CHRISTIAN COUNSELING SELF-CARE


Christian counselors and many other mental health professionals feel they have a need to help others and be compassionate; yet it is important to remain strong in the face of the painful issues people bring when seeking help.  Self-care is critical when caring for others can be overwhelming for anyone. It may be helpful for Christian counselors to follow the following principles:

• Learn how to recognize the stress areas and take ownership of what needs to be done.
• Learn how to renew the mind and walk in God's truth.
• Learn to rest.
• Learn to be silent and still.
• Learn to give daily burdens to God.
• Learn to manage time by saying no.
• Learn to incorporate a balanced life style.
• Learn value authentic relationships and find one or two key people in life to be accountable to.

Christian counseling is a high and sacred calling, yet very exhausting.  They represent Christ as his ambassadors to a lost and hurting world. Christian counselor's mission is to do good for others "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith"(Gal. 6-10).

How to Become a Christian Counselor

• It is important to have a committed relationship with Christ.
• It is important to have a true compassion for others.
• Sharpen your communication skills.
• Attend a Christian college.

Resources

The National Christian Counselors Association (N.C.C.A.) is a non-profit, professional
organization that trains, certifies, and licenses Christian counselors - See more at: http://www.ncca.org/

The NCCA requires all who are certified by its Board of Examiners to:
1. Be credentialed ministers (ordained or commissioned) whose goal is to evangelize and ease the emotional pain and suffering of humanity.
2. Provide their service under the authority of a legally organized local church, a national church organization or a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit ministry.
3. Complete specialized training provided by the NCCA.
4. Complete the minimum requirements for continuing education and annual license renewal.
5. Uphold NCCA’s Code of Ethical Standards

Liberty University
http://www.liberty.edu/

Lancaster Bible College
http://www.lbc.edu/

American Association of Christian Counselors
http://www.aacc.net/

"Christian Counseling involves three persons...
the client, the counselor, and God"
(Clinton & Ohlschlager 2002).

References

Clinton, T. & G. Ohlschlager. (2002). Competent Christian Counseling. Waterbrook Press: Colorado.

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING ETHICAL ISSUES

 

Accountability

Christian counselors have the accountability to represent Christ as his ambassador.  Therefore, their duty is to “demonstrate the affirmation of life, the upholding of human dignity, the cultivation of love for others, and the sacrifice and service of self-denial.” (Clinton & Hawkins, 2011, p. 24).  Christian counselors have to impart trust which requires the practice of true accountability. There is significant deficiency regarding ethics awareness and preparation in the counseling field.  Ethics should not be a single training to be taken; it should be a comprehensive orientation to every aspect of the counselor’s practice. Ethical violations may result in severe disciplinary action, such as suspension or revocation.

 

The popular Encyclopedia of Christian Counseling (2011) mentions five ethic-related values that set apart a “master Christian counselor:

• Relational connection. Ability to form healthy relationships with clients.
• Competence. Commitment to the value of being exceptionally skilled.
• Humility. An awareness of personal limitations and weaknesses.
• Professional growth. The continual seeking of formal learning opportunities.

Trust in counseling is grounded on the counselor’s ability to keep client’s secrets and information confidential.  Confidentiality is a critical ethic principle.  The AACC Code of Ethics explains clearly why this ethic is crucial for Christian counselors.

ES1-400 Confidentiality, Privacy, and Privileged Communication.

 

1-410  Maintaining Client Confidentiality

            Christian counselors maintain client confidentiality to the fullest extent allowed by law, professional ethics, and church or organizational rules.  Confidential client communications include all verbal, written, telephonic, audio or videotaped, or electronic communications arising within the helping relationship.  Apart from the exceptions below, Christian counselors shall not disclose confidential client communications without first discussing the intended disclosure and securing written consent from the client or client representative.

            1-411  Discussing the Limits of Confidentiality and Privilege

            Clients should be informed about both the counselor's commitment to confidentiality and its limits before engaging in counseling.  Christian counselors avoid stating or implying that confidentiality is guaranteed or absolute.  We will discuss the limits of confidentiality and privacy with clients at the outset of counseling.

 

1-420  Asserting Confidentiality or Privilege Following Demands for Disclosure 

            Protecting confidential communications, including the assertion of privilege in the face of legal or court demands, shall be the first response of counselors to demands or requests for client communications and records. 

 

Documentation and Records

Christian counselors also have the accountability to demonstrate respect of the documentation and records of the client by ensuring the information is secure, meaningful, and consistent with reasonable standards of care.

