Caption: Judging Others
URL: http://journeyofbecoming.blogspot.com
Do not Judge
I find it interesting and yet, not ironic, that major
concepts of counseling are coherent with Biblical principles. From a Biblical
perspective, as is the golden rule for many religions, we are to treat others
the way we would like to be treated. When thinking of this concept, I think it
correlates very well with the idea of being non-judgmental toward others. In
our own personal lives, we would not like to be judged for our beliefs, values,
or actions. Nor would anyone appreciate being judged the same. Matthew 7:1-2
say, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge
others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured
to you.” With this being said, a counselor, especially a Christian counselor,
should understand the significance of being non-judgmental in the counseling
environment. Phull (2013) distinguishes judgment in the mental health field as
being separate from the professional’s duty to maintain discernment, wisdom,
and understanding. What is meant by non-judgment in the mental health field is
more specifically focused on moral judgement, character disposition, and
virtues. This means that counselors should set aside their values, so as not to
impose their beliefs on what is right and what is wrong on the client (Phull,
2013; Meier & Davis, 2011). Judgment does not allow the counselor to create
an empathetic relationship, nor does it allow them to practice their universal
duty to care (Phull, 2013). A good example of this is in mandated reporters who
may have several criminal convictions to their name. If the counselor can only
judge the client for their misdeeds, they are denying equal treatment and
disregarding their duty to serve (Phull, 2013). From a Biblical perspective we
can see how Jesus modeled non-judgment when he said he came for the sinners. He
also took his last breathes to ask for the forgiveness of everyone. Likewise,
we should show equal compassion to our clients. A good place to start our
non-judgmental practice as counselors is from a mindfulness based intervention.
By understanding our own judgments and views of others, we become aware of them
as they come up in our practice. Mindfulness utilizes attention to one’s
experiences with a non-judgmental attitude towards others. These types of
approaches are very good for diverse client populations (Brown, Marquis, &
Guiffrida, 2013). Becoming a counselor that does not make moral judgments will
be crucial in establishing empathy, trust, and a positive-regard.
References:
Brown, A. P., Marquis, A., & Guiffrida, D. A. (2013).
Mindfulness-based interventions in counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 91, 96-104.
Meier, S. T., & Davis, S. R. (2011). The elements of counseling. Belmont, CA:
Cengage Learing.
Phull, J. (2013). How to judge - without judging. Mental
Health Practice, 16(9), 8.
It is interesting to consider a client who has the mindset that he or she can treat others poorly, because there is no regard for how others threat them. Let's say that one thinks that others will treat them poorly and he or she has a negative view of others. Because of this negative view of others, the individual is very self-centered and almost has no regard for others. This would then be fairly dismissive of the "treat people hoe you want to be treated" mindset due to the general apathy in the individual. The question now becomes, "Now what?" This can be subtle to the point where the client just does not care what others think of them and is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he or she wants or to succeed. This is not to say that the client is trying to hurt people in one way or another. How then does the counselor get the individual to change when there is so obviously something that needs to change? No matter how difficult it may be, I think it is important to find common ground in order to build the therapeutic relationship. From working with and on the client's current situations, doors may open to work on the more obvious problems.
ReplyDeleteI was raised to believe and live by all of these principles. Sometimes it is hard to do so, especially when you have a person in front of you ranting and raving about not wanting counseling. I can see his part but as a counselor I also see where he needs that counseling. We have a stigma attached to our profession, and that is that we "Judge" our clients. As a Christian and as a Counselor we do not do this, we are taught to put our judging in a little box and leave it at the door. However, the stigma is still there until we can teach people that we, do not intentionally judge them, that we do not tell their secrets to everybody on Facebook or Snap Chat. Even though we do all the right things, we live what we were taught as a Christian and as a Counselor, We are the ones being judged, because of a lack of trust in the communities that need us as much as we need them.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you in the importance of this topic. I see this being a problem especially for some Christian counselors who are legalistic in their beliefs. We often come in contact with judgmental Christians who do not represent Christ or the Church well. Judgement from a any Christian is damaging, but for a counselor, it is even worse. Just as you said, we are meant to provide a safe and trusting environment for healing and forgiveness. If we are preventing that with personal judgement, we are going to seriously harm our clients.
ReplyDeleteKhal, I really enjoyed reading your blog. This topic is so important to us as mental health counselors. We are placed in a position where broken/ hurt people are coming to us for support. The world does enough judging, so we should try to refrain from it. However, it is much easier said than done. I say that because I speak from personal experience. Being judgmental is something that I continue to struggle with, but God has His own unique way of dealing with me. Sometimes I just have to laugh and shake my head when He reveals what is truly inside of this little Pharisee. I say that with both humor and truth.
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