Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling (AACC Library) [Hardcover]

Mark R. McMinn (Author)

Book Description

Series: AACC Library | Publication Date: June 25, 1996

The American Association of Christian Counselors and Tyndale House Publishers are committed to ministering to the spiritual needs of people. This book is part of the professional series that offers counselors the latest techniques, theory, and general information that is vital to their work. While many books have tried to integrate theology and psychology, this book takes another step and explores the importance of the spiritual disciplines in psychotherapy, helping counselors to integrate the biblical principles of forgiveness, redemption, restitution, prayer, and worship into their counseling techniques. Since its first publication in 1996, this book has quickly become a contemporary classic—a go-to handbook for integrating what we know is true from the disciplines of theology and psychology and how that impacts your daily walk with God. This book will help you integrate spiritual disciplines—such as prayer, Scripture reading, confession—into your own life and into counseling others.

Mark R. McMinn, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at Wheaton College Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois, where he directs and teaches in the Doctor of Psychology program. A diplomate in Clinical Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology, McMinn has thirteen years of postdoctoral experience in counseling, psychotherapy, and psychological testing. McMinn is the author of Making the Best of Stress: How Life's Hassles Can Form the Fruit of the Spirit; The Jekyll/Hyde Syndrome: Controlling Inner Conflict through Authentic Living; Cognitive Therapy Techniques in Christian Counseling; and Christians in the Crossfire (written with James D. Foster). He and his wife, Lisa, have three daughters.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book—one of the best in its field—is a gift to counselors. The chapters on sin and prayer alone are worth the price of the book. And the ‘What If This Happened’ sections take the material out of the merely cerebral and force readers to interact with it in real-life scenarios. This book fills a major void and will become required reading for my seminary students. The six integration challenges are a gold mine for both the practitioner and the professor. (Gary J. Oliver, Ph.D., director of the D.Min. program in Marriage and Family Counseling, Denver Seminary )

From the Inside Flap

After years of discussion about the relationship between psychology and theology, it is time to move the discussions to a more intimate level: what actually happens in the Christian counseling office? It is here that counseling becomes intensely personal, reflecting counselors’ spiritual lives as much as their psychological preparation and theological sophistication.

This updated landmark book looks at what happens in two secret places in counselors’ lives: behind the closed doors of their counseling offices and in their own spiritual lives.

It asks such probing questions as
How can we move into the frontier of interdisciplinary integration, where the practical implications of responsible psychology, Christian theology, and spiritual growth are seen in every counseling interaction?
What challenges do we face as we critically evaluate dominant views of mental health, establish a scientific base, and define relevant ethical standards for Christian counseling?
How can we adapt our definitions of training?
How can we nurture our own spiritual lives so that Christ will be revealed through us?

It also asks practical questions, such as
Is it wise to pray with a particular client?
Under what circumstances should I use Scripture memory as part of counseling?
What is the proper role of confession in the therapy process?
Is forgiveness a reasonable goal in a specific situation?

Mark R. McMinn is professor of psychology at George Fox University, where he teaches and serves as the director of faith integration in the Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology. Mark holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, is a licensed psychologist in Oregon, and is board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and a past president of the APA’s Psychology of Religion division.

Mark has received teacher-of-the-year awards at both George Fox University and Wheaton College, where he taught from 1993 to 2006. He was recently awarded the 2010 Graduate Researcher of the Year award at George Fox. Much of his research and all his clinical work in recent years have focused on clergy health and finding effective ways for mental health professionals and clergy to work well together.

Mark’s wife, Lisa, is a sociologist and an author. Together they raised three daughters, who are now grown. Mark and Lisa live in rural Oregon, where they attend Newberg Friends Church, tend honeybees and chickens, and run a small Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 371 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (June 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084235252X
• ISBN-13: 978-0842352529
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Psychology & Christianity
  • #7 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Church Leadership > Church Administration
  • #7 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Psychology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for therapists who seek to integrate spirituality, March 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling (AACC Library) (Hardcover)

McMinn writes for the Christian professions, the religious, and the lay people. He also seeks to speak to those who are pursuing active integration of faith, psychology and theology. It is very refeshing reading as he discusses classic Christianity and its applicability to everyday problems. With the popular publication's sloppy "a little bit of this and a little bit of that" view of spirituality, McMinn presents a well thought out response. A must read for counselors, psychologist and psychiatrists.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PTaS Review, October 16, 2005

By 

JC Jack (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling (AACC Library) (Hardcover)

This book does an excellent job in facing the questions every Christian counselor has to deal with in a secular world. Whether a student or clinician, this book provides clear direction without compromising ones faith. It respects existing theory to the therapeutic process, addresses their strengths and weaknesses, and shows the effectiveness of Christian tenants in the healing process. The book is easy to read and well structured. Sample cases are realist and McMinn does an excellent job of demonstrating the application of Christian beliefs to the healing process, covering a good cross section of disorders. For the lay counselor, the clinician, or individual in pastoral care this book is clear and thorough on the topic of Spiritual integration.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A review and reflection, March 10, 2008

