobme ie r & Re ine r , 2012; Young, Wiggins - Frame , & Cas hwe ll, 2007). Fur the rmore , Cas hwe ll and Young (2011) s ta te d:

T he couns e ling profe s s ion is a t an inte re s ting s tage re garding the inte gra tion of s pir itua lity and re ligion. T he impor tance of this domain within the couns e ling proce s s is c le ar ly re cognize d, ye t a s ubs tantia l ne e d re mains for more wr iting on and tra ining in me thods for doing this compe te ntly.

Colle c tive ly, couns e lors s e e m to have re cognize d the ne e d for s he lte r , but the y are s till building the hous e . (p. 287)

McInne s and colle ague s (2006) argue d for the impor tance of e thica l aware ne s s whe n dis cus s ing s pir itua l and re ligious dime ns ions in couns e ling. Similar ly, Pos t and Wade (2009) s ta te d, “T he prac tica l que s tion for c linic ians is no longe r whe the r to addre s s the s acre d in ps ychothe rapy with re ligious and s pir itua l c lie nts , but ra the r , the que s tions are whe n and how to addre s s the s acre d” (p. 131). With the incre as ing e mphas is on tre a ting the whole pe rs on in the rapy, s pir itua lity has be e n re fe r re d to as the fifth force in couns e ling, pre ce de d by ps ychodynamics , be havior is m, humanis m, and multicultura lis m (Stanard, Sandhu, & Painte r , 2000). In a holis tic approach to the rapy, it is impor tant to inte gra te s pir itua lity and re ligion into the rapy, couns e lor tr a ining,

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and dis cus s ions of couns e lors ’ e thica l obliga tions to c lie nts . Mark McMinn, profe s s or of ps ychology a t Ge orge Fox Unive rs ity (2011), de fine d what he ca lle d intradis c iplinary inte gra tion as follows :

Intradis c iplinary inte gra tion in Chr is tian couns e ling is both conce ptua l and re la tional. Conce ptually, it draws upon impor tant ide as from the ology, ps ychology, and couns e ling the ory and offe r s prac tica l s ugge s tions for how the s e conce pts a re applie d within the dis c ipline of Chr is tian couns e ling. And prac tica lly , intradis c iplinary inte gra tion in Chr is tian couns e ling is thoroughly re la tional—e me rging out of a couns e lor ’s r e la tions hips with God and othe rs , and ultimate ly influe ncing c lie nts ’ r e la tions hips . (p. 30)

While noting the ne e d for fur the r re vis ion of ins truc tional s tra te gie s , r e s e arche rs s e e m to indica te tha t s pir itua l and re ligious topics continue to be a ne gle c te d dime ns ion in couns e lor pre para tion programs and couns e lor e ducators have had minimal pre para tion to offe r s uch tra ining (Adams , Puig, Baggs , & Wolf, 2015; Cur tis & Glas s , 2002; Dobme ie r & Re ine r , 2012; Hage , Hops on, Sie ge l, Payton, & De fanti, 2006; Souza , 2002). Couns e lors ’ lack of tr a ining re garding re ligious and s pir itua l is s ue s and the ir own unre s olve d re ligious and s pir itua l s truggle s a ls o contr ibute to he s itancy in addre s s ing re ligious and s pir itua l dime ns ions with c lie nts (Cas hwe ll, Be ntle y, & Bigbe e , 2007; Dobme ie r & Re ine r , 2012; Frame , 2000, 2003).

It was the purpos e of the cur re nt s tudy to inve s tiga te the s e lf- pe rce ive d compe te nce of lice ns e d profe s s ional couns e lors (LPCs ) and lice ns e d profe s s ional couns e lor inte rns (LPC Inte rns ) in addre s s ing re ligious and s pir itua l dime ns ions in the rapy. T he e x te nt to which par tic ipants pe rce ive d the tr a ining the y re ce ive d as providing ade quate pre para tion in this a re a was a ls o e xplore d.

T he s ample for this s tudy was randomly s e le c te d from the s ta te board of profe s s ional couns e lors in T e xas . A pe ncil and pape r 21- ite m s e lf- re por t ins trume nt, the Spir itua l Compe te ncy Scale (SCS- R- II), was maile d to 1200 randomly s e le c te d par tic ipants : 600 LPCs and 600 LPC Inte rns . A s e cond ins trume nt, the As s e s s me nt of T ra ining Expe r ie nce , de ve lope d by the re s e arche rs , was a ls o inc lude d.

A tota l of 270 us able s urve ys we re re turne d from the two s ubgroups : LPCs (n = 144) and LPC Inte rns (n = 126). Of the 270 par tic ipants , 53% we re couns e lors and 47% we re inte rns . Accordingly, 224 (83%) we re fe male and 46 (17%) we re male . Ove r two- thirds (68%) indica te d the y re ce ive d the ir couns e lor tr a ining a t a s e cular unive rs ity and s lightly le s s than one -third from a fa ith- bas e d ins titution. T he par tic ipant pool was compos e d of 25 (9%) c linic ians who ide ntifie d the ms e lve s as Afr ican Ame r ican, 9 (3%) As ian, 4 (2%) Bi- rac ia l, 214 (79%) Caucas ian, and 14 (5%) His panic .

According to Robe r ts on (2010), c re a tor of the Spir itua l Compe te ncy

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Scale (SCS- R- II), compe te ncy is indica te d by a minimum s core of 105 on the SCS- R- II. T he ove ra ll me an s core of the cur re nt s ample was 99 .32, fa lling s hor t of the minimum s core of 105. For LPCs , the me an s core was 99.39 (SD = 15.477). T he me an s core for LPC-Inte rns was 99 .25 (SD = 13.851). Of the par tic ipants in the cur re nt s tudy, approx imate ly 41% of the re s ponde nts s core d a cumula tive s core of 105 or be tte r on the SCS- R- II as s e s s me nt.

