Christian Spiritual Counseling

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Fighting the Seven Sins through Christian Spiritual Counseling

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

 How can counseling help against the seven sins?

The role of the Christian Counselor goes beyond the mere guidance in times of crisis or trouble but is a role that takes upon mentorship and spiritual guidance in everyday life as well.A spiritual adviser within Catholic circles is usually a priest, but within Christianity as a whole, many lay men and women take upon this role in character formation of their spiritual children.Hence Christian mentorship and spiritual guidance become core elements in Christian Spiritual Counseling. In accepting this role, the Christian counselor becomes a moral compass, guiding his or her spiritual children through the wilderness of the world.

Moral guidance is especially important. In guiding other souls, the Christian counselor points to the commandments, scripture, and God as sources of inspiration to instill virtue. The Christian counselor also guides the soul from sources that instill vice. In looking at the tree of vice, one must pin point the 

people should train their mind to control their passions via abstinence, fasting, and denial. Yet the senses are powerful things and in many cases can gain the upper hand. The primary four vices connected to the senses are sloth, greed, gluttony and lust.

The final two vices deal more with a deeper reaction that goes beyond the initial senses but involves a deep recollection of the object and the agent’s correlation with that object. In such cases, wrath and envy manifest themselves. In the case of wrath, the object upsets the agent and induces an emotional state within the mind that results in violence, unjust anger, and hate. In the case of envy, the object induces an unjust desire of wanting what is not legally the agent’s possession. These reactions are more complex than the previous four because

while they do initially stem from the senses, they eventually are analyzed by the intellect.

As Christian counselors, when encountering these spiritual maladies in their spiritual children, they should look for the roots of these vices and what is causing the particular vice. Is there a particular occasion or place that induces this vice? Also a counselor should look to scripture and other pious sources for ways to combat this particular vice and demon. In most cases, abstinence, denial, fasting and prayer become excellent weapons against the particular sin. Also, usually the virtue that polarly correlates with the vice is the best remedy; for example, humility to fight pride, or patience to fight anger. There is a virtue that counters every capital sin. 

In attempting to cultivate the virtues necessary to fight vice, praying to the Holy Spirit for his grace, gifts and virtues becomes the essential and first step. The Holy Spirit’s gifts, grace and virtues strengthen the Christian in his or her particular charisms and spiritual talents. Also, one should encourage those within the various traditions of Christianity to take advantage of various rituals to enhance their connection with God and to spiritually strengthen their soul. In Protestant circles, this may include prayer circles services and other gatherings, while in Catholic circles they may also include sacramental participation. Use of the sacrament of reconciliation and frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist are excellent sources for Catholics to strengthen their moral armor against sin. In the end, both traditions should take advantage of the rich divine words of Scripture.
If you are interested in becoming certified as a Christian Counselor, pleaser review the program.
 
By Mark Moran, MA, GC-C, SCC-C

Christian Counseling Courses: How to Counsel Lust?

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Religious Counseling of the Vice of Lust

One of the most addicting and habitual vice is the sins of the flesh. These sins involve man’s lower  

passions that are correlated with his five senses. Even more addicting is the fact they correlate with man’s natural desire for procreation. Distortion of this natural end for merely pleasurable ends is the primary element of lust or unlawful desire of sexual desires. This disproportionate desire corrupts God’s gift and very easily can become a habitual vice. In most extreme cases, the sins of the flesh turn the other person into a object of pleasure instead of a person who reciprocates love. With these distortions in mind, a Christian Counselor must guide the penitent very carefully through the tricky waters of pleasure and emotion.

