ipl-logo

Psychology Theology And Spirituality In Christian Counseling Summary

1139 Words5 Pages

4Mat Review: Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling Randy Bohon
Liberty University

Summary

In the majority of McMinn’s (2011) book, Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling, he writes about the importance of Scripture, prayer, confession, sin, forgiveness, and redemption in the life of a Christian, and how these areas are important foundational elements in Christian counseling.
McMinn’s (2011) book provides a very good resource for Christian counselors through McMinn’s coverage of both counseling and the life of Christian Counselors. McMinn (2011) begins his book by including a section by James Wilhoit concerning religion in counseling. This section of the book relates to the significance of the Christian faith and its use in counseling. This book section also covers some of the challenges of utilizing religion in counseling sessions, and how the counselor can address those challenges. This first chapter presents the reader with insight, while refreshingly not focusing on the psychology and theology relationship often mentioned in other writings. …show more content…

In the third, and my favorite chapter of McMinn’s (2011) book, he writes on the subject of prayer. McMinn (2011) states that prayer is the main element of growth in the life of the counselor and his or her client, and how the counselor must have a healthy prayer life of his or her own in order to effectively utilize prayer in counseling. However, McMinn stresses that it is extremely important in how the counselor introduces prayer into the therapy sessions,

Show More
Related
1663 Words | 7 Pages

Chapter One: My Story In the very beginning of this book, the author, Josh Dowel, relates a story from his childhood in which he couldn’t find satisfaction from his church, and thereby abandoned attending church. He quotes a country saying “when something doesn’t work, get rid of it” as a way of explaining his attitude toward church, and consequently, religion. Later in this chapter, Dowel explains a revelation which led him to once again explore Christianity. He realized a valuable truth: Jesus Christ and religion are two separate entities.

Read More
178 Words | 1 Pages

Sonia Greenidge and Martyn Baker’s article, Why do Committed Christians Seek Counselling with Christian Therapists, issued in Counselling Psychology Quarterly in 2012, explores Christians’ reliance on fellow Christian therapists for guidance with their mental health. Greenridge and Baker provide transcripts of interviews they conducted with six Christian clients. Throughout the interview, the authors analyzed the specific language and phrasing used to determine the participant’s expectation, experience, and preference for an equally religious counselor. Greenridge and Baker’s results demonstrate two discourses within the study. Some of the participants fall into the client discourse, where counselling is equivalent to a business transaction

Read More
1201 Words | 5 Pages

Johnson explains in his book that psychology and Christianity went hand-in-hand as a coalition. This is seemingly due to the church’s assumed responsibility of soul-care, and the belief that all problems were caused by sin, not necessarily mental illness (2010). However, there are currently several views of conflict between psychology and Christianity, similar to the conflict recurrently found between science and faith. There is importance in the correlation of psychology and Christianity for both scientists and Christians. When not examined and pondered on, the relationship between psychology and Christianity today can cause much confusion in an individual, potentially leading to atheism and evolutionism.

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

In this book, I feel the title of the Christian psychology approach can be very confusing .if we see from the title, we will interpret the Christians who are in the field of psychology is a Christian psychologist. Also, in this book explained that not all Christians must conform to Christian psychology approach. Christian psychology approach is a combination of integration approaches and the biblical counselling approach. This approach get many criticized because there is no application or can we called is only an

Read More
1766 Words | 8 Pages

One of our first obstacles is defining exactly what assumptions are constitutive of a uniquely Christian approach to psychology. How do we identify the core convictions of Christianity, and how can we leave room for a divergence of different Christian approaches?” (Entwistle 2015). The main problem that Entwistle is addressing is integration and the boundaries in which they both inhabit together. Where do the bounds of psychology and theology begin and end?

Read More
653 Words | 3 Pages

However, in the future McMinn (2011) made this process a lot comfortable for me. In knowing how to do this will make for a better counseling session. Many of the concepts that are presented in the book I found to be helpful. Not only is prayer and scripture helpful, but getting the client to understand sin, confession, and forgiving is essential.