By 

Anthony Centore Ph.D. "Anthony Centore Ph.D." (www.ThriveBoston.com (Cambridge, MA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling (AACC Library) (Hardcover)

This book was written to answer an important question to many people that are in the field of counseling and some that are not. That question is
"how does a counselor integrate their faith in the therapy session, a faith that includes psychology and theology?" Many people struggle with this very question. We live in a world that is seemingly growing toward a "don't bring Christ into this" mentality because we are afraid we might offend someone. Some Counselors want to help people and they know that Christ can help, yet do not know how to incorporate that into their counseling methods or approaches. These are the things that McMinn tries to address. He does this in practical ways using the spiritual disciplines, counseling examples and scripture.

McMinn also explains the definitions, similarities, and differences between Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality. He writes in away that breaks down the terms and issues in away for the reader to understand and apply. The book is written for anyone who wishes to understand how they can truly integrate these three concepts into the therapy session. This book excels at helping the reader integrate spiritual disciplines that we as Christians should live by into the counseling session and also encourages the counselor if they are not incorporating these disciplines in their walk with the Lord, to do so.

This book really seeks to teach the counselor to multitask in the three categories of Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality. He suggest that the counselor who can learn to do this effectively will be able to give their clients the very best. This is not an easy task for any Christian Counselor however, it can and will be rewarding for both the counselor and the counselee.

Concrete Response

I think the book relates to my personal life and ministry the most in the section of dealing with sin in the therapy sessions. McMinn States "In Christian counseling, sin can be confronted in humble and empathic ways that encourage spiritual growth more than guilt and shame. These methods include silence at strategic moments, pondering aloud inconsistencies in client's narratives, and questioning clients in order to understand their values of right and wrong." (McMinn, 1996, p. 162) Because I work with teenagers, I have come to learn that a strategic silence is one of my biggest "tools". Most teenagers know what they are doing is wrong, or they know I will disapprove of what they are doing. Then that follows what McMinn talks about in understanding their values and understanding of sin. In reading this, I was reminded of one of the most intimidating and scary confrontations I had to deal with two teenagers. Walking into meet with two teenagers separately about sexual activity in the church, well let's say that moment of strategic silence, questioning, and value system came into play. After long discussions, crying, prayer and the initial "I can't believe my youth ministers know I done this" reaction, I was able to understand how their family values corresponded with their actions. Needless to say when I read this in this book, it was great to see that how I handled it was actually an okay, or good approach.

Reflection

This is a good book for anyone who wants to learn more on how into integrate their faith and psychology together. I enjoy how McMinn uses the spiritual disciplines as stepping stones in the incorporating of a counselor's spirituality into the therapy session. In the section on prayer he does a great job of introducing prayer into the therapy sessions. Prayer is an important part to the Christian's life, and cannot be left out in the therapy session.

The only question that I have is in the sections dealing with sin. The author gives five approaches to confronting a client's sins they are "silence, pondering, questioning, direct censure, and not confronting the sin." (McMinn, 1996, pg.137). I am not sure I completely agree with the last approach of not confronting sin. I believe that we must be looking at our own lives first, second we must have the right attitude and motive of confronting sin, but we must as Christians hold each other accountable. I work with students and I deal with confronting their sins, and dealing with their problems on what seems a daily basis, however I am still learning about dealing with sin in the counseling sessions, but I do not think that you can ignore sin completely in the therapy session.

Action

This book does a great job at showing not only how to integrate psychology, theology and spirituality into the counseling sessions, but the need to do so for the Christian counselors. I would recommend this book for anyone who is going into the field of counseling, and I would also tell people of the truths in this book. Christians are called to be set apart, and to be salt and light in the world in which they live. That means that Christ must be at the heart of everything a Christian counselor does and says. In the dual role of both a Christian and a counselor this is more evident than ever. This writer believes that being a counselor is a high calling from the Lord just as any other profession including the call to ministry, and that He has invited us to partner with Him in the soul care and healing of a broken world. For Christian counselors, Christ and the teaching of scripture must be at the heart and foundation of every session. It is with the guiding of the Holy Spirit and the healing power of Christ, that we partner with modern technology, medicine and psychology to help people heal and have a healthier and fuller life. Also, as McMinn points out in his section on prayer, that prayer is communication with God and it is the "Holy Spirit who heals." (McMinn, 1996, p. 69)

Christian's posses something that no one else has and it is the power of Christ. He can make things happen in us that we cannot do by ourselves. Titus 3:5-6 states "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal of by the Holy Spirit, who he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior."

(Written by Amanda L. Wigley)