Sins of the flesh involve sins of self pleasure, pleasure with others via the conjugal act and distorted and unnatural sins that transgress the natural order of sex. While avoiding a detailed account of the types of these sins, the purpose of this article is to identify the central themes of these sins. First, they are usually completed out of self interest. Second, they usually deny the procreative element of sex. Third, they distort God’s gift of sexuality to man. Fourth, they are void of love and finally they are habitual in nature. This makes counseling this vice very difficult.
When counseling these individuals, one must identify the level of sexual misconduct. Second, one must identify the regularity of the actions and third, one must set up a prayer schedule. Within Protestant and Catholic circles prayer and scriptural references are indeed required as well as fasting and self denial to help train the will in overcoming temptation. Avoidance of occasions of sin and drugs is also important. In Catholic circles, frequent confession and reception of the Eucharist is encouraged as well as a devotion to Mary for purity. In the end, it is true the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. This is so true of the sins of the flesh. A counselor must be patient because one will fall again and again in this battle as one begins their change. Such failures should not be fiercely condemned but analyzed. As long as the person is trying to overcome sins of the flesh, then one should be judged less harshly when occasional falls occur…in fact in some Catholic circles, sins that would be considered mortal can be considered venial during relapse if the penitent is earnestly trying to rid himself of these sins. It is only when the penitent gives up completely that there is absolute danger and lost.
If you are interested in Christian Counseling Courses, please review the program.
By Mark Moran, MA, GC-C, SCC-C

Christian Counseling Programs: Counseling Must Teach that the Body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Counseling must emphasize the holiness of the body

There has been a over-emphasis on the value of soul when one looks at the essence of human nature in Christian Counseling Programs. Merely because the soul survives the temporal reality and the body dies, people have come to the conclusion that the soul is superior. This is even the case among Christians who are far from Platonic in judgment on the body. Christians have always revered the body as more than a shell but a temple of the Holy Spirit. While this respect has existed it seems in popular thought that it is the soul that ultimately makes us human and hence is superior. The truth is the body plays as an important role as the soul in defining us. It is not only a temple of the Holy Spirit and our soul but is a interwoven element of our 

human nature and without our unique body we would cease to be human or exist at all. It with this in mind why Christ himself promises the resurrection of every human body to be reunited with one’s soul.

One should only teach a philosophy that emphasizes only the most respect for the body. The body while being an integral part of our human nature is a sacramental sign of the soul to the world. With this in mind, our bodies reflect the desires of the soul. Our eyes should only seek beauty and truth, our hands should never commit evil and our tongue should never speak untruth. Instead our bodies should do the work of the Lord in this world. In essence, our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
In this regard, any sins that harm the body, or stain the purity of the soul through physical actions are strictly forbidden in Christianity. Philosophies that reduce the body to a mere pleasurable object are condemned as well as philosophies that limit the body to only a shell of the soul such as Reincarnation. Also philosophies such as Manichaeism that teach all matter, including the body as evil should be strictly condemned.
Counselors should avoid various extremes. They should avoid extremes that devalue the body such as Reincarnation or Manichiean philosophies and should also avoid idealogies that idolize the body at the expense of eternal salvation.
If you are interested in Christian Counseling Courses, please review the program.
By Mark Moran, MA, GC-C, SCC-C

Christian Counseling Certification Program: 700 Club, Pat Robertson Answers Common Christian Counseling Session Questions

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Christian Counseling Certification Program: Pat Robertson answers questions that Christian Counselors deal with in sessions

Pat Robertson answers a few questions that may come up in Christian Counseling sessions.  I especially like his comment about those looking for relationships.  Watch the video below from the 700 Club.
To see the video, click here

I hope you enjoyed the video and the advice offered by Pat.  Christian Counselors can learn alot from him and other Christian leaders.

If you are interested in Christian Counseling Certification Program, please click here.
The program consists of core courses in Christian Counseling.  After completion of these courses, qualified professionals are eligible for certification in Christian counseling.  Renewal of certification is due every three years and requires academic and professional hours.
Thank you for your interest in the program and our blog.