Whe n as ke d if the ir graduate tr a ining pre pare d the m to addre s s s pir itua l and re ligious dime ns ions compe te ntly, only 31% of the LPCs and 36% of the LPC Inte rns agre e d. In addition, 37% of the LPCs and 42% of

the LPC Inte rns re por te d tha t the ir cours e work provide d the ne ce s s ary tr a ining to unde rs tand dive rs e s pir itua l/ re ligious be lie fs . Although the e mphas is on the inc lus ion of s pir itua l and re ligious cons truc ts in couns e lor e ducation s e e ms to be incre as ing, only 17% of LPCs and 21% of LPC Inte rns indica te d tha t the ir couns e ling de gre e programs provide d tra ining in the us e of s pir itua l and re ligious inte rve ntions (T able 1). T he s e findings s uppor t the ne e d for more focus e d tra ining in s pir itua l and re ligious dime ns ions in the rapy. In addition, fur the r de s cr iption of what cons titute s s pir itua l and/or re ligious inte rve ntions s hould be e xplore d.

T able 1 : A s s e s s m e nt of T raining Re s ults by Pe rce ntage

Pe rce ntage of LPCs and LPC Inte rns Who A gre e d with Sta te me nts about T he ir T ra ining

T ra ining Sta te me nts LPC’s LPC Inte rns

T he tra ining I r e ce ive d inc lude d the s tudy of 44 67 s pir itua l/ re ligious dime ns ions . T he cours e work I comple te d provide d the knowle dge 37 42 ne ce s s ary to unde rs tand dive rs e s pir itua l/ re ligious be lie fs . T he cours e work I comple te d provide d tra ining in the us e 17 21 of s pir itua l/ re ligious inte rve ntions . My couns e ling s upe rvis or provide d oppor tunitie s to 42 65 dis cus s c lie nts ' s pir itua l/ re ligious conce rns . Ove ra ll, the tr a ining I r e ce ive d has pre pare d me to 31 36 addre s s c lie nt s pir itua lity in a compe te nt manne r .

Six te e n pe rce nt of the par tic ipants comple te d a s e para te cours e addre s s ing s pir itua l and re ligious dime ns ions . Me an SCS- R- II s core s for par tic ipants who comple te d a cours e de dica te d s ole ly to addre s s ing s pir itua l and/or re ligious conce rns was 104.84 (n = 37, SD = 9 .619). Me an s core s for re s ponde nts who comple te d a cours e on dive rs ity which inc lude d information on addre s s ing s pir itua l and/or re ligious conce rns was 100.40 (n = 144, SD = 14.198). For par tic ipants whos e tra ining did not addre s s s pir itua l and re ligious conce rns , the me an SCS- R- II s core was 92 .38 (n = 56, SD = 16.531). T he s e s core s s e e m to s uppor t the e fficacy of offe r ing a cours e de dica te d s ole ly to addre s s ing s pir itua l and re ligious dime ns ions in the rapy.

In a re ce nt s tudy by Adams , Puig, Baggs , and Wolf (2015), the re s e arche rs e xamine d the vie ws of couns e lor e ducators to he lp ide ntify s tra te gie s for ove rcoming pe rce ive d bar r ie r s to the inte gra tion of re ligion and s pir itua lity into couns e lor tr a ining. T he s tra te gie s inc lude d incre as e d par tic ipa tion in continuing e ducation oppor tunitie s , he ighte ne d aware ne s s of s e lf and othe rs , and cur r iculum- s pe cific re comme ndations . T he pane l agre e d tha t the “lack of aware ne s s of r e ligion and s pir itua lity in couns e ling is the pr imary obs tac le to inte gra ting re ligious /s pir itua l topics into cur r iculum” (p. 52).

Par tic ipants ’ r e s pons e s indica te d tha t continuing e ducation is the mos t e ffe c tive s tra te gy for addre s s ing couns e lor e ducators ’ lack of aware ne s s

of the role of re ligious and s pir itua l dime ns ions in the rapy and couns e lor tr a ining. Me mbe rs of the pane l a ls o affirme d the impor tance of couns e lors ’ incre as e d aware ne s s of the ir own re ligious and s pir itua l be lie fs and the be lie fs of the ir c lie nts . In addition, par tic ipants ’ r e s pons e s s uppor te d the re comme ndation tha t couns e lor e ducators s hould cons ide r inte gra ting re ligious and s pir itua l dime ns ions into e ve ry cours e in the ir r e s pe ctive couns e ling programs . T his finding s uppor ts the ide a of a compre he ns ive infus ion of s pir itua l and re ligious dime ns ions throughout the couns e ling cur r iculum, s imilar to McMinn’s intradis c iplinary approach to inte gra tion.

T he cur re nt s tudy s uppor ts the pos ition of othe r authors who acknowle dge tha t mos t couns e lor pre para tion programs do not provide s uffic ie nt cours e work and tra ining to compe te ntly addre s s re ligious and s pir itua l dime ns ions in the rapy (Adams , Puig, Baggs , & Wolf, 2015; Dobme ie r & Re ine r , 2012; Young, Wiggins - Frame , & Cas hwe ll, 2007). Bas e d on this de fic it , we re comme nd tha t pre para tion programs provide s ubs tantia lly more didac tic and c linica l tr a ining in addre s s ing re ligious and s pir itua l is s ue s . In addition, couns e lor tr a ining programs appe ar to be inade quate in providing c linica l inte rve ntions s pe c ifica lly de s igne d to re s pond to c lie nts ’ conce rns about and inte re s ts in re ligious and s pir itua l matte r s . Additional inve s tiga tion is ne ce s s ary to e xplore cur r icular mode ls and me thods of infus ing tra ining in s pir itua l and re ligious

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compe te ncy into couns e lor tr a ining. T his proce s s may ne e d to be initia te d by additional tr a ining for couns e lor e ducators . Infus ion of s pir itua l and re ligious dime ns ions into couns e lor tr a ining is unlike ly unle s s the e ducators the ms e lve s re ce ive compre he ns ive ins truc tion in this a re a .