Read More
852 Words | 4 Pages

Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling was first authored by Mark McMinn in 1990 (McMinn, 2011). This is a review of his most recent publication in which he left mostly the same and added reflections and additions of gained knowledge from the bast 20 years at the end of each chapter. McMinn (2011) opens the book buy explaining that integration is very complex because everyone has different views of Christianity, spirituality, and psychology. It is key to understand that all theories, even tested psychological interventions operate using a worldview that may not align well with Christianity. Integration asks each person to consider what they believe and strive to become trained in all areas so that integration can be

Read More
383 Words | 2 Pages

As the world continues to evolve and change some things remain constant, including spirituality and religion. For centuries the belief in a higher power has guided man through the darkness darkest of times and has allowed us to evolve industrially as well as spiritually. Identifying spirituality, what it means to us, and our purpose is a lifelong project. Many fall short of identifying their true purpose while here on Earth, leaving the known world a source or dread and fret. For those that believe, life seems a bit more bearable, tolerable.

Read More
188 Words | 1 Pages

Christine Belaire, J. Scott Young, and Anastasia Elder’s article, “Inclusion of Religious Behaviors and Attitudes in Counseling: Expectations of Conservative Christians,” issued in the journal for American Counseling Association in 2005, explores what Christian conservatives anticipate from their counselors. Belaire et al. established two descriptions of a counselor, one Christian and the other with unknown religious affiliation. The authors began evaluating their participants, conservative Christians, for their expectations of behaviors and attitudes from their assigned counselor through the Behavior and Attitude Expectancies (BAE), and the Expectations about Counseling: Brief Form scales. Belaire et al.

Read More
1870 Words | 8 Pages

Concerning prayer, McMinn proposes the question counselors should consider is “…Which forms of prayer should we use with which clients and under which circumstances?’” (p.79). McMinn notes that Christian counselors often consider using prayer as a counseling technique, however, prayer is greater than a technique: it is a means of worship and communion with God. Ultimately, prayer is a humble posture before God as a confession of need. There are several options for integrating prayer in counseling, from praying with the client in session, assigning prayer homework, and praying for the client outside of the session, etc.

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

needing to cope with the fact of existence's instances even as following the teachings of Christ brings to intellect such primary questions like: manage sexual sinful impulses; the best way to control loneliness; easy methods to manage gay feelings or coping with others of such persuasion; should one take back a dishonest spouse? Each subject is discussed overtly and actually, with examples he gathered from his years of labor inside these areas.

Read More
1920 Words | 8 Pages

SINGAPORE BIBLE COLLEGE Book Reflection: The Wounded Healer by Henri J. M. Nouwen Submitted to Esther Tan CO502 – Theory and Practice in Counseling by Shongzan Chanlila Khayi Mail Box # 120 SINGAPORE 21 August, 2013 The Wounded Healer by Henri J.M. Nouwen is one such book which is simple yet very insightful, solemn yet very challenging. He stirs up our interest as he deals with the biggest concern of our modern day leaders in our churches and society – the struggle with our weaknesses. And I believe his philosophy goes much deeper than what is actually written.

Read More
622 Words | 3 Pages

Second, she describes the process of maturation that seminarians experience during priestly formation. Third, she provides criteria to engage the expertise of psychiatrists and psychologists in the selection and formation of seminarians. Fourth, she describes how the goals of psychotherapy differ from those of spiritual direction and formation. Fifth, she proposes what consultation with psychiatric and psychological experts can offer to seminary formators. Sixth She offers suggestions that augment the benefit of psychiatric and psychological evaluations for vocation directors, seminary formators and bishops.

Read More
552 Words | 3 Pages

. In chapter five, McMinn’s main emphasis is on the concept of sin within the counseling session. The author discusses prayer by explaining the psychological perspective of sin, theology perspective of prayer, and spirituality perspective of sin. McMinn (2007) acknowledges that there is a lack of empirical research regarding sin in counseling instead there have only been a few authors who have written about the role of sin in relation to mental illness (158).

Read More
1051 Words | 5 Pages

Essay #1: Why is biblical counseling important, and how does it fit within the ministry of the local church? As Christians, biblical counseling helps us apply both the greatest (and the second which is like it) commands as spoken by Jesus in Matthew 22:36-40. Biblical counseling is also a mechanism to which each of us can fulfill the great commission as spoken by Jesus in Matthew 28: 19-20. As such, biblical counseling not only fits within the ministry of the local church, one could argue that it is the ministry of the local church!

Read More

More about Psychology Theology And Spirituality In Christian Counseling Summary

Related Topics

Open Document