Christian Counseling and Labor Ethics

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Christian Counseling and Labor Ethics

With the recent outcry of union rights versus the state, one may come to many questions regarding Christian ideals and how to counsel confused individuals upon what is right and wrong.  One prominent document that championed the right of the worker but also guided many away from the idealology of socialism was Rerum Novarum.  Pope Leo the XIII wrote this encyclical in a time of public outrage as workers tried to organize against oppressive industrial barrens who exploited the poor.  Yet during this dark era of labor history, the Pope also warned Christians of the dangers of Socialism that attempted to manipulate the worker for its own designs and purposes.  Below is this encyclical.

“That the spirit of revolutionary change, which has long been disturbing the nations of the world, should have passed beyond the sphere of politics and made its influence felt in the cognate sphere of practical economics is not surprising.”

To read the full encyclical, please press the link below.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum_en.html

I feel this encyclical l captures the essence of extreme ideals found both in capitalism and socialism and how ultimately, it is the church, ministries, counselors, and other charitable organizations that must curb the desires of evil philosophies from injuring the rights of the working man.

If you are interested in the Christian Counseling Certification, please click here.

 

Christian Counseling Certification Program: Counseling for True Happiness: A Christian View

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Christian Counseling Certification Program: False Idols of Christian Happiness to Avoid when Christian Counseling

 Like an illusion in the desert, false notions of happiness pose as an oasis, but in reality are handfuls of dry coarse sand. It is important then to identify a few notions of false happiness and classify them in your  Christian Spiritual counseling sessions. To many times, people are directed towards these ends and never find genuine happiness. 
 The first notion is materialism. Materialism values happiness in finite objects that appeal to the senses. It is limited only to the body and hence fails to satisfy man’s spiritual and emotional needs. In many ways, it is an in-proportionate balance of bodily pleasure over spiritual. Dr Mara, in his classic work, “Christian Happiness”, relates that the primary error in regards to the study of happiness is that the materialist reveres a low “good” as a high “good” and treats that good as an absolute. Slightly related is the worship of knowledge as the highest good. This was seen in many of the Greek philosophers. The reality is knowledge itself is not the good, but the gateway that opens one to discovering the truth that can give happiness. This, while superior to object based materialism, still finds happiness in an intangible object that can give no reciprocity.
 Another false notion is relativism. This “ism” denies an objective absolute truth in regards to anything. In regards to happiness, the relativist nonchalantly remarks, “Whatever makes you happy is then best for you”. While low goods and preferences can be applied to this, the relativist applies all moral actions as equal in regards to happiness. There is no one true objective nature of what true happiness is to the relativist. If N likes this, and R likes this, then who is to say one good is superior to the other. Dr. Mara relates that the error of the relativist is that he elevates everyone’s personal standards to the status of an objective absolute.