Addre s s ing re ligious and s pir itua l dime ns ions in the rapy de mands an unde niable role in e ffe c tive , holis tic prac tice . As re s e arche rs s e e m to indica te , the major ity of Ame r icans profe s s e s be lie f in s ome highe r powe r and many are ac tive ly involve d in an organize d re ligious ins titution. T he implica tion is tha t mos t c lie nts will pre s e nt for couns e ling with s ome kind of s pir itua l/ re ligious background tha t s hape s the ir be havior , a tt itude s , fe e lings , and be lie fs , unde rs cor ing the ne e d for the inc lus ion of more e ffe c tive tr a ining in couns e lor e ducation de gre e programs .

Re fe re nc e s

Adams , C. M., Puig, A., Baggs , A., & Wolf, C. P . (2015). Inte gra ting re ligion and s pir itua lity into couns e lor e ducation: Bar r ie r s and s tra te gie s . Couns e lor Education & S upe rv is ion, 54 , 44- 56.

Cas hwe ll, C. S., Be ntle y, D. P ., & Bigbe e , A. (2007). Spir itua lity and couns e lor we llne s s . Journal of Hum anis tic Couns e ling, 46 (1), 66- 81.

Cas hwe ll, C. S., & Young, J. S. (2011). Inte gra ting s pir itua lity and re ligion into couns e ling: An introduction. In C. S.

Cas hwe ll & J. S. Young (Eds .), Inte grating s pirituality and re ligion into couns e ling: A guide to com pe te nt practice . (2nd e d.). Ale xandr ia , VA: Ame r ican Couns e ling As s ocia tion.

Cur tis , R. C., & Glas s , J. S. (2002). Spir itua lity and couns e ling c las s : A te aching mode l. Couns e ling & V alue s , 47 (1), 3- 13.

Dobme ie r , R. A., & Re ine r , S. M. (2012). Spir itua lity in the couns e lor e ducation cur r iculum: A national s urve y of s tude nt pe rce ptions . Couns e ling and V alue s , 57 , 47- 65.

Frame , M. W. (2000). Spir itua l and re ligious is s ue s in couns e ling: Ethical cons ide rations . Fam ily Journal, 8 , 72-74.

Frame , M. W. (2003). Inte grating re ligion and s pirituality into couns e ling . Pac ific Grove , CA: T homs on Le arning.

Hage , S. M., Hops on, A., Sie ge l, M., Payton, G., & De fanti, E. (2006). Multicultura l tr a ining in s pir itua lity: An inte rdis c iplinary re vie w. Couns e ling & V alue s , 50 (3), 217- 234.

McInne s , M., Kor ine k, A. W., & Ive y, D. C. (2006). Inte gra ting s pir itua lity into tr a ining: T he s pir itua l is s ue s in s upe rvis ion s ca le . A m e rican Journal of Fam ily T he rapy , 34 (4), 355- 372.

McMinn, M. R. (2011). Ps y chology , the ology , and s pirituality in Chris tian couns e ling. Carol Stre am, IL: T yndale Hous e Publis he rs , Inc .

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Ne wpor t, F . (2011, June 3). More than 9 in 10 A m e ricans continue to be lie v e in God. Gallup. Re tr ie ve d from http:/ /www.gallup.com/poll/147887/Amer icans - Continue - Be lie ve - God.as px

Pos t, B. C., & Wade , N. G. (2009). Re ligion and s pir itua lity in ps ychothe rapy: A prac tice - fr ie ndly re vie w of re s e arch. Journal of Clinical Ps y chology : In S e s s ion, 65 (2), 131- 146.

Robe r ts on, L. A. (2010). T he s pir itua l compe te ncy s ca le . Couns e ling & V alue s , 55 , 6- 24.

Souza , K. (2002). Spir itua lity in couns e ling: What do couns e ling s tude nts

think about it? Couns e ling & V alue s , 46(3), 213- 218.

Stanard, R. P ., Sandhu, D. S., Pa inte r , L. C. (2000). As s e s s me nt of s pir itua lity in couns e ling. Journal of Couns e ling & De v e lopm e nt , 78(2), 1- 11.

Young, J. S., Wiggins - Frame , M., & Cas hwe ll, C. S. (2007). Spir itua lity and couns e lor compe te nce : A national s urve y of Ame r ican Couns e ling As s ocia tion me mbe rs . Journal of Couns e ling & De v e lopm e nt, 85 (1), 47-52.

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Cre a te d fo r Re la t io ns hip: A Re s o urc e Guide fo r Inte g ra t ing F a ith a nd

N e uro s c ie nc e fo r Dis tre s s e d Re la t io ns hips

P a m e la B e r m e nd e r , MA

LMF T - S , N CC, AAMF T Clinic a l F e l lo w & Appro v e d S upe rv is o r,

Ce rt i f ie d EMDR T he ra pis t

Scr ipture informs tha t we are c re a te d in God’s image and for loving re la tions hips , both with Him and with othe rs . While re la tions hips can be a s ource of comfor t and s uppor t, the y can a ls o be come damage d due to an accumula tion of unre s olve d conflic t , s tre s s , and fe e lings of be trayal. He aling and re pair ing a rupture d love re la tions hip can be quite difficult whe n an e ntre nche d tox ic looping pa tte rn continue s to e rode a s e ns e of me aningful conne ction. T his pre s e nta tion e xplore s a the rape utic approach tha t inte gra te s the c lie nts ’ fa ith pe rs pe ctive with s imple s tra ightforward ne uros c ie ntific conce pts tha t promote e mpathy, compas s ion, and re conne ction for dis tre s s e d love re la tions hips .

A re cur re nt the me throughout Scr ipture is living in pe ace and loving one anothe r in ways tha t glor ify God. If we fir s t cons ide r how we are cre a te d with inte ntional de s ign as phys ica l and s pir itua l be ings , we can marve l a t the Cre a tor ’s handiwork. Ps a lm 139 re minds us tha t we are “fe ar fully and wonde r fully made ” (ESV), and tha t we we re cre a te d in God’s image . Our bodie s a re intr ica te ly comple x , and a ne urobiologica l unde rs tanding of ‘s e lf’ is quite fas c ina ting. It is e ve n quite mind-

boggling tha t we are able to us e our mind to unde rs tand our own mind (as we ll as the inne r workings of our body)!

