Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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)

Want to take your counseling to another level? well then this is the book for you. The title of the book speaks for it self, if you are an intellectual you will find the book very satisfying, and if you are a church leader this book will elevate your counseling effectiveness for the people who need you the most.

Through illustrations and counseling session vignettes, McMinn (1996) provides an excellent working model of how to integrate psychology, theology and spirituality in his book of the same title. He begins the book with exploring the challenges which confronts the Christian counselor who is trying to integrate the science of psychology with the teachings of faith, all the while keeping both the professional and personal life of the counselor at the center of the discussion. McMinn stresses that what happens in the personal life of the counselor is just as important as what goes on behind the doors of the counselor's office. To help the reader understand how the counselor's worldview affects counseling style, McMinn uses vignettes he labels, "What if this happened?" Through these illustrations he is able to explore such issues as the need for a third discipline, namely, spiritual formation. Other challenges are discussed by McMinn as well. For example, he points out the need for a scientific basis, an ethical standard, and challenging the dominate models of mental health.
In the second chapter McMinn (1996) offers a more "detailed map" to reaching a healthy mental state (p. 44) in contrast with that of the scientific and theological models of psychology. He suggests that spiritual and psychological health go hand in hand and include a healthy sense of self, accurate awareness of need, and healing relationships. By incorporating all three disciplines, psychological, theological and spiritual formation, a more balanced model of psychological and spiritual healing is created.
The remainder of the book is dedicated to discussion on how and when a Christian counselor can utilize the basic tenants of faith in such a way that it promotes mental health in his/her clients. The first spiritual discipline McMinn (1996) examines is prayer. The author examines the psychological properties of prayer as a counseling technique, the types of prayer which may be utilized, and a discussion on when to use or not to use prayer with a client. He concludes that more research is needed on the uses of different types of prayer with clients but warns that although it is a fundamental discipline for the Christian, it is not always an appropriate technique in therapy.
The use of scripture is another discipline that McMinn (1996) warns is not always appropriate in the counseling session and this is evident as research indicates that few Christian counselors use this technique. Although McMinn points out that scripture is powerful and certainly has its place in some situations, he reminds the reader that real change takes place when the client can assimilate his counseling experiences outside the session and in his real life. Once again, McMinn warns that whatever the discipline of faith that is being used, it should be delivered with humility by a counselor who is living Christ-like in his/her personal life.
McMinn (1996) engages in a discussion regarding the relationship between sin, confession, and forgiveness in the next three chapters of this book. First dealing with the concept of sin and the importance in understanding sin from a theological perspective, McMinn then discusses how a counselor can address sin with humility bringing the client to a point of accepting forgiveness. Regarding the subject of forgiveness, McMinn considers the current popular attitudes regarding the role of forgiveness and the corresponding research available. Forgiveness as a Christian duty is examined as well as how one can best assist the client in maturing spiritual to be in a better position to accomplish forgiveness. In conclusion, McMinn touches on the subject of redemption as a worldview. He provides examples of how a redemptive relationship can be established within different models of therapy such as object relations, cognitive, and Adlerian.

McMinn's book was a relatively easy read with practical suggestions for the perspective Christian counselor. He makes good emphasis on the need for the counselor to personally possess Spiritual integrity and ethical practice. He gives good advice on integrating diverse Spiritual interventions in assisting the client.

This book is interesting and covers a variety of topics. It was received in a timely manner and in great condition!

The book is a required book for an elective graduate class that I am currently taking. If you are interested in Christian Counseling, it is a good book for you to read, because it presents the arguments on why it is an effective modality. If you aren't interested in Christian Counseling, it is going to show you some of the beliefs that Christian counselors have. It is a good book, but it is a little on the heavy side in terms of material.

I received my book for my previous class, in came in a very timely manner and was in great condition.