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abstract to fully describe the personal nature attend to their own spiritual lives. Coe and Hall
of the Spirit; it also neglects the biblical images (2010) suggest we deal with our own issues and
and metaphors associated with the Spirit. attend to our spiritual growth. They encourage
This theological turn is welcome and very appli- the practice of spiritual disciplines in order to
cable to psychotherapy. We are mental, emotio- foster union with God, good character in Christ,
nal and spiritual beings; our therapies need to and be more effective bearers of the Spirit (also
reflect this. Christian counselors are in a perfect see Tan, 1998). Siang-Yang Tan (1999), in his
position to appropriate the Holy Spirit into their encyclopedia article, notes three major roles of
lives and practices. In this paper, I discuss per- the Spirit in counseling: power (the therapist is
spectives on the Spirit in Christian psychology, gifted and empowered), truth (therapist and cli-
Christian theology, and Christian spirituality, ent are guided in accordance with God’s Word),
and consider how these can inform each other. and fruits (in both therapist and client, primari-
ly love). He suggests specific ways the Spirit can
Psychology work in counseling: prompting or nudging the
One of my patients was convinced that it was counselor in a specific direction, guiding both
sinful to be angry at her father who had abused therapist and client through prayer or biblical
her as a child. My explanations about the diffe- discussions, providing healing, and enabling
rence between sin and anger, about the impor- discernment of evil spirits. This concurs with
tance of honesty, did not alter her beliefs. When my experience (discussed further below).
I asked her to pray for understanding, she heard Some scholars have considered the role of the
the Lord telling her that He loved her no matter Holy Spirit in a deeper, more nuanced manner.
what her feelings were, and she felt warmed by Shults and Sandage (2006) refer to the unitive
his presence. This illumination paved the way and transformational logic of the Spirit. Un-
for necessary emotional expression and grief. derstanding the human spirit is shaped by an
Many Christian psychologists have commented understanding of the divine Spirit. Indeed, the
on the role of the Holy Spirit in counseling. Jay latter is the origin, condition and goal of hu-
Adams (1973) notes that there are always three man knowing. There is a mutual shaping of
people present in a counseling session: coun- pneumatology and spirituality, and the human
selor, client, and Holy Spirit. Most have focused spirit can be transformed in relation to the re-
on the Spirit’s role with respect to the therapist. demptive presence of the Holy Spirit. Also with
David Seamands (1988, p. 131) describes the a focus on transformation, but in regard to how
therapist as a “temporary assistant to the Holy pneumatology can shape psychology itself, Coe
Spirit…the Great Counselor,” and Virginia Ho- and Hall (2010) suggest that if psychotherapy is
leman (2012) suggests that the Spirit superin- grounded in the reality of the indwelling Holy
tends the work of the Christian counselor. So- Spirit, we can discover truth about humans.
metime a distinction is made between implicit These views provide a helpful perspective and
and explicit integration between Christianity context for Christian counseling.
and Psychology (e.g., Tan, 1996). The latter, ob- Inner healing is a very practical counseling ap-
viously applicable only to those who consent, proach and is especially explicit regarding the
openly uses prayer and/or discusses scripture Holy Spirit. David Seamands (1988, p. 24) de-
and religious/spiritual issues. I believe implicit scribes healing of memories as “a form of Chri-
integration occurs with every Christian thera- stian counseling and prayer which focuses the
pist, since the Spirit is already present with us healing power of the Spirit on certain types of
(e.g., Clinebell, 1995; Maloney & Augsburger, emotional/spiritual problems.” Leanne Payne
2007). Indeed, as Lydia Kim van Daalen (2012) (1989/1995) encourages seeking the truth of
wisely points out, the Holy Spirit’s work is also the Spirit, “practicing the presence” (following
evident in non-Christian psychotherapies, and Brother Lawrence’s classic teaching) within, wi-
it is impossible to avoid spiritual issues in the- thout and all around. She notes the importance
rapy. of symbolic language and the “true imaginati-
Many authors point out that therapists need to on.” Tan (2003) describes a seven step model

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