Dr. William Scott ~ Professor

December 1, 1997

by

Jason A. Gastrich

My Philosophy of Pastoral Counseling

Introduction

There are many important aspects of pastoral counseling. Likewise, there are many important questions that need to be answered by a prospective pastoral counselor. In order to become a good and effective pastoral counselor, one must define and determine their role, their abilities, their ambitions, the possible problems and what to do with them, how to employ other workers and the use of Bibliotherapy.

The concept of God's will should always be considered by the pastoral counselor. This does not give him a reason for doing a poor job, but it is a reason to understand why some patients will not recover during our counseling. Ultimately, pastoral counselors are not responsible for every aspect of a patient's healing. God is responsible.

Counseling plays an important role in the Christian church ministry. Pastors need to be equipped and have other layworkers trained as counselors. Without counseling in a church, the members must go to another source or a different church. This would be counterproductive on many levels. Consequently and fortunately, many people still seek a pastor or layworker for spiritual counsel, instead of going elsewhere.

Not only should church counselors be trained to help the church body and even members of the community, but they also need to be familiar with people who will accept sufferers on a

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referral basis. These members of the community should include people such as Christian psychologists, Christian children's counselors, physicians, and nutritionists. In order to save finances and unnecessary trouble, the pastoral counselor should first look within the church. If qualified counselors are still not found, then they should look elsewhere; to a different church or independent professionals.

I have several ministries that give me the chance to counsel people. God has blessed me with the time, willingness and skills to participate in some counseling. However, I still need to continue my education and spiritual life; without these, I would never be equipped to counsel.

Recently, I counseled a young man named Aaron. He is a high school student. We met about once a week and talked. I am considered his mentor. I journal my prayers, so I gave him his first prayer journal and encouraged him to pray each day in it. He has done very well, but less than perfect. This has been a learning experience for both of us. I have learned patience among where my strengths and weaknesses lie, as a counselor.

I think it is very important that a counselor only give his patient or protégé material that he knows is beneficial. I also think it is very important that the counselor participates or has participated in things that he challenges the patient or protégé to do. This way, he can know how they work and have better insight into the poor ways and the good ways of stimulating spiritual growth. It is not practical to ask somebody to listen to what you say and ignore your example. For instance, I gave Aaron a prayer journal and gospel tracts to hand out. At the same time, I was writing prayers in a journal and handing out gospel tracts. A counselor or mentor should precede in this fashion because it will stimulate the patient or protégé by deed, not merely words.

On Tuesday nights, I answer a youth crisis hotline. The group is called YDI (Youth

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Development International) and based in San Diego with outposts all over the nation. People, preferably troubled kids, call 1-800-HIT-HOME and the call is patched into my home telephone. This has been a real blessing for me and them. I have led several people to Christ for the first time and encouraged many to keep on the right path. All kinds of people have called and I never know exactly what to expect. There are several things that I try and do every time I answer a call. I listen and ask some probing questions such as, "Did something bad happen today?" Some kids take a minute or two to really open up and tell me their feelings. Humbly, I can admit to them that I and nobody else truly knows what they are going through except God. I always ask them if they are a Christian and if I can pray with them. If not in my prayer, I give them some verses such as Jeremiah 29:11, or I summarize verses that explain God's faithfulness or the extent of His forgiveness.

Occasionally, I play a worship song and sing with them and my guitar. One boy was very depressed and was thinking about suicide. But after we talked, prayed and sang a worship song, his attitude was completely changed! He had new joy and wouldn't stop singing! He kept asking me to play more songs. I praise God alone for changing his heart and using me to speak His words of truth and healing.

In addition to volunteering for this hotline, I have an internet ministry. In my internet ministry, I do several things. Each Sunday night I send a devotional message to about 1,200 Christians. I also send a midweek message on Tuesday night that encourages them again. Since I'm on America Online, anybody in the world can send me an "instant message" and people on America Online can do it even easier. If people don't send me an "instant message", they can send me an email (electronic mail) message. In both of these ways, I have counseled innumerable people. Some people are on my ministry mailing list and some are not. I don't discriminate between people, but I appreciate the opportunities that God gives me to counsel. I have done everything from pray with people to give them Biblical advice on topics such as divorce and masturbation. I don't ask money for my services, but several people have sent me money because of the

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counseling I have done with them. Recently, a woman sent me a check for $100! Praise the Lord.

My Future Counseling Ministry

God will use me for many things in the future. I have heard God's call, but haven't selected an definite occupation or field. A Pastor, Christian school teacher, or Christian musician should be in my future. I think it is wise to make plans and have goals, but be flexible, so I can always heed God's calling and be content with His will.

As a Pastor I could deliver sermons from the pulpit. This way I could encourage and teach many people at once. I have preached many messages and enjoy doing so. However, as a Pastor, I wouldn't be able to do much follow-up or see if they are really growing spiritually or exercising any effort in the growth process. As a Christian teacher, I could have a classroom full of students. This sounds especially appealing since I could give them assignments such as witnessing, Bible studies or steps of faith; then I could see if they did it or not and grade them accordingly. A classroom setting also allows interaction from the students. However, I would reach less people this way. As a Christian musician, I could lead a group or band in worship songs. I have led groups in worship and see this as a possible position and door for a counseling ministry.