Dur ing the 2016 CCT Confe re nce , this works hop e xplore d four focus are as : (1) an unde rs tanding of ‘s e lf’ from s pir itua l and ne uros c ie ntific pe rs pe ctive s ; (2) an unde rs tanding of ‘othe rs ’ from s pir itua l and ne uros c ie ntific pe rs pe ctive s ; (3) vie wing re la tions hips through the le ns of Attachme nt T he ory; and (4) inte gra ting the s e thre e pe rs pe ctive s in he lping couple s re pair dis tre s s e d re la tions hips . Each of the four pre s e nta tion s e gme nts inc lude s Scr iptura l r e fle c tions , plus ins pira tional c ita tions from s e ve ra l pr imary re fe re nce s re garding fa ith, ne uros c ie nce , and ps ychology.

T hrough an unde rs tanding of how our body and mind functions , we can utilize var ious tools and te chnique s in our own s e lf- care to incre as e our ove ra ll e motional and re la tional we llne s s . T he n, we can a llow c lie nts /othe rs to “bor row” our he a lthy e motional and re la tional s ys te ms to de ve lop an incre as e d capacity for e motional and re la tional we llne s s within the m. T he de s ire d goal is he lping othe rs to move toward more s e cure and he a lthy re la tions hips , with the ability to re pair r e la tions hips rupture d by pas t

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e motional wounds . Re s tor ing he a lthy loving mar ita l r e la tions hips promote s he a lthie r familie s and communitie s , which is ple as ing and honor ing to our Cre a tor .

As a fa ith- bas e d re s ource , Bake r (2007) provide s many thought-provoking “s pir itua l pr inc iple s ” for unde rs tanding s e lf, othe rs , and re la tions hips . His e as y- to- re ad book with s hor t chapte r s can a ls o be us e d for de votionals . Bruce (2002) is anothe r inte re s ting fa ith- bas e d re s ource for unde rs tanding our “s pir itua l bra in” from a ne uros c ie ntific pe rs pe ctive . T he re are many e xce lle nt ne uros c ie ntific re s ource s available , but Sie ge l (2012) provide s a wonde r ful anthology of e as y-to- re ad chapte r s tha t cove r a bre adth of ne urobiologica l conce pts from an inte rpe rs onal pe rs pe c tive . For thos e who de s ire more in- de pth ne uros c ie ntific conce pts , Le Doux (1996) provide s inte re s ting mate r ia l r e garding r ight- le ft bra in dominance re s e arch involving our e motion s ys te ms , and Be rgmann (2012) de ta ils many as pe cts about the workings of our ne urons and our me mory s ys te ms .

Re fe re nc e s

F a ith- B a s e d

Bake r , M. W. (2007). Je s us , the gre ate s t the rapis t w ho e v e r liv e d. NY, NY: Harpe rCollins Publis he rs .

Bruce , B. (2002). Our s piritual brain: Inte grating brain re s e arch and faith de v e lopm e nt . Nas hville , T N: Abingdon Pre s s .

Richards , P . S. & Be rgin, A. E. (Ed.). (2014). Handbook of ps y chothe rapy and re ligious div e rs ity (2nd e d.). Was hington, DC: Ame r ican Ps ychologica l As s ocia tion.

N e uro s c ie nc e

Ande rs e n, P . (Produce r ). Boze m an s c ie nce re s ource s : T he brain [ Vide o] . Available from http:/ /www.boze mans cie nce .com/

Be rgmann, U. (2012). Ne urobiological foundations for EMDR practice . Ne w York, NY: Spr inge r .

D’Amicis , F ., Hofe r , P ., & Rocke nhaus , F. (Dire c tors & Produce rs ). (2011). A utom atic brain: T he m agic of the uncons c ious m ind [ Vide o] . Available from YouT ube : https :/ /www.youtube .com/

Le Doux , J. (1996). T he e m otional brain: T he m y s te rious unde rpinnings of e m otional life . Ne w York, NY: Simon & Schus te r .

Montgome ry, A. (2013). Ne urobiology e s s e ntials for c linic ians : W hat e v e ry the rapis t ne e ds to k now . Ne w York, NY: Nor ton.

Sie ge l, D. J. (2012). Pock e t guide to inte rpe rs onal ne urobiology : A n inte grativ e handbook of the m ind. Ne w York, NY: Nor ton.

Atta c hme nt T he o ry

Ains wor th, M. D. S., Ble har , N. C., Wate rs , E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patte rns of attachm e nt: A ps y chological s tudy of the s trange s ituation. Hills da le , NJ: Er lbaum.

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Bar tholome w, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachme nt s tyle s among young adults : A te s t of a four ca te gory mode l. Journal of Pe rs onality and S ocial Ps y chology , 61 , 226- 244.

Bowlby, J. (1977). T he making and bre aking of a ffe c tional bonds : I. Ae tiology and ps ychopathology in light of a ttachme nt the ory. Journal of Ps y chology , 103, 201- 210.

Cozolino, L. (2014). T he ne uros c ie nce of hum an re lations hips : A ttachm e nt and the de v e loping s oc ial brain (2nd e d.). Ne w York, NY: Nor ton.

Flors he im, P ., He nry, W. P ., & Be njamin, L. S. (1996). Inte gra ting individual and inte rpe rs onal approache s to diagnos is : T he s truc tura l ana lys is of s oc ia l

be havior and a ttachme nt the ory. In F.W. Kas low (Ed.), Handbook of re lational diagnos is and dy s functional fam ily patte rns (pp. 81- 101). Ne w York, NY: Wile y.

Emo t io na l ly F o c us e d Co uple s T he ra py

Johns on, S. (2004). T he practice of e m otionally focus e d couple the rapy : Cre ating conne ction. Ne w York, NY: Brunne r - Routle dge .

Johns on, S. (2008). Hold m e tight: S e v e n conv e rs ations for a life tim e of lov e . Ne w York, NY: Litt le , Brown & Company.

