"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." -Winston Churchill
Caption: new spring birth
Photographer: Myself
Photographer: Myself
Chapters 7-9 in the Thomas and Sosin text reflect the
importance of developing a therapeutic relationship in order to effectively
nature growth. This growth is dependent on the intentions of the counselor and
the willingness of the counselee. The counselor is only able to take the client
as far as they are willing to go. It is crucial for the counselor to not only
identify the needs of the client, but to earn their trust. Genuine change will
not occur without first obtaining the right to hear the story of the client.
This trust is not established automatically when a client agrees to attend
counseling. Rather trust is earned through the respect of the counselor gently
and lovingly supporting the client through the sharing process. The text also
provides a warning for confronting on page 200, “no skill has been more abused
or contains more landmines than confrontation.”
Clients are vulnerable when attending counseling and it is the duty of
the counselor to not abuse the trust of their clients.
Nouthetic counseling stems from the Greek work, noutheteo
which can be translated admonish, correct, rebuke, warn, or instruct (Thomas
& Sosin, 196). Paul earned the right to speak truth. Although non-believers
accused him of misusing his influence, he never abused this right. Chapter 9
helps demonstrate how each counselor has a unique style by provide three
examples of roles Christian counselors identify with as a prophet, priest, or
king. I would personally identify with the priest role. I have a naturally
empathic personality which will help to nurture and support clients. I find
immense value in exhorting others and helping them see the value they possess.
I look forward to the challenge of finding the balance in
confronting with love. It is never easy to point out areas that need change
regardless of the relationship with another person. Most individuals do not
readily take well to being confronted. My heart behind confrontation is to
facilitate lasting and meaningful growth. I hope to be able to delicately
confront future clients with love and grace the way we as Christians are called
to share the truth in love.
Thomas, John & Sosin, Lisa. (2011). Therapeutic Expedition. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group.
Thomas, John & Sosin, Lisa. (2011). Therapeutic Expedition. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group.
Jordan,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. I liked how you shared the challenges you may face and hope to overcome during your counseling career. Confrontation is very difficult in our every day lives. I can only imagine how difficult it will be once we have to confront our clients regarding sensitive topics. As you said as long as our hearts and minds are grounded in the Lord Jesus he will provide us with the wisdom, words, and love to convey our concern in a loving way. Loved the blog!
Jordan,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the blog. I really enjoyed reading it! It is so true that we cannot earn our counselee's trust in the first session. It takes time to form that relationship and confronting our client's is a scary task. You are right on when you said we must do it with love. Once we build that trust with our clients and they know we are for them, then being able to challenge them to do better can actually be beneficial. Thanks for sharing.