Galatians 6:2 states, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of
Christ" (NKJV). I don't believe that the profession of counseling is for
everyone. However, I do believe that as Christians we are to love one another
and help each other through this journey called life. But, there is a special
calling for those who are called to counseling others whether it is as a
professional counselor or in the capacity of a pastoral counseling. Just a
caveat here, I believe that pastors should be well versed in counseling in order
to counseling the flock.
Psalm 34:18
says that, "The Lord is near to those who have a a broken heart, and saves such
as have a contrite spirit" (NKJV). As "Christian" counselors it is our job to
convey that message in the most effective way possible. But, to say that
counseling is to remove all suffering is hard to say. There are a lot of
variables that need to be considered. One variable would be whether the
individual is fully participating in counseling and what it is that they are
getting counseling for. It could be an ongoing "illness" such as bi-polar (which
by the way I believe that the "Church" overlooks such illnesses) which in this
case the suffering will not be fully removed; only managed. Another example
could be that of grief counseling in which case a counselor may guide the
counselee into a better place of mourning however, there still may be some
suffering there long after the counseling sessions are done.
I like the way Clinton and Hawkins puts it, "Deliver information to your
clients that best helps them get unstuck and move forward more resolutely with
the right thinking and focused action of this treatment process" (Clinton and
Hawkins, 2009, p.9). In many cases counseling may not remove all suffering, but
it is our job's as counselors is to help the counselee to get "unstuck" so that
they can move forward in their lives with a better quality of life. If the
suffering isn't totally taken away the counselor has done their job if they have
helped the counselee to get unstuck from their current situation and guided them
with the Holy Spirit.
In order to counsel the broken and broken hearted there are some things to
that the counselor should be mindful of. First of all there should be a genuine
call to the ministry of counseling. Second, there should be a good knowledge
foundation of biblical theology and the methods of counseling. Thirdly, a
counselor should have, "a spirit of authentic kindness- the kindness that draws
others to them" and a "Compassionate empathy that can deeply relate to others"
(Clinton and Hawkins, 2009, p.8). The fourth element, in my opinion, is to learn the art of
listening and communicating effectively. Petersen states that communication is,
"The oil that lubricates the engine of relationships" (Petersen, 2007, p.4). In
other words, if the engine doesn't have oil it will come to a grinding halt just
as relationships will without good and effective communication. The last element
that is important in counseling, but not the least of all is prayer. The
counselor should always rely on prayer for guidance for each counseling
session.
References
Clinton, Tim & Hawkins, Ron. (2009). The quick reference guide to
biblical counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Petersen, James C. (2009). Why don't we listen better? Communicating
& connecting in relationships. Tigard, OR: Petersen Publications.
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