4-Mat Review Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counselling - Book Report/Review Example

4-Mat Review Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling Liberty Summary Dr. Mark McMinn’s Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling (1996), is about Christian counseling and teaches how to incorporate psychology and theology along with spirituality. The subject of the book is not interdisciplinary in itself; it takes in spirituality as a major force. Interdisciplinary approach manifests itself when both the client and the counselor share a common bond. The purpose of counseling is to take the client to a level of spiritual maturity, which can’t be achieved unless the counselor isn’t spiritually mature himself. The counselor needs to address issues such as prayer, sin, scripture confession, redemption and forgiveness, to be able to really connect with the client. The approach of McMinn (1996) revolves around healing, which in turn produces a positive healthy sense of self-worth that transforms into a needy and destitute soul, which ultimately leads to the sublime, to enlightenment. McMinn (1996) is of the mind that prayer is a powerful tool both during and after the counseling session but it needs to be used with caution. It is not the client that McMinn refers here; he talks about the counselor’s need to pray, both during and after the counseling. Such arrangement is the true foundation of Christianity. For instance, praying during the counseling might help the clients see the light. Clients may get closer to the God, and that helps in making the client repent and truly believe in His powers. It creates a sense of fulfillment, and the client recognizes that it is God who fulfills his need, his cravings. But there is a downside to this approach as the clients might become too attached with the counselor, and not the divine Himself. McMinn (1996) suggests that the clients may become too dependent on counselor and might forget to pray for themselves, or they might get too intimate with the counselor. McMinn (1996) is also of the mind that a counselor needs to stick with the scripture when counseling. Consulting the Bible for reference and guidance will help keep the counselor on track. And that is the right way to create a therapeutic intervention in counseling session. Deriving the knowledge and guidance from the Scripture will also help the counselor in gaining knowledge as to what needs to be communicated to the client, depending on client’s personality and needs. Sin is something that McMinn (1996) focuses on a lot as to give the counselor an insight as to the motivators of sin. The author urges the counselors to talk to clients about the original and personal sin to clients. This will help the client in understanding as to what is the origin of sin, and it is not the person that is to blame, but the misguided choices he makes. Such a concept will also help the client in realizing that instead of delving into sin, he needs to delve into seeking forgiveness from God, and create a perspective of hope. “When counselors respond in a caring, nonjudgmental way, clients feel relief.” (p. 165) At the same time the author also rejects a carefree attitude towards sin, and urges counselor to talk about sin so that it becomes repulsive for the client. On forgiveness McMinn (1996) writes that it is the “reflection of insight and transformation,” that necessitates “humble submission to the One who continually forgives us.” (p. 215). The objective of confessing, repenting and asking for forgiveness is to create a life view that reflects self-esteem, sense of self, and worth of one’s own self, of others and God. Such an attitude creates the mental relief and makes the soul calm. McMinn (1996) emphasizes that redemption is crucial to counseling and it is the counselor who first needs to assess what redeeming one’s self in Christ actually means, only then the counselor will be able to guide the client. Properly communicating redemption to the client can almost certainly lead a stray soul to the path of enlightenment. To conclude McMinn urges the counselor to expand his comprehension and doesn’t solely rely on his or her own judgment and abilities but also seek help from Holy Spirit and God to fill his own heart with light. Concrete Response While reading the book, I couldn’t help think about my own confessions. I don’t claim to be an exemplary Christian but I do confine myself in confession and finding solace and comfort with the counselor. While I was reading the book, I thought about my pastor and my counselor, to be honest, he might not fulfill the criterion that McMillan suggests but he sure makes me feel comfortable. I do like to talk to him about my sins and my confusions. McMillan talks about sticking to the scripture and always seeking guidance from it. I partially agree because when I talk to my counselor I like to go as wayward, and be as casual as I can be. Brining scriptures in doesn’t always inspire me. The last confession I made with the counselor was me having a fight with my mom. I am glad that my counselor didn’t start reading scriptures about Marry, he asked about the whole situation and the context, he even chuckled a little and that made me at ease. He did advise me to be gentler to my mom the next time. I couldn’t help but being critical of the ideas portrayed in the book. I do get the point that the true light comes from God and the counselor is nothing but a connector to God, but when that connection serves really well and you really become dependent on the counselor for your solace, then what should be the plan of action? I couldn’t get the sense of fulfillment and joy I felt for the first time in confining and confessing to my counselor. I completely understand the author when he writes that it is God’s forgiveness that fulfills the hearts and satisfies people. When I read the book it I totally understood what the author means by such salvation. Such sense of joy and the love for God can only be experienced, and reading will not give the same sensation. Reflection Despite really enjoying the book, there are few things that trouble me. I really want to know how can the counselor not become a source of satisfaction for the client and how can the client not let himself become intimate with the client? It doesn’t make sense. If I am opening myself up to a person, I want to be intimate with him and want the other person to make me feel like that. In my opinion that is how counseling should work. I have thought about this dependency issue for some time and I don’t find anything wrong with being attached to the counselor. If he really is an experienced counselor, every time I meet him, I get closer to God. If that is something against Christian teachings, then I probably need to read more. The point is when forgiveness, redemption, salvation and the concept of sin are explained to the client, the counselor always communicates his version of those concepts. The client understands the way he wishes to but it is the counselor’s version he takes in, and it’s that understanding which makes him want to come back again, seeking forgiveness. The positive about the book is it does explain the concept of counseling in depth and I really like the act of integrating the Divine light and the spirituality in the book as otherwise it would only turn into session between a client and his shrink where the client feels good after unloading all of his pent up frustration. But on the other hand asking a counselor to detach from the client and keep the session as objective as possible, doesn’t make sense to me. Action It is quite difficult to take action in response to the book as I am not a counselor. If I were, I would have taken many action steps to challenge and apply simultaneously, the principles from the book. I feel like this book only points me in the direction to betterment, it doesn’t solve any problem. Therefore; I will start visiting more counselors than one. I would really like to challenge the concept of attachment with a counselor. I will see if I can beat my current attachment with the counselor by interacting with a counselor that fulfills McMillan’s criteria better. I will record my observations and will compare if one counselor serves my purpose better than others. It is then I need to apply my judgment if a counselor is a better psychiatrist and he knows how to ‘deal’ with a patient. That may not necessarily mean that he is bringing me closer to God. If this plan of action doesn’t bring me the results I seek, I will probably start comparing a shrink with a counselor at Church, as that will really establish the importance of the salvation and forgiveness that McMillan talks about. And then I will fully agree with the author that detachment from councilor, and attachment to God, is the key. Reference McMinn, M. R. (1996). Psychology, theology, and spirituality in Christian counseling. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Read More