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seems reasonable. However, should the same References
patient also desire to include spiritual matters Carkhuff, R. (2009). The Art of Helping, 9th ed.
in sessions, the therapist is now able to include Amherst, MA: Possibilities Publishing.
life’s meaning and the individual’s purpose for Jones, I. (2006). Counsel of Heaven on Earth.
existence in the treatment. By including ethical Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.
and/or spiritual areas, the therapeutic dialogue Hampl, S. (nd). Developing Goals for Thera-
becomes richer and therapy then has the abili- py. Retrieved from http://cwrupsychiatry.org/
ty to produce profound changes in the lives of uploads/files/Developing_Goals_for_Therapy_
our patients. Therefore, knowing which realms Hampl_copy.pdf
the patient operates in and weaving this into the Johnson, E. (2007). Foundations for Soul Care.
description of the therapeutic goal can produce Downers Grove, IN: Intervarsity Press.
profound changes in the lives of those we treat. Sanders, R. (2013). Christian Counseling
For Anna, the trauma symptoms (biological Ethics: A Handbook for Psychologist,
realm) caused great difficulty in maintaining Therapists, and Pastors. Downers Grove, IN: In-
her focus during the sessions. For this reason, tervarsity Press.
the therapist adjusted her approach to include
short sentences and simpler language among
symptom relief. Due to the importance of
Anna’s faith, much of the later conversations re-
volved around God and the meaning of her life’s
story (spiritual realm). Thus, creating meaning
and changing her understanding of herself in
light of her relationship with God, clarified the
therapeutic goal.

Task of the Therapist
People tend to pursue counseling when they
are 1.) in psychological distress and 2.) belie-
ve that the therapist can help them. Rarely do
these individuals grasp how radically therapy
can change their lives. By striving to include the
ethical and spiritual realms, therapists are able
to access core assumptions that drive many of
their painful beliefs and thoughts. For the Chri-
stian counselor, our ultimate goal is to set them
free by helping them find meaning in Christ.
The Apostle John wrote, “So if the Son sets you
free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36) Alt-
hough some patients are not interested in the
spiritual realm, by gently probing, we might be
surprised at just how many are open to inclu-
ding God in their healing process.

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