Pastoral Counseling Paper

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“We are ministering to profoundly fallen people in a profoundly fallen world”. (Hawkins, n.d.). As a result of this truth, I have accepted the Apostle Paul’s charge that we as believers are “competent to instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14 New International Version) I intend to fulfill this command by earning a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Counseling that will combine the truth of the Holy Bible with proper counseling techniques. The text of this paper will discuss my experiences and approach to biblical counseling followed by a discussion of needs and expectations of the course PACO-500 – Introduction to Pastoral Counseling, specifically as it relates to solution-based pastoral counseling.
Counseling Experience
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A believer in Jesus Christ can have hope that the spirit of God is working in them (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Solution-focused pastoral counseling (SFPC) offers hope to the counselee by showing them how God is working in their life instead of focusing on their past and what they did wrong. (Kollar, 2011, p. 18) A person who does not believe in Jesus Christ does not have the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. Therefore, helping a person understand how to have a saving relationship with Christ is the necessary first step in pastoral counseling for it will offer hope and set the foundation from which to begin a new life. (p. …show more content…

The term SFPC is a new concept to me, which focuses on the desired outcome (solution-based) rather than focusing only on the problem (problem-focused) (Kollar, 2011, p. 14). Visualizing the outcome moves the counselee past the problem and toward “the prize which God has called” (Philippians 3:14) using the strengths God has given to each of us (p. 20). Problem focused counseling may focus so much attention to the problem and the symptoms of the problem that it can lead to victim mentality (p. 27), labeling, and even the misdiagnosis of mental illness (p. 28). Only a small percentage of the population is “afflicted with physical dysfunctions of the brain” (p. 16); however, that is enough to warrant a pastoral counselor’s awareness of the potential psychological issues and make referrals to qualified Christian specialists as

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