            1-421  Disclosure of Confidential Client Communications

            Christian counselors disclose only that client information they have written permission from the client to disclose or that which is required by legal or ethical mandates.  The counselor shall maintain confidentiality of client information outside the bounds of that narrowly required to fulfill the disclosure and shall limit disclosures only to those people having a direct professional interest in the case.  In the face of a subpoena, counselors shall neither deny nor immediately comply with disclosure demands, but will assert privilege in order to give the client time to consult with a lawyer to direct disclosures.  

 

 

1-460  Maintaining Privacy and Preserving Written Records

            Christian counselors will preserve, store, and transfer written records of client communications in a way that protects client confidentiality and privacy rights.  This requires, at minimum, keeping records files in locked storage with access given only to those persons with a direct professional interest in the materials. 

 1-461  Maintaining Privacy in Electronic Databases

            Christian counselors take special precautions to protect client privacy rights with records stored and transferred by electronic means.  This requires, at minimum, use of password entry into all electronic client files and/or coded files that do not use client names or easy identifiers.  Client information transferred electronically—FAX, E-mail, or other computerized network transfer—shall be done only after the counselor determines that the process of transmission and reception of data is reasonably protected from interception and unauthorized disclosures.  

 

Informed Consent

Christian counselor’s accountability is to inform clients of the details about their treatment and letting the client know that they will be respected and honored.  Therefore, obtaining voluntary consent for each aspect of their treatment is an ethical issue and part of the counselor’s commitment to do no harm to their clients.

1-310  Securing Informed Consent

            Christian counselors secure client consent for all counseling and related services.  This includes the video/audio-taping of client sessions, the use of supervisory and consultative help, the application of special procedures and evaluations, and the communication of client data with other professionals and institutions. 

            Christian counselors take care that (1) the client has the capacity to give consent; (2) we have discussed counseling together and the client reasonably understands the nature and process of counseling; the costs, time, and work required; the limits of counseling; and any appropriate alternatives; and (3) the client freely gives consent to counseling, without coercion or undue influence.

 

There are other ethical issues, like consultation and referral, termination, dual relationships, yet some of the major ones were discussed. (See AACC Code of Ethics).

 

References

American Association of Christian Counselors. (2004) America association of christian counselors code of ethics. Assessed from http://www.aacc.net/about-us/code-of-ethics/

Clinton T. & R. Hawkins. (2011). The popular encyclopedia of christian counseling. Harvest House  Publishers: Eugene, Oregon.

   

 

THE THREE MAJOR MODALITIES OF CHRISTIAN COUNSELING

“Christians never operate from a deficit, but rather from fullness” (Crabb, 1977, p. 84).
 

Premarital Counseling
 

Christians believe that marriage is a sacred institution ordained by God.  Preparing couples for marriage can be an intimidating task for Christian counselors.  The purpose of preparing couples for marriage is to facilitate communication and promote hope for the future ensuring a strong and healthy relationship.  Christian premarital counseling provides Christian couples with the tools needed to carry out important responsibilities in marriage.  Christian premarital counseling addresses many important components like: conflict resolution, communication, expectations, finances, gender differences, sex and power.  

Christian Marriage Therapy focuses on hope-focused intervention which focuses on building hope “hope involves a motivation to endure when we cannot change circumstances” (Worthington Jr., 1999, p. 31). This approach helps couples to reach their relationship goals and it helps couples understand that marriage is derived from the Scriptures.

See AACC Code of Ethics Standards 1-124 Application to Divorce and 1-125 Application to Premarital and Extramarital Sexual Behavior
 
Sexuality and Sexual Therapy

Sexuality is an important aspect of our lives, especially in marriage. However, “God’s gift of sex is badly distorted and misused, and many people are deeply wounded in the sexuality” (Clinton & Ohlschlager, 2002, p. 490).  Christian Sexual Therapy approach treats sexual dysfunctions and helps couples to build intimacy in marriage. Christian counselors utilize a four-step model to help clients deal with sexual concerns.

The DEC-R Model:
D – Dialogue. Therapist starts introducing the subject and creating a dialogue.
E – Education. Dialogue progresses to education as needed information is shared.
C – Coaching. The therapist coaches the couple through basic self-help steps to address more specific problems.
R – Referral. Therapist needs to know when and to whom to make a referral for professional treatment is he/she cannot offer.

See AACC Code of Ethics Standard, 1-126 Application to Homosexual and Transgendered Behavior

Family Therapy

Christian counselors work on helping family members find their voices, define their beliefs and communicate better during their conflicts.  Family therapy also works with the present and past of the family members and looking for habitual behaviors and roles within the family.

See AACC Code of Ethics Standards: 1-540 Working with Couples, Families, and Groups; 1-541 Safety and Integrity in Family and Group Counseling; 1-542 Confidentiality in Family and Group Counseling.

