Church-Based Christian Counselling Paper Example

Introduction

For quite a long time, counselling was seen to be a lifestyle practice which targeted those who are rich in the society. However, the norms have drastically changed with counselling becoming a common practice to all. In most instances, people are very depressed and emotionally torn, a factor that requires urgent attendance so that the generation can be saved from contracting very dangerous cognitive diseases such as hypertension, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure all which are associated with emotions.

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Counselling, therefore, plays a very critical role in ensuring that people are stabilized emotionally, cognitively and physically. Counselling has been on the rise in the modern world as a result of the erosion of the cultural values of various societies. Most people have become modern and hence the societal norms and values which used to guide people of the good morals have been lost. This has paved way for counselling to play part in helping people manage their emotions and actions.

In order to remain relevant, different models of counselling have been developed so as to help people of different calibers and religious backgrounds. The models basically follow a strict doctrine which is used by a given group in making their sessions to be relevant to the people in question. This has greatly helped to avoid the religious and cultural clashes which may result to affix during counselling sessions. Christians prefer using the Christian based approaches in handling their clients claiming that the approach is very important as it instils the values of Christianity and the faith that people have deeply vested in God. A Christian based counselling model, therefore, takes care of religion as well as the emerging issues and integrate them to get a solution to the underlying problem. The integrated model of counselling that I have adopted basically infuse the Christian values in the counselling and they are put in such a way that they preach faith in the unforeseen to solve the current and future problems that the clients are facing in their lives.

INTEGRATED MODEL

Believes that we are to follow the model of Christ

As Christians, we view Jesus Christ as our role model and therefore we wish to imitate anything that comes from him. We strongly believe that Jesus was a son of the highest God who suffered in the hands of man to deliberate humankind. As a counsellor, we encourage our clients in their situations that their situations cannot match that of Jesus. As Christians, we must believe that if Jesus suffered and emerged victoriously, then we can emerge victors at the end of any problem that we face.

Despite all the sufferings that Jesus faced in the world, he did not lose hope in healing. The healing of Christ is very important to clients during counselling since the moment they believe that Jesus can heal them, they get healed. As a counsellor, one should make their clients believe in the divine powers of Christ which is able to give them ultimate healings as long as they do as desired by Christ.A counsellor should express strong belief and faith in the healing and changing lives by Christ before they can convince their clients to believe so. A Christian counsellor must, therefore, demonstrate a strong will of faith in the unforeseen to give hope to the client on the healing and changes which Christ is able to bring to their lives as long as they have faith. They must make the clients believe in the power of God so that they can have their hearts at peace knowing that their problems have been solved. This will, in turn, make the clients get off the emotional torture which mostly form the basis of counselling.

Generally, in the integrated model of Christian based counselling, we have to believe in the suffering, healing and changing of lives by Jesus Christ. Once we believe as a counsellor, then we can make our clients believe on the same during counselling therapies and this will make the entire counselling process to be Christian based with facts of the beliefs in the unforeseen powers of God (In Dietrich, In Jorgensen, In Korslien, & In Nordstokke, 2014)

Inculcating Christian values in resource utilization

As Christians, we believe that things happen for a reason which we cannot conceptualize using our knowledge. We, therefore, call for the intervention of Gods power and wisdom in all our endeavours. We strongly believe that the little resources that God put at our disposal are very important in our lives as we can use them to transform and change our status for good. In instances of suffering, as Christians, we have a calling to use the available resources to relieve suffering and bring comfort to others.

A counsellor should, therefore, be in the front line of convincing his clients that the problems that they have can be solved by the use of any resource around them. For example, when one is stressed, a Christian counsellor can make them believe in the power of exercise and prayers which acts as the immediate resources which they can use. When they use these resources appropriately, the results can be instant or gradual and since they believe, the results must be positive in their favour as God cannot make them toil in vain.

The model, therefore, stresses the belief in the use of the resources around in transforming lives, bringing healings and causing comfort in clients who are to be helped through guidance and counselling. It is very critical for a counsellor using this model to instal the virtue of faith and believe in their clients as this will greatly do a lot of miracles as Jesus himself passed through the same and become a victor (De, 2002)

The resources which are used must relieve people/clients from suffering and bring comfort in the Christian ways. They believe is thus important because in matters of religion, without belief and faith, nothing can happen and as such the client must be made to believe fully.

Believing that Christians are conquerors of the world

As Christians, we are created to understand the world and completely conquer it as it was given to mankind by God. We, therefore, need to train our client to believe that they are given the powers to understand the world and take control of its happenings. The Christians must be made to believe that life is never smooth and is full of struggles which keep people moving. During counselling sessions, the clients must be made to believe in the existence of suffering, hardship and the better things which comes out of the struggles. It will make the clients be in a position to comprehend and accept their conditions as they are and hence helping to make counselling relevant and helpful to them.

Similarly, as Christians, the clients must be made to accept pain as part of normalcy in life as nothing good can be realized if there is no pain experienced. The clients must thus be made to believe that there is no gain without pain in life and by the end of pain and suffering, God can never allow his people to suffer forever. The sufferings that people experience are just temporal and clients should only believe that God is in control of their actions (Atkinson, Field, Holmes, & O'Donovan, 1995)

According to the integrated model, understanding is one aspect that all Christians should poses. Christians should be very loyal and understanding and this will not make them a question about suffering and pain. Instead, they will understand that suffering is a normal phenomenon which every human being must go through and the pains which are associated with it. A counsellor must train their clients to be in a position to understand the same and the possible outcomes which they will enjoy once they persevere.

Believing in the Christ calling

Christians must have a strong belief that they have a calling from God and hence their duties are to serve God. Service to God must have a very strong commitment in the activities which one get involved in and view others as God creatures who actually need their services. A counsellor must use this belief to teach their clients about the desirable values which God expect of us. Once they are made to believe, then they are free to take the roles up and do a follow up on the same as this will help them understand the dynamics of life fully.

Conclusion

Church-based Christian counselling is one of the counselling methods which is applied by most churches in the modern days to counsel their flock. It is because most values have changed and this has led to more problems, especially in marriages and emotions. The church base Christians counseling, therefore, plays a role in teaching people about how to solve their problems in a Godly way.

References

Atkinson, D. J., Field, D. F., Holmes, A. F., & O'Donovan, O. (1995). New Dictionary of Christian Ethics & Pastoral Theology. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

De B. (2002). Autonomy and obedience in the Catholic Church: The future of Catholic moral leadership. London: T & T Clark.

In Dietrich, S., In Jorgensen, K., In Korslien, K. K., & In Nordstokke, K. (2014). Diakonia as Christian social practice: An introduction.

Rowdon, H. H., & Partnership (Organisation). (2002). Church leaders handbook. Carlisle: Published for Partnership by Paternoster Pub.