Integration of Spirituality and Counseling Discussion 1 Responses

Question Description

Replies: In your responses to at least 2 classmates must challenge your classmates and expand the discussion. ELIMINATE simple “I agree” statements. Where do you think your classmates’ posts made strong points and where could their posts have been strengthened? Refer to the discussion board grading rubric for additional ideas for your responses to classmates.

When you reply to student, expand the discussion. Limit “I agree” statements, but rather explain the reasons why you agree or disagree. Expand ideas, challenge thinking, probe, and ask for clarification. In all discussion board work, keep these points in mind:

Use appropriate netiquette,
Write at graduate level, and
Cite in-text per current APA format and list references at the bottom of your post.

Your reply must be of appropriate length (at least 200 words),

1. Posted by C B

Discussion 1

Hawking and Clinton (2015) discuss how reading the Bible with an understanding of psychology allowed them to see the strong relationship between psychology and Christianity. In counseling, it is important to combine and draw from both psychology and Christianity because many of the concepts in the Bible require a deeper understanding of other teachings. For example, we know the Bible teaches us about leadership. We learn these lessons by reading by the Bible and then talking about the implications of what we have just read. By understanding the concepts of psychology, we are better able to read into the lessons of the Bible.

It is my opinion that a Christian worldview is valuable regardless of the setting, secular or not. My workplace is secular and yet my Christian values and ethics align with the secular values and ethics expected of me by my workplace. Christian values are strong moral values that are valuable for any business, company, or community to use. According to Liberty University (n.d.), you can have your own spiritual values and not push them on others during counseling while still counseling with the Christian foundation of serving the community, serving others, and being kind and unselfish.

In this week’s lecture by Brewer and Peters (n.d.) I learned about the idea of Christ transforming culture. The section of the lecture titled “Christ and Culture” reviewed 5 interdisciplinary models of Christian integration. I felt encouraged by the last model where Christ and Psychology complement one another and not only co-exist but complement one another. I feel I do already exhibit the hallmarks of this model by behaving in the way discussed in this lecture. In my current workplace, I am not a professionally employed, full-time counselor but I am a counselor. I counsel people every single day but in a very limited capacity. Still, it is much easier for me to know how to behave and react by leaning on Christian concepts and principles. According to Liberty University (n.d), Christian counseling approaches can be translated into a secular setting by understanding the core problems people have and serving those problems in a holistic manner. I am proud to say it is very Christian to want to serve Christians and non-Christians in a holistic way which serves all!

References

Brewer, G., & Peters, C. (n.d.). COUN 506 Week Two, Lecture One: Worldview questions and answers. [PowerPoint]. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.

Brewer, G., & Peters, C. (n.d.). COUN 506 Week Two, Lecture Three: Models for Interdisciplinary Integration. [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. ISBN: 9780736943543.

Liberty University. (n.d). Presentation: Philosophical underpinnings of integrative counseling Video. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University.

2. Posted by M L

Group Board 1

The first thing that comes to mind is using whatever technique the client is comfortable with. For example, if I were seeking counseling, I would seek out only the psychological perspective while others who may be very spiritual or religious may only want answers based on what they believe. However, if someone were to come to me and have no preference and just wants advice or counsel then there are different ways to use psychology and theology in any human services field. One of the most important pieces of information from the lecture and the second part of this question is understanding the solutions to our problems. Those who seek out a form of human services are normally going through a problem. Brewer talks about the solutions to one’s problem by giving solutions based on one’s worldview. If one is purely scientific then their solution would be different from a Christian perspective. These different viewpoints are important to have in the human services field because not every problem will need the same solution. For example, Hawkins and Clinton (2015) talk about addiction and spiritual renewal. The authors talk about how those who have come into addiction may have professed their faith but their “hearts, minds, emotions, and wills were not transformed (Hawkins & Clinton, 2015, p. 165). If only they gave control to their faith, they could find solutions to their problems.

Integrating theology/spirituality into the human services field along with the psychology perspective gives a feeling of comfort. The lecture also talks about the methods of theology/spirituality and psychology. Brewer states that those who believe in the science will want a reason, those who are spiritual may want prayer and those who believe in theology may want an interpretation of what is going on in their lives. Regardless of where you are employed, it is imperative to have all these skills at hand and ready to use because your client base could be diverse. Not every problem will warrant the same solution and not every client uses the same methods. In conclusion, the main point of integrating different perspectives is to give a new level of comfort and to be prepared. Hawkins and Clinton (2015) said it best, they touched on having open communication and creating a therapeutic environment (Hawkins & Clinton, 2015). If one has all these resources at hand to learn about every way to assist someone in need and open a door for further communication, they should take it.

Brewer, G., & Peters, C. (n.d.). COUN 506 Week Two, Lecture One: Worldview questions and answers. [PowerPoint]. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.

Brewer, G., & Peters, C. (n.d.). COUN 506 Week Two, Lecture Two: Philosophical underpinnings of integrative counseling. [PowerPoint]. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Online.

Hawkins, R. E., & Clinton, T. E. (2015). The new Christian counselor. Harvest House Publishers.

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