The uses of prayer and scripture have their place in counseling. Both serve the same purpose, which is to help clients grow in their relationship with the Lord and to recognize their need for a Savior who is able to help them overcome all their problems. Counselors must understand the backgrounds of their clients before incorporating prayer and scripture into counseling. Incorporating them right away is potentially disastrous since you could lose the trust of your client. As a result, counselors must understand the backgrounds of their clients, develop a relationship with them, and build their trust. Counselors must proceed with caution before utilizing prayer and scripture in counseling, especially in Mary’s case. Even though Mary is a Christian
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I believe this is one of the most impactful therapeutic uses of Scripture in counseling because it enables the client to release all the emotions and pain they are feeling and ask the “why” questions. This technique would help Mary deal with her guilt, shame, and even possible resentment towards her father for violating her and forcing her to sacrifice her child. It could also help her deal with her depression. In addition to the empty-chair technique I would also point her to scripture as well. Two of the scripture passages I would point her to are Psalm 34:18 (NKJV) which says, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Another verse I would point her to is Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV) which says, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” I would also help Mary remember that God loves her unconditionally and that nothing can separate her from His love (Romans 8:38-39) and that He is nothing like her earthly father. I would also encourage her to meditate on the Word of God because “it is an essential tool for spiritual formation because it provides resources for spiritual contemplation and boundaries to keep us from slipping away from truth” (McMinn, 2011, p. 130). Meditating on God’s Word would help her draw near to the Lord. Some verses I would utilize are James 4:8, and Hebrews 4:16 because they both talk about drawing near to the
I believe this is one of the most impactful therapeutic uses of Scripture in counseling because it enables the client to release all the emotions and pain they are feeling and ask the “why” questions. This technique would help Mary deal with her guilt, shame, and even possible resentment towards her father for violating her and forcing her to sacrifice her child. It could also help her deal with her depression. In addition to the empty-chair technique I would also point her to scripture as well. Two of the scripture passages I would point her to are Psalm 34:18 (NKJV) which says, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Another verse I would point her to is Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV) which says, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” I would also help Mary remember that God loves her unconditionally and that nothing can separate her from His love (Romans 8:38-39) and that He is nothing like her earthly father. I would also encourage her to meditate on the Word of God because “it is an essential tool for spiritual formation because it provides resources for spiritual contemplation and boundaries to keep us from slipping away from truth” (McMinn, 2011, p. 130). Meditating on God’s Word would help her draw near to the Lord. Some verses I would utilize are James 4:8, and Hebrews 4:16 because they both talk about drawing near to the