Other modalities of Christian Counseling are:

• Pastoral Care
• Child Therapy
• Counseling Adolescents
• The Second-Half Marriage: Helping Couples Transition into the Empty Nest Years
• Crisis Intervention
• Substance Abuse and Behavioral Addictions
• Grief and Trauma Intervention

References

American Association of Christian Counselors. (2004) America association of christian counselors code of ethics. Assessed from http://www.aacc.net/about-us/code-of-ethics/

Clinton, T. & G. Ohlschlager. (2002). Competent Christian Counseling. Waterbrook Press: Colorado.

Crabb, L. (1977). Effective biblical counseling: a model for helping caring Christians become capable counselors. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Worthington, E. L. Jr. (1999). Hope-focused marriage counseling: a guide to brief therapy. InterVarsit Press: Grove, IL.

INTAKE AND ASSESSMENT

 

Interview

Clinical interviewing is a fundamental area and most important ports of entry into a client's life.  It helps the Christian counselor to make a clinical diagnosis and obtain an accurate assessment of the level of functioning and at the same time establish a therapeutic relationship with the client.  There are six essential components of the interviewing process:

• The chief complaint. Client's perception of the primary purpose for seeking therapy.
• The history of present illness. An assessment on symptoms. 
• Physical health. Discuss medical problems. 
• Social history. Obtain full social history. 
• Loss and trauma. 
• Mental status exam. Gathering information about key mental functions based on overall interview.

Assessment

The intake and assessment process of Christian Counseling involves several steps.  First, in order for the Christian counselor to be accurate he/she must learn to evaluate the visible and the invisible elements of the client’s life. When a counselor knows the client well and has a precise picture of his/her life, the intervention process becomes more helpful and accepted by the client.  

The main purposes of the Christian counseling relationship are to facilitate an accurate evaluation of the problem and develop an effective treatment plan that the client can understand and follow:  
Christian counselors may utilize the assessment tool “BECHRISTLIKE” which has been developed describing the modes of human experience.  This Christ-centered multimodal assessment tool contains 12 items:

• Behavior. Defines key behavior patterns and assesses whether behavior is helpful or harmful.
• Emotions. Describes desired feelings and assesses primary emotional patterns.
• Cognition. Assesses thought process.
• Health. Notes medical problems and care.
• Religion. Assesses church life and Christian practices.
• Idols and false beliefs. Assesses problems and their relation to spiritual values.
• Substances. Assesses drug use.
• Teachability. Assesses client’s motivation and trust and biases.
• Law/ethics. Assesses whether the client is a danger for self or others.
• Interpersonal relations. Describes current issues and history with family and friends.
• Knowledge. Assesses skill strengths and deficits.
• Environment. Assesses external obstacles and reaction triggers.

 
The AACC Code of Ethics states the following standards with reference to assessment:

1-530 - Ethics in Testing, Assessment, and Clinical Evaluation

            Christian counselors do clinical evaluations of clients only in the context of professional relations, in the best interests of clients, and with the proper training and supervision.  Christian counselors avoid (1) incompetent and inaccurate evaluations, (2) clinically unnecessary and excessively expensive testing, and (3) unauthorized practice of testing and evaluation that is the province of another clinical or counseling discipline.  Referral and consultation are used when evaluation is desired or necessary beyond the competence and/or role of the counselor.

1-531 - Use of Appropriate Assessments

            Christian counselors use tests and assessment techniques that are appropriate to the needs, resources, capabilities, and understanding of the client.  We apply tests skillfully and administer tests properly and safely.  We substantiate our findings, with knowledge of the reliability, validity, outcome results, and limits of the tests used.  We avoid both the misuse of testing procedures and the creation of confusion or misunderstanding by clients about testing purposes, procedures, and findings.

 

References
 

American Association of Christian Counselors. (2004) America association of christian counselors AACC Code of Ethics code of ethics. Assessed from http://www.aacc.net/about-us/code-of-ethics/

Clinton, T. & G. Ohlschlager. (2002). Competent christian counseling. Waterbrook Press: Colorado.

Clinton T. & R. Hawkins. (2011). The popular encyclopedia of christian counseling. Harvest House    Publishers: Eugene, Oregon.

What is Christian Counseling?

Christian counseling is an organization and a ministry-profession that it is growing worldwide. It consists of a group of individuals who deliver care and counseling services to a wide range of clients who share the same Christian’s beliefs. Christian Counseling honors Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and it is guided by the Bible. Christian counseling has many goals, “but it has one ultimate concern: helping clients become more like Christ and grow into a deeper intimacy with God and with one another” (Clinton & Hawkins, 2011, p. 1).

