Practicing as a Christian Counselor Paper Example

A professional Christian counselor is a somewhat different from other counseling professions. A Christian counselor majorly focuses on providing guidance the healthcare professionals with relevant skills and knowledge to assist their clients who may be experiencing spiritual needs. The primary aspect that differentiates Christian counseling is its worldview which is usually based on biblical aspects and Christ teachings (Bufford, 2018). For instance, a Christian counselor usually approaches some social problems such as sexuality, abortion, and drug abuse on the based on the Christian perspectives. Although Christian counseling embraces the significance of psychology, it does not agree with any secular aspects of psychology that do not conform to Christ teachings and biblical views.

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Usually, the Christian counselors are guided by the gifts of the Holy Spirit in undertaking their session with the clients. They, therefore, impart knowledge and wisdom while providing counsel to the affected individuals. More often they can also become spiritual directors or spiritual mentors to their clients. The Christian worldview operates under the consideration that Christ is the greatest counselor and therefore by following His teachings in counseling, then, the affected persons get to heal their internal suffering and despair (Wolf, 2011). Although we discussed above that Christian counseling differs significantly with other counseling professions, these professions usually have a close relationship. For instance, Christian counseling often focuses on teaching and enhancing information to people who already have sufficient knowledge in counseling. The significant variation is that Christian counseling aims at introducing professional counselors with themes and ideas that are relevant in providing counsel to the spiritually distressed patients (Garzon, Lewis Hall & Ripley, 2014).

As a way to understand what exactly a practicing licensed professional Christian Counselor is, it is essential to evaluate some of their core roles and responsibilities. In this case, a Christian counselor provides a spiritual assessment to distressed persons. They also provide the necessary spiritual support to the clients, but the support is solely based on the Christian perspectives. They also help the clients to handle the underlying spiritual problems that may be appearing to harmful to their health status therein. It entails issues that may be either making the health of the patient to deteriorate or conditions that hinder the client from utilizing the healthcare assistance to their benefits. Another role is that they teach the clients about the core Christina principles that help in handling any issues that may arise concerning their health care and making any significant decisions concerning the healthcare aspects.

The Christian counselor may also engage in a prayer session together with the clients upon the request of the client or the family members. They also provide support to the healthcare professionals upon request (Garzon, Lewis Hall & Ripley, 2014). They can also offer spiritual support and the relevant spiritual teachings to the client's family especially when they faced with challenging situations such as death or a case where the client is in a critical condition that is near death. These roles and responsibilities are not limited to those mentioned above since they may differ depending on the relationship between the client and the counselor. The roles are dynamic, but they are solidly based on legal and ethical considerations. Consequently, they are firmly supported by spiritual and Christian teachings, perspectives, and principles.

Conclusion

The Christian counselor can operate in various settings including nursing facilities, health agencies, acute care hospitals, social service facilities, and outpatient care centers among others situations that require this kind of counseling service.

References

Bufford, R. (2007). Philosophical foundations for Clinical Supervision within a Christian worldview J. Ournal For Psychology And Christianity, 26(4), 293-297. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gscp_fac

Garzon, F., Lewis Hall, M., & Ripley, J. S. (2014). Teaching Christian integration in psychology and counseling courses. Journal Of Psychology And Theology, 42(2), 131-135. doi: 10.1177/009164711404200201

Wolf, S. (2011). The shaping of a professional worldview in the classroom: A Christian psychology project. Journal Of Psychology And Christianity, 30(4), 329-338.