 Escapism is another false notion. How can one find happiness in a world of pain and suffering? Some escapists find an outlet from the burrs of the world via drugs and alcohol. Some pursue an addiction to distractive behaviors, whether it is excessive forms of entertainment or seclusion. Some try to forget the worries of the world and divulge themselves into video games or put themselves in a constant state of movement. Others hope to escape by downplaying the evils of the world. They hope to escape the fear or reality of death by downplaying evil or death as a joke. Dr. Mara refers to this as the “Pollyanna” Syndrome; looking at the bright side so much that they become alienated from reality and fail to face their fears. Another form of escapism accepts the evils of the world and finds happiness in negation or neutral consciousness. The reality of evil is so overbearing that everything that soothes the mind from it is an illusion. One can only hope to escape evil and find happiness via nothingness. Cynics find no joy in the world, but only see this overbearing evil. There is no happiness because everything is tainted by death, misery or evil. A stoic accepts this ideal as well but is willing to take the good with the bad but only if the good is taken with a detached prerequisite. In other words, you can touch, you can taste, but do not enjoy or become dependent upon it. This is a strong characteristic of Eastern philosophy where any form of lower “goods” are seen as inconsequential and are illusions to the reality of suffering. Detachment and eventual Nirvana are the true goals of happiness. Schopenhauer, a Western philosopher, completely absorbed these teachings and expressed how happiness is relief from misery and that life is a mistake. The only joy is absence of suffering, hence a neutral consciousness is preferred over any positive stimuli.
 While escapism attempts to retreat from the pains of the world and find happiness in negative states, earthly optimism becomes intoxicated with the other extreme. This erroneous approach to happiness over emphasizes earthly life and while accepting death, devalues its true impact as merely an event in life no different than birth or marriage. An earthly optimist will almost joke about death as the big event or make pithy remarks about the grim ripper. While materialistic to some extent, an earthly optimist wants to experience life to the fullest and accepts all the bumps in the road as what they are. They lack a deeper analysis of spiritual aspect of evil and death. The over optimism distorts the true relevance of suffering and evil. True death and suffering are part of life, but they play a much deeper role that cannot be laughed off or accepted as an event equal to any other event. This philosophy, held by many positivists such as Hume, Dewey, or Russell, leads to a very secular life style of maximizing happiness on this planet and not the next life. The theory of ethics thus becomes confused with the theory of happiness. It no longer becomes what “I ought to do” but what “makes me happy”. I think it is quite obvious that this is not the Christian notion of happiness.
 With these erroneous paths laid, what is the path a Christian Counselor should lay out before a fellow soul that is downtrodden and filled with grief? The Christian path is a realistic path but an optimistic one. It acknowledges the fallen state of the world but finds harmony with it while preparing for the next state of paradise. The Christian as a realist will not seek to escape suffering, nor will he denounce all earthly pleasures, but on the contrary will enjoy the gifts of this world and carry the crosses of this world that are given to him by the Lord. The Christian as an optimist, however, will not live for the goods of this world but see a greater reality that is void of suffering and death but only filled with love and joy. In this optimism, the Christian will seek to put his energy into goods that transcend and escape the decay of this world. The Christian will cultivate goods of virtue, family, friendship, faith and love;   Goods that lead to God and bind us with him and our family forever in paradise. This is the ultimate spiritual banquet, love of neighbor and family, bound with the perfect and reciprocal love of God that is eternal and forever. This is the ultimate happiness—for it is perfect and forever.  
If you are interested in the Christian Counseling Certitication Program, please review it.

