Critical Review Of A Christian Counseling

According to Clinton, Hart, & Ohlschlager (2005), the most important ingredient in the counseling relationship is the counselor, and as a counselor, what one believes, how one feels and acts, and what a counselor does or does not do greatly affects the counselor-client relationship (p. 29). As the counseling movement has expanded and matured, so have the counselor’s roles and responsibilities, however, and in general, a counselor is commonly an individual who helps clients navigate relational, behavioral, spiritual, and emotional problems and difficulties (Clinton et al., 2005, p. 33). Counseling, as a profession, usually attracts kind and noble persons who possess both a perceived calling and a desire to help people (Clinton et al., 2005, …show more content…
Considering personality and spirit, this author believes that he is already in possession of a natural interest in and compassion for people, emotional intelligence, a disposition for listening, an understanding and mastery of empathy, the capacity to suspend personal needs, unwavering ethics and integrity, and the ability to lessen a person’s anxiety. In addition, this author also believes that he possesses a strong commitment to the gospel and a biblical worldview. Nevertheless, there are deficiencies and room for improvement. Thus, this author could benefit from additional professional training, which should include information on how to establish better boundaries. Unfortunately, and because of the lack of boundaries, many of my relationships with others in the church/counseling environment have intruded upon my home and personal …show more content…
Out of the core skills, this author believes his strengths are active listening, goal setting, and the ability to provide an empathetic response. Unfortunately, this author can become easily distracted by outside interference and needs to develop better attending skills. Furthermore, and since this author lacks experience, better probing skills are also needed. The relational traits gained from grace and faith by this author are overwhelmingly centered on the ability to have compassion and empathy for others, as well as patience and a positive attitude. Flowing from these traits are other relational traits gained from grace and faith, such as courage, humility, adaptability, honesty, determination, and loyalty, not only to God, but to other human beings. Fortunately, this author has had limited experience in being a client. However, this author believes that if he were a regular client, the counselor, in order to gain my trust, would need to be a person who is attending, a person who responds with empathy, and a person who displays the characteristics of being an active listener. On the other hand, and as a