The exclusive advantage of Spiritual Counseling

Spiritual Counseling

The Exclusive advantage of Spiritual counseling is to be understood only with the Right Motivation. The motivation to know God is a human desire arising out of the purpose of human existence. This desire has an underlining factor that intrigues the idea of our morality of being made in God’s image and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. 

At this point, we need to seek the exclusive advantage of Spiritual Counseling to expedite our return. This desire to understand God and His ways is intensified during the time of sorrow, stress, death, and confinement. Spiritual counseling can be an effective means of feeling God’s presence and explaining many mysteries about ourselves, like who are we and why are we here. 

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

Psalm 139:7

Holm explained, “ministry of presence involves deep connections based on mutuality and reciprocity with a potential for transforming both the minister and the other person.”^[1]  Law enforcement officers call trusted chaplains the “God squad” because, by just “being there,” those around them are reminded that God too is present.^[2]

“It’s not about counseling techniques; it’s the relationship that heals.”^[3]  Pastoral counselors must be personally and spiritually integrated in order to be successful in their own personal therapy. They should also be able to demonstrate to certification committees that they are capable of maintaining a confidence-building close relationship.^[4]  Pastoral presence and empathy are important in achieving this feat and, according to Townsend, requires two characteristics, which are:

• pastoral presence, a mystery connected to God’s spirit, and
• an empathy that is related to God’s compassion.^[5]

Pastoral counseling is tangible and it is experienced in an emotional joining that allows true connections with troubled people such as ex-offenders, “understand deeply from the heart,” or “believing for the person when they cannot themselves believe.”^[6]  To accomplish this task of pastoral presence,

• The pastoral counselor’s approach must match the client’s preferred style (in this case, understanding the ex-offender’s challenges).
• Pastoral counselors’ identity formation should include an experience that affirms, embraces, and practices diverse styles of empathy and presence.^[7]

Pastoral counseling revolves around the relationship of the counselor and the counselee. The relationship must be based on a partnership built on mutual understanding between the counselor and the client. Clients who actively collaborate with their therapists do better in the long run. When there is a discrepancy between the client and the therapist’s perception of the relationship, the therapy is less effective and hence the clients are more likely to drop out.^[8]

Lambert’s analysis shows that an effective therapeutic relationship accounts for about 30 percent of change, but what clients bring to counseling accounts for about 40 percent of client improvement, and hope an additional 15 percent.^[9] Pastoral counseling literature tends to be professional-centered. That is, it champions the person of the counselor, counselor skills, and therapist-generated events that benefit clients.^[10] On the other hand (faith and mental health), pastoral counselors were highly attuned to client resources overlooked by other counselors. They tended to be keen observers of clients’ spiritual resources, religious connections, and longing for spiritual and personal growth.^[11]

[1] Holm, N., Practicing the Ministry of Presence in Chaplaincy. Journal of Christian  Education, 52(3), (2009), 39. 

[2] D. W.  DeRevere, Cunningham, W. A., and Mobley, T. W, Chaplaincy in Law  Enforcement: What It Is and How to Do It. (2nd ed.). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Ltd, 2005, 1. 

[3] L. Townsend, Introduction to pastoral counseling. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2009, 107.

[4] ibid., 107.

[5] ibid., 107.

[6] ibid., 107

[7] ibid., 107.

[8] ibid., 117.

[9] ibid., 117.

[10] ibid., 117.

[11] ibid., 117.