By Mark Moran, MA, GC-C, SCC-C

Counseling through the Theology of Suicide

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Counseling the Sin of Despair

 How should religious counseling view suicide?  Since the hanging of Judas, suicide has been equated to the ‘sin of Judas’ and the unforgivable sin. This stain for centuries prohibited those  

victim to self death from the rites of Christian burial. This hard stance was the main view within Christian circles but this view has seemed to decline over time with a stronger emphasis on pastoral care and understanding of the so called “damned”. Escaping from centuries of social stigma and religious condemnation, a new view has emerged due to a better understanding in the fields of psychology and moral theology. We will briefly take a look at the theology behind suicide and then see how a new view has emerged in regards to the moral complications of this action. In addition to this, we will look at how religion plays an important role in preventing suicide from a social and psychological standpoint. These observations will hopefully create a new moral idea on the nature of the “Sin of Judas” and also show how religion, while condemning suicide, is the greatest prevention for it.  We will also look at ways one can counsel through the theology of suicide.

Religion objectively views suicide as a sin; primarily a sin of despair. This despair is the primary element of suicide. The victim of suicide loses hope in God’s mercy and forgiveness and falls victim to his or her own inclinations to escape suffering. Unlike taking hope in the story of the Prodigal Son, the victim of suicide chooses despair and hopelessness and without thought of others, takes his or her own life. This double action of despair and self murder create the sinful nature of suicide. While the objective nature of this action is always sinful, recent psychological studies have shown that not all suicides are directly willed but are due to pathological or mental instabilities. This greatly if not completely reduces the culpability of the action to certain individuals. While the objective element of the action retains its sinful stigma, the subjective element of the agent who commits the action via mental incompetency is freed of guilt. With this is mind, Christianity and especially the Catholic Church has permitted the sacred traditions of Christian burial to suicide victims. This is just and therapeutic. First, it gives peace to the grieving family. Second, it recognizes the subjective element of the agent whose culpability of the action may not be grave. With these concepts in mind, I would like to present a small sample of terminology regarding suicide. This is more of a theological presentation but does set the framework for the pastoral terminology within professional circles.
Positive (Active) and Direct Suicide– This form of suicide is always objectively and subjectively sinful. It does not encompass any form of pathological malady, but is driven by selfishness, despair, and contempt of God who is the author of all life. Euthanasia would fall under this category. 
Positive (Active) and Indirect Suicide – This form of suicide carries a subjective element that determines culpability. One who suffers martyrdom knowingly allows himself to be killed but the death is not willed. This has been analyzed with the martyrs. Martyrdom is seen as a virtue and a sign of Christian excellence and heroism in sacrificing all for Christ. This can also be applied to Christians who heroically enter hostile lands because they are spreading the word of God, or brave Christians who administer to victims of plague and later suffer death. This application however can be sinful if dangerous actions are partook due to pride, wagers, or foolish games. Obviously the culpability is still lower than the first.
Negative (Passive) and Direct Suicide- If not done with the consent of the Lord, passively allowing oneself to deteriorate with full intent can still retain the same level of culpability as active suicide.
Negative (Passive) and Indirect Suicide- In this case, suicide is not actively sought out nor necessarily willed with full intent but it does demand that someone seek all available ordinary means of survival-such as food, drink, or reasonable medication or procedures to sustain life. Obviously this case differs than Passive/Direct in that there is no malice intent to end one’s life, but there is a Christian obligation to sustain life and accept suffering—especially when sick—until all ordinary means exhaust themselves. Hence a Christian accepts his or her suffering and prolongs the gift of life until the end, while those who have betrayed the faith, seek escape well before the fight is over. Extraordinary means hope to preserve life beyond ordinary or natural means. Some of examples of extraordinary methods can include medications that prolong life briefly but do not heal or cure—preventing death with Christian acceptance and dignity. Another example would be new technologies that are not proven but only experimental. In all these cases, it is the choice of the person or the family if such means are to be employed—granted the person has made their peace with the Lord. In any case, extraordinary means are not required and do not fall under the category of Passive/Indirect suicide.
 With these terms and theology explained, we will now turn to more pastoral concerns and look at how religion plays a positive role in suicide prevention.
It is a general psychological belief within the professional community that religion helps people cope better and hence avoid suicide. Communities with strong abhorrence to the ideal of suicide and a strong hope in God provide a solid framework for people to fall back on. This does not only include an inner strength but also the external support structures of the believing community to overcome hardships and grief.
However, when religion and theology is misused, one can see a drop off among believers. It is accepted that those with a sincere faith do better than those with a superficial faith. For example, those who abide by an intrinsic faith overall do better than those who abide by an extrinsic faith that is based upon professional or social stature. Furthermore proper religious framing is extremely important in how a religious person views suicide. Positive religious reframing interprets negative events within a child like belief in divine providence that God is still protecting them and will bring good out of evil. Negative reframing views negative events as punishments from God. Obviously these polar opposite views result in polar opposite reactions to negative events. It is important for spiritual formation of an individual to see a loving God instead of a vengeful and punishing God. One final negative use of religion in coping involves negotiating with God via rituals and prayers. This attempted manipulation of God results in un-“answered prayers”. These unanswered prayers then pose questions within the mind of believer. Why did not God answer my prayers? Are not my prayers good enough? I must not be worthy of God’s blessings? These negative queries can lead to suicide and all because one is misusing religious prayer and ritual. One should, like Christ, accept God’s will within any prayer to the Father. With this proper understanding of prayer, a stronger relationship of faith can be built that does not create negative reactions by the believer.  A Christian counselor, should be able to guide a religious believer to the proper reactions with time and love.
With these ideas in mind on theology and the pastoral application of “good” religion upon the faithful, one can have a better understanding of the nature of suicide within its objective and subjective natures. In the end, faith, hope and love, the three theological virtues, are the necessary cures for all negative thoughts and they can only be cultivated with a healthy outlook on oneself and God.
If you are interested in Christian Counseling Courses, please review the program. The courses in Christian Counseling entail various pastoral, theological and moral principles any Christian Counselor should know.
By Mark Moran, MA, GC-C, SCC-C