Even though present Christian counseling has a short history, its initiation in the pastoral counseling care and counseling ministry of the church is at least two thousand years old.  “Hundreds of thousands of professional and pastoral counselors – and millions more lay helpers – are now doing counseling ministry in every state and on every continent” (Clinton & Ohlschlager, 2002, p.42). Christian counseling is not only a ministry of spiritual individuals that practice pastoral care but also it’s a group of individuals emerging in the clinical profession of the mental health field.

Values

Christian counseling has its own set of values. As secular counseling, Christian counselors should understand that their values should not be exposed or imposed on their clients. Christian counselors need to have awareness of their own values and how these may influence the counseling practice.  The goal of the counselor should not be to impose their values but rather to help the client establish how their behavior is negatively affecting their lives. In Christian counseling it is important that both the client and the counselor should have the same religious background.  Yet, even though the client has identified having the same religious background, the counselor should not assume their beliefs are precisely the same.  

Christian counselors should respect the client’s right to self-determination regarding religious values and should not judge the client due to their opinion or choices.  If a client asks for help and this one has a different religion or a sexual orientation that is not supported by the counselor, the counselor should refer them to another professional that can address the issue “Counselors with faith backgrounds who feel conflicted about counseling people living a gay lifestyle are ethically responsible to refer to professional counselors who can best help those clients obtain their goals in therapy” (Clinton & Hawkins, 2011, p. 19).

 

 

 

Biblical-Ethical Foundations of the AACC Ethics Code

 

1st FOUNDATION: Jesus Christ—and His revelation in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible—is the pre-eminent model for Christian counseling practice, ethics, and caregiving activities.

 
2nd FOUNDATION: Christian counseling maintains a committed, intimate, and dedicated relationship with the worldwide church, and individual counselors with a local body of believers.

 
3rd FOUNDATION: Christian counseling, at its best, is a Spirit-led process of change and growth, geared to help others mature in Christ by the skillful synthesis of counselor-assisted spiritual, psycho-social, familial, bio-medical, and environmental interventions.

 
4th FOUNDATION: Christian counselors are dedicated to Jesus Christ as their ‘first love,’ to excellence in client service, to ethical integrity in practice, and to respect for everyone encountered.

 

5th FOUNDATION: Christian counselors accord the highest respect to the Biblical revelation regarding the defense of human life, the dignity of human personhood, and the sanctity of marriage and family life.

 

6th FOUNDATION: The biblical and constitutional rights to Religious Freedom, Free Speech, and Free Association protects Christian counselor public identity, and the explicit incorporation of spiritual practices into all forms of counseling and intervention.

 
7th FOUNDATION: Christian counselors are mindful of their representation of Christ and his church and are dedicated to honor their commitments and obligations in all social and professional relations.


  

References

Clinton, T. & G. Ohlschlager. (2002). Competent Christian counseling. Waterbrook Press: Colorado.

Clinton T. & R. Hawkins. (2011). The popular encyclopedia of christian counseling. Harvest House  Publishers: Eugene, Oregon.

American Association of Christian Counselors. (2004). America association of christian counselors code of ethics. Assessed from http://www.aacc.net/about-us/code-of-ethics/

Christian Counseling

Christian Counselors are trained professionals who normally behave ethically in their every day work.  Many of them hold advanced degrees in the helping field and are licensed to practice in the community.  Today, Christian psychology is a major movement and has had a great impact in the Christian community.  Many Christians whose personal problems went unnoticed in the past are now receiving intervention.  However, Christian counselors are surely not protected from ethical misbehavior.  Christian mental health professionals field have expanded; providing many services to their clients.  “Where there are more practitioners and more services rendered, there is an increased probability that ethical and legal infractions will occur:” (Sanders, 1997, p. 16). 

This blog will consider some of the ethical considerations for working as a Christian Counselor.  It is designed in order for individuals to have an understanding of the many aspects of Christian Counseling and have a construct perspective of what Christian counseling involves and its ethics.  This blog will outline some of the many topics in the work of Christian Counseling: the foundation, the major modalities, process and practice, code of ethics, ethical and legal issues, resources and its future.   

A Christian Counselor is: “A committed believer, doing the best to help others, with the help of God” (Clinton & Ohlschlager, 2002, p.44).

References

Clinton, T. & G. Ohlschlager. (2002). Competent Christian Counseling. Waterbrook Press: Colorado.

Sanders, R. K. (1997). Christian counseling ethics: A handbook for therapists, pastors, & counselors.  InterVasity Press: Downers Grove, IL.