Marriage and Family Therapy According to Christian Beliefs

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Luke 6:31 says,” Do to others as you would have them do to you”. This passage to me demonstrates the work I hope to accomplish as a Marriage and Family therapist. I hope to gain a true understanding of what it means to help others in needs. I believe there is a difference from listening to a family member or close friend and giving them advice or certain situation that it would be providing that same guidance to a complete stranger. I view therapist in the same light as individuals in the medical field. Though, they may be healers of the body, therapists work as healers of the mind and soul. I hope to acquire a deeper knowledge and attain the respect from my future colleagues and clients. It is often said that through observance one learns the most. Perhaps through my own work with others I can take away sound advice that I can use in my personal life as well. Religious and Spiritual Beliefs One of the many challenges as a therapist is learning to distinguish between when it is appropriate to incorporate religious views and ideas into counseling. The difficulty in this is that not every client may have the same religious convictions. Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone”. When therapist force their views and beliefs on their clients it cause a rift in their relationship, which often leads clients to seek help elsewhere or simply “tune-out” on what the therapist may have to say. I was raised in the 7th Day Adventist church; a Christian denomination based merely on Biblical teachings a doctrine. As a young child, one aspect of the church that I foun... ... middle of paper ... ...ek to continue their development in the field of counseling. Works Cited American Counseling Association (n.d.). Learn about Counseling. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/learn-about-counseling/what-is-counseling Mace, D. R. (1954). What is a Marriage Counselor? National Council on Family Relations,16(2), 135-138. doi:10.2307/347770 Murray, C. E., & Murray Jr., T. L. (2009). Reconsidering the Term Marriage in Marriage and Family Therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 31(3), 209-221. doi:10.1007/s10591-009-9091-9 Neukrug, E. (2014). A Brief Orientation to Counseling: Professional identity, History, and Standards. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Simon, G. M. (2012). The Role of the Therapist: What Effective Therapist Do. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 38(1), 8-12. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2009.00136.x

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