T he Inte rna tional Ce ntre for Exce lle nce in Emotionally Focus e d T he rapy (ICEEFT ). http:/ / http:/ /www.ice e ft .com/

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B e S tro ng a nd Co ura g e o us : F a ith- Inte g ra te d Ada pta t io n o f T ra uma -F o c us e d

Co g nit iv e - B e ha v io ra l T he ra py fo r S uppo rt o f Child S urv iv o rs o f Ma ltre a tme nt .

Ge r a ld E. N is s le y , Jr . , P s y . D. , L ic e ns e d C l in ic a l P s y c ho lo g is t

As s o c ia te P ro fe s s o r o f P s y c ho lo g y Ea s t T e x a s B a pt is t U niv e rs ity

Although unple as ant to cons ide r ; tr auma doe s happe n in childhood. Re ce nt s ta tis tics s how a 16- 20% fre que ncy of phys ica l abus e in childhood, a 33- 44% fre que ncy of witne s s ing dome s tic viole nce , 25- 33% ra te of s e xual abus e in gir ls and 15- 20% in boys ; with na tura l dis as te r s tr auma be ing le s s common. Child s e xual abus e in par ticular has be come an e pide mic , with s ome re por ts s ugge s ting ra te s as high as 40% due to like lihood of unde r re por ting. T his proble m appe ars to be pre s e nt acros s multiple e nvironme nts inc luding the church; with me mbe rs , pr ie s ts , and pas tors be ing found in s candals . Mille r (1997) found tha t childre n abus e d by re la tive s we re more like ly to be a me mbe r of a Prote s tant de nomination and childre n abus e d by nonre la tive s to be more like ly affilia te d with a Catholic church or no church a t a ll.

For thos e who e xpe r ie nce trauma, we have re s e arch to s uppor t e vide nce d bas e d tre a tme nts . Both T rauma-Focus e d CBT and Chr is tian Cognitive T he rapy have be e n found e ffe c tive in tr e a ting child s urvivors .

T rauma- Focus e d CBT (T F- CBT ) was or igina lly de ve lope d by Dr . Judith Cohe n and Dr . Anthony Mannar ino. T he s e cular

ve rs ion is one of the mos t e mpir ica lly va lida te d approache s for tr e a ting child and te e n s urvivors of abus e , with conve ntional the rapy taking 12- 14 s e s s ions to work through this mode l. Eve n with its la rge body of va lida tion, T F- CBT is not r ight for e ve ry c lie nt. T F- CBT is be s t s uite d for ta rge ting s ymptoms of PT SD, de pre s s ion, anx ie ty, and abnormal s ymptoms s e condary to tr auma. T F- CBT may not be the mos t be ne fic ia l choice for childre n pre s e nting with a pre ponde rance of be haviora l proble ms . Howe ve r , T F- CBT has be e n e ffe c tive ly us e d for a ll type s of tr auma with childre n from age s 3- 18 with or without pare nta l par tic ipa tion and found us e ful in s chools , group home s , fos te r home s and in- home s e ttings . It is mos t commonly provide d individually to the child and pare nt in c linica l s e tt ings .

Re s e arch has s hown tha t fa ith inte gra tion e nhance s we llne s s outcome s e ve n whe n “s e cular” format is c linica lly e ffe c tive on its own. T he re is a long s tanding cor re la tion be twe e n incre as e d s pir itua lity and re ligios ity and an incre as e d like lihood of re s ilie nce . Studie s have a ls o s hown tha t inte gra tion of fa ith can e nable a flue ncy of language tha t may be harde r to achie ve in s e cular the rapy modalit ie s .

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T he main couns e ling modality of T F-CBT is PRACT ICE. T his acronym s tands for :

Ps ycho- e ducation about childhood trauma and PT SD

Ps ychoe ducation with the pare nt compone nt inc luding pare nting s kills tr a ining,

Re laxation,

Affe c t ide ntifica tion and re gula tion,

Cognitive coping,

T rauma nar ra tion and

In- vivo de s e ns itiza tion to tr auma re minde rs ,

Conjoint child- pare nt s e s s ions , and

Enhancing s afe ty and future de ve lopme nt.

Whe n it come s to Faith- informe d T F-CBT it is impor tant to have a thorough as s e s s me nt s ur rounding the abus e / trauma as we ll as an as s e s s me nt re garding Re ligios ity and Spir itua lity (R/S). For kids this por tion of the as s e s s me nt can be car r ie d out through inte rvie wing, s tandardize d as s e s s me nts , and ac tivitie s s uch as s pir itua l ge nograms . At this s tage it is impor tant to note tha t the c lie nt’s R/S may be he lping or hinde r ing re s ilie nce in the face of pote ntia l tr auma. Do not as s ume it is a lways a he lpe r !

As s ta te d e ar lie r , PRACT ICE is impor tant for T F- CBT . In tr aditional T F- CBT , we te ach about re ac tions to tr auma and introduce the CBT mode l. Fa ith- informe d T F- CBT a ls o inc lude s

s pir itua l r e ac tions to tr auma as we ll as providing a R/S ra tional for CBT . By utilizing s acre d te x t home work from Job or Lame nta tions , we can a id in br idging the language bar r ie r ofte n involve d in te aching c lie nts about ps ychothe rapy. T his ac tion can a ls o ac t to re lie ve s ome appre he ns ions tha t high re ligios ity c lie nts may have with the pros pe ct of s e e king couns e ling outs ide of the church. T he “uns poke n P” is the Pare nt tr a ining tha t ofte n happe ns dire c tly a fte r ps ychoe ducation, in orde r to he lp the pare nts cope and be be tte r pre pare d to he lp the ir child. Re laxation focus e s on be lly bre a thing and Progre s s ive Mus cle Re laxation. With a fa ith- informe d ve rs ion we add in ce nte r ing praye rs and Chr is tian de votional me dita tion tha t combine mindfulne s s and bre a thing. Affe c tive e xpre s s ion and modula tion works to te ach ide ntifica tion of fe e lings and thought s topping, with the fa ith-informe d mode l utilizing s ongs , s acre d te x ts , and wr itte n praye rs to dis trac t from trauma- re la te d thoughts . Dur ing s tage 1 of cognitive coping and proce s s ing, the cognitive tr iangle is taught (thoughts , fe e lings , and be haviors ). Role playing is utilize d to ac t out the tr iangle and re inforce re s truc tur ing; fa ith inte gra tion has be e n found par ticular ly powe r ful dur ing the challe nge s tage of the “ca tch, cha lle nge , and change ” me thod of re s truc tur ing. T he trauma nar ra tive s tage is a s tage tha t r e quire s pre para tion we ll in advance d due to the pos s ibility of r e -traumatiza tion or fur the r ins tilme nt of s e lf- blame if a tte mpte d too e ar ly or mis manage d. T his nar ra tive is typica lly de ve lope d to be s hare d with a love d one