Christian Counseling Those in the Occult

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

 Counseling those in the Occult

A Christian counselor is given a unique opportunity to help those stricken by the demonic. With prudence and discernment from the Holy Spirit, a Christian Spiritual counselor can help identify demonic issues with clients. Armed with Christ, prayer and fasting, they can also help rid a client of obsession cases. Possession cases should be dealt with more carefully, especially with the dangerous nature of such cases. Help from ministers, priests, or the Church may be needed.

During counseling sessions, a person may bring up such situations of the demonic. Whether it is an obsession or a infestation case, a counselor can help with proper training and understanding. One important thing in counseling is to see if the seeds for demonic activity have been laid in the person’s life. For these reasons, one should know the client’s history. Has the client ever been involved in the occult? Has his family? In some cases, past family members can consecrate children to satan, or carry generational curses. Another question to ask is if the client has ever naively partaken in occultic ceremonies or played with occultic games 
such as ouijii boards or runes or other fortune telling tools.
Another question to ask them is if they know of any in the occult who may have came to their home or has been in their life recently. Sometimes as well, if someone moves into a new home, certain objects may carry attachments to various spirits.
 These probing questions can help a Christian counselor ascertain the source and where it is coming from so that proper blessings, prayers and intervention can take place. In most cases, these situations are a result of obsession or infestation.  These questions allow the counselor to pin point whether the occurrences were indirectly and personally caused or cast by an outside source. These questions also allow the counselor to connect the objects or reasons tied to the demonic occurrences and offer remedy. The worst thing possible is to ignore these blatant signs as modern science would desire. In the end, the greatest aide to the devil is not to believe that he exists.
If you are interested in Christian Counseling Courses, please review the program.  If you would like training for Christian counselors, then please review.

Christian Counseling Training Program: Spiritual Warfare with the Evil One and the Occult

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Spiritual Warfare

After watching “The Haunting”, a program dedicated to the true stories of evil spirits and their haunting of individuals or homes, I was amazed at how little people understood about the dangers of the demonic. Many of the families were either naive, agnostic, or lax in their faith. These three spiritual states all enhanced the power of the devil or evil spirit in their home. After writing an article or two or occult influences and how Christians should respond, I figured I would relay some of the information here for the blog and other Christian Counselors.
How to deal with a haunting? The haunting can be of two natures. 1. It can entail a benign spirit who needs prayers, or 2. it can entail a malicious spirit and/or fallen angel. Haunting can also be termed infestation. The entity is tied to an object or place.

What is Spiritual Hygiene of the Home?

In most of these cases, spiritual hygiene is important. As one cleans their homes, they should also spiritually clean it. Blessings can be annually by oneself or a minister/priest. In addition to this, pictures of Christ and crucifixes in most if not all rooms is a good idea. Catholics also put St. Benedict medals on all entries to the home, as well as buried on all four corners of the property.
If dealing with an infestation that is not benign, one should try to find the history of the home, or if any odd objects were left from the previous owners since objects can carry attachment to evil spirits. Second, a minor exorcism of the home is required. In this case, the home owner or legal authority is to go into each room with holy water and a crucifix and command the entity in the name of Christ, his saints, St. Michael, and our Lady to leave and never return. Symoblically, windows should be left open. In addition to this, some cultures also encourage the burning of sage. Some cases, also require priests or ministers to aid, but usually a homeowner has enough power in Christ’s name to deal with it.
Another problem are curses. The reality of witchcraft, the occult, and white magic is only to real. Curses are not magic. but evil incantations or prayers where one asks an evil spirit to focus

