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this very vision and offers a therapeu�c framework that honors both the References
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and most obvious connec�on between voli�on and Chris�an flourishing lies 4-14
in agency. Human beings need to experience themselves as capable actors Counted, V., Cowden, R. G., &
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valued ends. Kroll’s framework helps make this visible. Ms. M’s stagna�on is Disrup�on, adjustment, and he-
not due to a lack of desire but to a breakdown in her ability to translate de- althy behaviors. Springer Na-
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sire into ac�on whereas for Paul, his thorn led to finding a missional purpose Counted, V., Garzon, F., Hatha-
that strengthens his resolve to transform his story of thorn to a story of way, W.L., McKinzie, G., Ste-
grace. Ms. M’s paralyzing anxiety reflects a collapse of agency and misali- phens, R., Francis, L.J. (2024).
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Hermeneu�c of Mental Health
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to effec�vely act), and relatedness (i.e., feeling connected to others). But Garzon, F., Hathaway, W.L., Van-
will is more than a psychological mechanism. It has a missional dimension derWeele, T., (2025). The Indivi-
that is rarely talked about. Within the framework of missional psychothera- dual Domain of Chris�an Flou-
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a redemp�ve path that reframes voli�on as not just self-directed but aligned and Chris�anity 44(1), 15-38.
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For individuals like Ms. M, early life experiences o�en fracture the founda�- care and other virtues: A cri�-
ons of healthy voli�on. In the Personalize task of missional therapy, the pro- que of Kohlberg's theory of mo-
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cess begins with naming these disrup�ons—not to pathologize them but to ethics and moral educa�on (pp.
draw them into the light of divine concern. Wounds, weaknesses, and what 169-183). Routledge.
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