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s o pre para tion is r e quire d for both the child and the love d one . In Faith-informe d T F- CBT , the book of Job is ofte n dis cus s e d in this pre para tion due to the conte nt of pote ntia l tr auma. T he s e cond s tage of cognitive proce s s ing and coping is pe r forme d he re in orde r to addre s s any linge r ing cognitive dis tor tions , par ticular ly thos e re ve ale d in the nar ra tive . In- vivo de s e ns itiza tion is ne ce s s ary for bre aking the bond to hype rs e ns itive “tr igge rs ” tha t a re both re la te d to the inc ide nt and thos e re la te d to the re ac tion. Fe ar hie rarchie s a re c re a te d and c lie nts e ngage in gradual e xpos ure to de s e ns itize the c lie nt. T he us e of s acre d te x ts re la te d to courage and pe ace can be powe r ful he re and utiliza tion of pre vious ly le arne d re laxation s kills le ad to mas te ry of the hie rarchy. T he conjoint pare nt- child s e s s ions focus on the child s har ing the ir nar ra tive in a s afe e nvironme nt in orde r to ins till the ide as tha t the y do not have

to go through this a lone and tha t the ir love d one is a pe rs on tha t the y can s afe ly re ly on. Las t, e nhancing s afe ty and future de ve lopme nt tr ie s to te ach s kills for he a lthy avoidance of dange r with the combination of s kills r e la te d to handling bad s itua tions . More information pe r ta ining to T F- CBT can be found a t www.mus c .e du/ tfcbt.

Re fe re nce s

Cohe n, J.A., Mannar ino, A.P ., & De blinge r , E. (2006). T re ating traum a and traum atic grie f in childre n and adole s ce nts . Ne w York: Guilford.

McMinn, M. (2008). Cognitiv e the rapy te chnique s in Chris tian couns e ling. Euge ne , OR: Wipf and Stock.

Wor thington, Jr ., E.L., Johns on, E.L., Hook, J.N., & Ate n, J.D. (Eds .). (2013). Ev ide nce - bas e d practice s for Chris tian couns e ling and ps y chothe rapy . Downe rs Grove , IL: IVP Acade mic .

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Applic a t io n ET HICS CORN ER

CACREP a nd Impo s ing ACA V a lue s o n S tude nts

B y T o m Ke nne dy , Ed . D. , LP C- S

As s o c ia te P ro fe s s o r a t Ho us to n B a pt is t U niv e rs ity

We ta lke d in the las t is s ue about how the Ame r ican Couns e ling As s ocia tion (ACA) 2014 e thics code de mands tha t couns e lors not r e fe r c lie nts bas e d on a “value s ” diffe re nce . If you do not want to want to couns e l anore x ics , or child mole s te r s , or wife be a te r s , tha t is too bad. You mus t couns e l whoe ve r ca lls you on the phone . If you do not have the s kills , tha t is too bad. Go ge t the m. If you have ps ychologica l is s ue s , too bad. Ge t the rapy.

For e xample , if you we re abus e d by a child mole s te r , you cannot re fe r bas e d on thos e childhood e xpe r ie nce s and the va lue s / fe e lings cre a te d by the m. You have to ge t the rapy tha t will r e -e ducate you to couns e l the m. Appare ntly afte r the rapy you will magica lly be able to couns e l “va lue fre e ”.

Many be lie ve this is a bad ide a for both the couns e lor as we ll as the c lie nt. I am one of thos e .

You may think tha t be caus e you are not a me mbe r of the ACA you do not have to abide by the ir e thics . T hat may no longe r be true . Many s ta te s have a lre ady adopte d the ACA e thics code to

augme nt the ir judic ia l rule s for couns e lors . Arkans as is cons ide r ing adopting the ACA e thics but e liminate the “value s ” s e c tion. T e nne s s e e re ce ntly adopte d the ACA e thics code but without the “value s ” s e c tion. (T he ACA prote s te d by pulling its confe re nce out of T e nne s s e e and moving it to San Frans ico) T e xas is not cons ide r ing adopting the code .

Now e nte r the Council for Accre dita tion of Couns e ling & Re la te d Educational Programs (CACREP). T his is the only na tional organiza tion (monopoly) tha t s e ts a s tandard of accre dita tion for couns e ling programs in unive rs it ie s . In this day and time having a CACREP s tamp of approval me ans a s tude nt’s de gre e has por tability (can trans fe r to othe r s ta te s e as ily) and is a s ource of adve r tis ing pr ide for the unive rs ity . It can a ls o me an tha t CACREP can de te rmine which programs a unive rs ity can ke e p. CACREP will not accre dit any de gre e tha t has a re ligious t it le to it (Chr is tian couns e ling, for e xample ) e ve n if it le ads to s ta te lice ns ure . In one cas e I know of the y s ugge s te d a unive rs ity dis continue a de gre e tha t had an obvious Chr is tian name . T hough many of us in the

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unive rs ity s e ttings have be e n wary of CACREP’s powe r , in orde r to compe te with othe r unive rs it ie s CACREP accre dita tion is be coming more of a re quire me nt the s e days than an option. In addition, CACREP is pus hing s ta te s to re quire the ir accre dita tion for a ll unive rs it ie s , e ve n re ligious one s .