itself upon you. These curses can be battled with a good holy life and sacramentals. A man of God should never fear the power of Satan. If armed with Holy Spirit, any curse can be rendered powerless. Most curses effect secular people who do not have the spiritual defenses necessary to battle it. Christian Spiritual Counselors can help people discover the defenses necessary.
Finally, demonic oppression or obsession is a final case. This is a preliminary to possession and usually is a haunting of a human being. The demon is attracted to the person for some reason and hopes to utilize the person’s vessel. Obsession can occur due to mere attraction, or due to occult practices. One who visits mediums, plays Ouiji Boards, or other occultic games can awaken the presence of a demon. Sometimes the demon is attached to someone who enters into your life. In some cases, children are given to Satan and later in life deal with removing the entity. Some people even deal with demonic abuse. Holy men such as Padre Pio and others dealt with demonic activity as victim souls. Similar to a blessing of a home, one should treat the person the same way. If you are a parent and your child speaks of an imaginary friend and the child’s behavior starts to change, you may want to bless your child and do an exorcism of your home. You may also wish to have a priest or minister bless your child. Like a home owner, a parent has legal authority over his child and can in the name of Christ fight the demonic entity.
During spiritual warfare, do not be surprised for a battle. Lucifer and his demons will fight back. They feed off fear and vice. If confident in our savior, and only with him at your side, you can defeat the evil one, but it will be a spiritual struggle. One that in the end, will strengthen your faith in God.
If you are interested a Christian Counseling Certification, please review the program. Our Christian Counseling Training Program can help prepare future Christian Counselors.

By Mark Moran, MA

Christian Spiritual Counseling and the Roaring 20s

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Christian Counseling Education Courses: 20S-30s and Christian  Spiritual Counseling

When Christian Spiritual Counseling, one will find that the age group they counsel for will determine many of the issues that commonly become important during sessions. Each age group psychologically has a mental list of needs, achievements, and goals. If those goals are not met, certain age groups react to these “failures”. It is important as a counselor to see the common themes that pertain to each age group and to guide each patient through their age related dilemma. In the end, all ages should reflect on Christ.

The age group pertaining to the 20 and 30s is a particular age group I would like to address today. I want to point out their needs and problems that can occur when their needs are not met. As one will see this is an emerging age of self identity and self independence that will set up the future success of the person. However as a Christian spiritual counselor, remember not to get too caught up in the secularist checklist of success. It is important to also regulate the spiritual growth during this time period.
The major challenges facing this age group are competency and independence. In regards to competency, they are searching for a variety of skills that will help them interact in society as professionals and people. At the college level, a variety of intellectual and academic skills and world views are being processed. Also at a spiritual level, many are coming into contact with other religious and spiritual views for the first time. Abilities regarding interaction and apologetics become central to their development. In many ways, the foundation of adolescence will crack or remain firm. How strong is the self identity of the individual as these skills are developed? As a Christian spiritual counselor, you want to help develop skills but protect the Christian seed of faith.
The second challenge is independence. For the first time, the young adult is experiencing his own place of residence or first job. Without parental control, the young adult will experience freedoms and choices never dreamed of before; moral decisions, business decisions and personal decisions will all become the responsibility of the person, not to mention the everyday chores that once mother and father did for them. The young adult will undoubtedly learn many lessons in these formative years but hopefully the seed of the Christian faith will keep them somewhat on the road of goodness. As a Christian counselor you want to teach the young adult that with every choice comes consequences. In addition to this, you will want to aid them with coping strategies, building identity, and helping them developing self sufficiency. In addition , young adults need vocational guidance in regards to the single life, marriage and possible ministry.
As a Christian counselor it is important during this years to give support to these young people. They need educational, vocational and spiritual guidance. Help them cultivate their dreams and give them ways to achieve those goals with good planning. As a Christian spiritual counselor who deals with this age group, you are not laying a foundation, but providing direction and helping the foundation bear fruit. In many ways these years will determine if the seed of faith sprouts or decays. Hence the importance of good spiritual mentorship is critical.
If you are interested in Christian Counseling Education Courses, please review the program.

Mark Moran, MA