A re ce nt s ta te me nt by CACREP has ra is e d the thre a t le ve l to Chr is tian unive rs it ie s and othe rs tha t r e s pe ct “va lue s ” diffe re nce s in the couns e ling proce s s . CACREP will now re quire a ll unive rs ity couns e ling programs to follow and e nforce the ACA e thics with the ir s tude nts . It me ans tha t if you a llow s tude nts to re fe r for a “va lue s ” diffe re nce , you may los e your CACREP accre dita tion.

Jus t be fo re th is is s ue o f the JACC w e nt to print CACREP ba c ke d o f f o f the univ e rs ity re quire me nt fo r e ndo rs ing the ACA e th ic s w he n

the re is a t ra dit io n o f d if f e re nc e s in c e rta in v a lue s . T he ir ne w re le a s e s ta te s ,

“Altho ug h the 2 0 1 6 CACREP S ta nda rds de l ine a te a c c re dita t io n re quire me nts , the y do no t d ic ta te the ma nne r in w hic h pro g ra ms ma y c ho o s e to me e t s ta nda rds . P ro g ra m inno v a t io n is e nc o ura g e d in me e t ing bo th the inte nt a nd s p irit o f the 2 0 1 6 CACREP S ta nda rds . P ro g ra m fa c ulty a nd re v ie w e rs s ho uld unde rs ta nd tha t c o uns e lo r e duc a t io n pro g ra ms c a n me e t the a c c re dita t io n re quire me nts in a v a rie ty o f w a y s . ”

Se e the link: http:/ /www.cacre p.org/wp-conte nt/uploads /2016/07/CACREP-re s pons e - le tte r - to- JCD- ar tic le s - 7- 15-16- 2 .pdf

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Bo o k Re v ie w s Re v ie w o f Ha lf T r ut hs : Go d He lp s T ho s e W ho He lp T he m s e lv e s a nd Ot he r

T hing s t he B ib le Do e s n’t S a y

( B y : A d a m Ha m il t o n)

Abingdon Pre s s , 2016, ISBN: 978- 1501813870

Re vie w By: T om Ke nne dy, Ed.D., LPC- S

As s ocia te Profe s s or a t Hous ton Baptis t Unive rs ity

Adam Hamilton is a Me thodis t pas tor who confronts popular , but s cr iptura lly ambiguous ha lf- truths in this book. Pe rhaps you have e ncounte re d the s e ha lf- truths mas ke d as ra tionaliza tions in your couns e ling prac tice . Pe rhaps you have a ls o us e d one or more of the s e to cons ole or confront a c lie nt. Hamilton dive s into the s e ha lf- truths and compare s the m to the Bible . Be care ful. T he s e c lichés have a life of the ir own in the Chr is tian wor ld but Hamilton s e e s the pote ntia l for the m to be ps ychologica lly de s truc tive . T he following are five ha lf- truths he confronts . Re me mbe r , the y are not comple te ly r ight, but the y are not comple te ly wrong.

1 . Eve rything happe ns for a re as on

2 . God he lps thos e who he lp the ms e lve s

3 . God won’t give you more than you can handle

4 . God s a id it , I be lie ve it , tha t s e tt le s it

5 . Love the s inne r , ha te the s in

Hamilton compare s how we s e le c tive ly us e s cr ipture to s uppor t the s e ide as . He quote s one of his church me mbe r ’s he a lthy re ac tions on page 42, “Eve rything happe ns for a re as on, but s ome time s the re as on is tha t

you’re s tupid and you make bad de c is ions .” In my opinion this c liché s hould ne ve r be us e d to comfor t s ome one .

T he s e cond one , “God he lps thos e who he lp the ms e lve s ,” is de c ide dly not Biblica l but 80% of Ame r icans be lie ve this is one of the 10 commandme nts (p. 54). “God won’t give you more than you can handle .” T his phras e make s God the bad guy ins te ad of a loving God. Hamilton doe s a good job of pointing out tha t God doe s not give us pa in or s uffe r ing or e vil. Hamilton confronts the “God s a id it , I be lie ve it , tha t s e tt le s it ,” with the fac t we pick and choos e our s cr ipture s to be lie ve . Inte rpre ta tion and a his tor ica l conte x t is impor tant to unde rs tand how to cor re c tly inte rpre t this ha lf- truth.

Love the s inne r , ha te the s in,” was a phras e Je s us ne ve r us e d. Ins te ad he us e d the te rm “Love you ne ighbor ,” which inc lude s the “love the s inne r .” Why did Je s us focus on “love your ne ighbor”? Hamilton be lie ve s it is ke e p us from be coming judgme nta l by looking for “s inne rs ” ins te ad of pos itive ly loving a ll ne ighbors , e ve n the s inne rs .

T he book is s mall, s hor t, 160 page s , and e as y to re ad. I think a ll Chr is tian couns e lors ne e d to re ad it .

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T he book will he lp to unde rs tand how to confront s ome of the c lie nt, and pos s ibly Chr is tian couns e lor ra tionaliza tions tha t

a re brought to the Chr is tian couns e ling proce s s .

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****Re v ie w o f He lp s fo r C o uns e lo r s : A Mini- m a nua l fo r C hr is t ia n C o uns e l ing

( B y Dr . Ja y E. A d a m s )

Bake r Books , 1980, ISBN: 978- 0801001567

Re vie w By: John Spoe de , Ph.D., LPC- S, LCDC, NCC, CSC

Hous ton Baptis t Unive rs ity

At fir s t glance , this books s e e ms unimpos ing and unimpor tant. It is lite ra lly s mall e nough to be car r ie d in a la rge back pocke t or a me dium s ize d purs e (it is about the s ize and thickne s s of a la rge walle t). Do not le t the s ize of this book be de ce iving, s e ve ra l of the page s have ac tivitie s or que s tions tha t a re he lpful. Upon a c los e r look a t this book, it confirme d s ome prac tice s tha t a re utilize d in a Chr is tian couns e ling s e tting and a ls o provide d challe nge s for s e as one d profe s s ionals . It is note wor thy tha t this book has mate r ia ls tha t we re “inc lude d as par t of T he Chris tian Couns e lor’s Ne w T e s tam e nt… (and) was de s igne d to be us e d as a handy re fe re nce guide ” (p. 4).

T he re is a lot of information packe d into this lit t le book (64 page s ). T his book has be e n a he lp to many Chr is tian couns e lors ove r the ye ars . He lps for Couns e lors was de s igne d to be us e d by the rapis ts in a prac tica l s e tt ing. In this re vie w, the conte nts of the book and pos s ible applica tions for this book will be dis cus s e d.

T hough the re is no table of conte nts the book is e as y to pe rus e . T opics dis cus s e d throughout the book inc lude : Couns e lor ’s Quick Che cklis t , Some Don’ts in Couns e ling, Fifty Failure

Fac tors , Re marks and Re s pons e s , Data Gathe r ing, Que s tion As king, Lis te ning, Home work, Couns e ling Outline s , T he Couns e lor ’s T opica l Worklis t , and the Chr is tian Couns e lor ’s Quick Re fe re nce Char t to T e n Common Proble ms . T hough the tit le s of e ach s e c tion may not c le ar ly communica te the purpos e of e ach s e c tion, once the re ade r s cans the page or re ads a c lar ifying s e nte nce , the purpos e for e ach s e c tion be come s c le ar .

I will br ie fly de s cr ibe e ach s e c tion be low. T he “Couns e lor ’s Quick Che cklis t” s e rve s as a re minde r of topics for the Chr is tian couns e lor to cons ide r pr ior to e ach couns e ling s e s s ion. “Some Don’ts in Couns e ling” is anothe r s e c tion tha t may be he lpful to re vie w pr ior to a couns e ling s e s s ion, and re minds the the rapis t about what c lie nts s hould not be a llowe d to do dur ing the s e s s ion (s uch as avoid proble ms , blame othe rs , or los e hope ). T he “Fifty Fa ilure Fac tors ” function as a de ta ile d che ck on what may be be hind couns e ling fa ilure and may a ls o ac ts as a ca ta lys t for cor re c ting mis take s tha t may have be e n made in the rapy. T he s e s e c tions are de s igne d to as s is t couns e lors in be ing e ffe c tive couns e lors , and provide an oppor tunity for the couns e lor to pre pare or re fle c t

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on s e s s ions to incre as e couns e ling e fficacy.

T he ne x t s e c tions of the book are ge are d towards applie d te chnique s with c lie nts . T he “Re marks and Re s pons e s ” he lps the Chr is tian couns e lor cha lle nge e r rone ous language in s uch a way tha t many time s fa ith is us e d to re a lity te s t and challe nge what a c lie nt s ays in orde r to produce he a lthy change . Anothe r s e c tion is “Data Gathe r ing” whe re prac tica l s te ps are dis cus s e d on how to ga the r impor tant da ta from the c lie nt s o tha t Chr is tian couns e lors can cre a te and imple me nt an informe d tre a tme nt plan. In the ne x t thre e s e c tions , “Que s tion As king”, “Lis te ning” and “Home work”, Adams re vie ws te chnique s tha t can be us e d to s ucce s s fully imple me nt the s e s tra te gie s to be ne fit the c lie nt and e ffe c tua lly move the couns e ling proce s s forward a t a he a lthy pace .

Adam’s conclude s this re s ource book with thre e s e c tions to as s is t Chr is tian couns e lors with making a s cr iptura l and the rape utic plan for working with c lie nts . In the “Couns e ling Outline s ” s e c tion, 15 topics a re outline d with s cr ipture re fe re nce s . T he s e outline s a re ne ithe r e xhaus tive nor comple te , but s e rve as a re fe re nce for couns e lors as the y work with c lie nts in re la tion to a s pe c ific topic . “T he Couns e lor ’s T opica l Worklis t” cons is ts for 64 topics and s tr ic tly provide s re fe re nce s to s cr ipture tha t can be utilize d dur ing couns e ling

s e s s ions . Fina lly, in the las t page s of the book Adams s hare s the “Chr is tian Couns e lor ’s Quick Re fe re nce Char t to T e n Common Proble ms ”. T his s e c tion of the book dis cus s e s te n common proble ms Chr is tian couns e lors fre que ntly addre s s in the rapy s e s s ions . T he s e are as a re : ange r , bizar re be haviors , de pre s s ion, drunke nne s s /drugs , fe ar , gr ie f, guilt , s e xual s in, s uic ida l, and wor ry. T he table (p. 62- 63) addre s s e s a ll of the following are as for e ach common proble m: “che ck s igns of”, “complica tions ”, “dire c t him to…”, “s pe cia l future e ffor ts ”, and “ke y pas s age s ” in s cr ipture .

T hough this book is s mall and looks like it was pr inte d in the 80’s , the re is a lot of he lpful information ge are d towards thos e who prac tice Chr is tian couns e ling. As with any re s ource mate r ia ls , the re ade r s hould abs orb the mate r ia l in the book, and make the mate r ia l his own. It is probable tha t not a ll the rapis ts will e njoy and find this book as he lpful as this r e vie w por trays , but this is a re s ource and can be utilize d in s undry ways . It will probably be mos t he lpful to s tude nts who are be ginning the ir care e r in Chr is tian couns e ling. Howe ve r , it is wor th the time and e ffor t for a ll couns e lors to re vie w, as it is a tr e as ure trove of Chr is tian couns e ling knowle dge .

Volume2Number1 Spring2016 JournalofChristianCounseling

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Jo urna l o f Applie d Chris t ia n Co uns e l ing

Proverbs4:6-86Donotforsakewisdom,andshewillprotectyou;loveher,andshewillwatchoveryou.7Thebeginningofwisdomisthis:Getwisdom.Thoughitcostallyouhave,getunderstanding.8

Cherishher,andshewillexaltyou;embraceher,andshewillhonoryou.

Spons ore d by Chr is tian Couns e lors of T e xas

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