Prospective Problems I Will Encounter

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There are many problems that I could encounter in a Pastoral counseling role. These could include depression, anxiety, insecurity, mental illnesses and several more concerns. I believe that each of the problems I face will have several things in common: 1) They will all be treatable if it is God's will (God can do anything), 2) The healing process will always involve the process of getting closer to Jesus Christ. Whether the person be completely ill, demon-possessed or simply a little depressed, the action of having a sincere relationship with Jesus Christ is essential. The problem may be cured or the person may see the problem from a Godly perspective. Either way, God is in control, He loves us all more than we understand and He has good plans for us.

Handling and Referring Problems

I will enjoy counseling and helping people, but I will know my limits. If there is a problem that I can treat, I will treat it. A knowledge of the scriptures and some tools such as the "Billy Graham Handbook for Christian Workers" will be very important in my counseling. There is nothing like the Word of God. So using scriptures is essential. Billy Graham's book is a useful tool since it breaks down problems into categories and shows how to help people.

Since I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, I have a knowledge of mental problems. If I see a problem that could be treated with some medicine, I will refer the patient to a doctor. If I am unequipped to handle a certain case, such as a child rape (and I'm a single man), I may refer the case to an older, married, Godly, Christian counselor. If the patient needs extensive counseling (more than about 6 sessions), I could refer him to a professional Christian counselor or layworker. If I have an eligible single woman that is my age, I should refer her to a female Christian counselor or layworker. A woman will relate to a woman well and I do not want any problems that could potential arise. For instance, she could claim I raped her or abused her and it would be completely fabricated. To avoid things like this and help her in the best manner, it would be wise to refer an eligible single woman to a female Christian counselor or layworker.

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My Future Ministry in Relation to Other Helpers in the Community

In order to have an effective ministry, I will need to utilize other members in the community. First, I will research the members in my church. I rather refer a patient to another layworker or Christian counselor that is within my church. If I still need to look elsewhere, I will call some local churches in the area and find who they use. Finding loving, experienced, Christian counselors in the community will be important because my patients will need to get quality help.

If one of my patients is in the hospital I will visit them, bring something encouraging like scripture or a card and make sure to pray with them. Just seeing me will lift their spirits, somewhat, and praying with them or sharing some scriptures should really lift their spirits. If for some reason I cannot make it, I will send another layworker to visit them and give them a message from me. That layworker should also encourage and pray with them.

A very important aspect of Pastoral counseling is Bibliotherapy. I've already explained the

importance of God's Word in pastoral counseling, but Bibliotherapy takes it a step further. It is important for Biblical material to be introduced in the counseling sessions. This way they will see that it is pertinent to recovery and spiritual growth; and won't think that it is just a useless requirement. Additionally, confusing texts can be discussed and made clear in the counseling sessions. The patient should also have some homework to do on their own time. This will encourage them to search for truthful answers in God's Word and learn to read Christian books on his or her own.

The material given should always be of a Godly and Biblical nature. I will give my patients scriptures that will be uplifting and I won't overload them with multiple chapters or busywork. "God's Awesome Promises" is a great book for topical encouragement. It has the names of

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different feelings with scriptures to soothe, comfort and heal the reader. Giving the patient books that I have read is optimal. However, when quality books have been suggested by others or a well known author has a book that caters to his or her needs, I will recommend and introduce that one.

By addressing these important issues, I have become better equipped to become a pastoral counselor. There are several important parts of pastoral counseling and there are many important questions that should be answered by a prospective pastoral counselor. In order to become a good and effective pastoral counselor, one must define their role, their gifts and abilities, their aspirations, the possible predicaments and what to do with them, how to utilize other workers and the use of Bibliotherapy.

It is important to keep in mind God's will. Unlike most other jobs, pastoral counselors will not be judged completely on results. We are commanded to do many things, such as deliver the truth of God and love our patients. However, we are not responsible for the outcome of our sessions. We must do our best in every situation; there is no excuse for giving a half-hearted effort. But since 1) God is sovereign, 2) everything is in His hands, and 3) God's will is perfect and more righteous than ours, we must accept His will and the results of our counseling. If a patient does not get better and we have done our best job, we should not feel guilty or ashamed. God would want us to feel like we did our best. God would want us to grow spiritually from the patient's lack of recovery.

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Bibliography

"The Billy Graham Christian Worker's Handbook," Charles G. Ward, World Wide Publications, 1996.

"Christian Counseling, A Comprehensive Guide," Gary R. Collins, Ph.D., Word Publishing, 1988.

"Holman Bible Dictionary", Parsons Technology, 1992-1996.

"The Holy Bible," King James Version and New King James Version.

"The Life Application Bible", Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 1988.

"Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary," Ver. 2.5, Zane Publishing Co., 1994-1996.

"A Minister's Handbook of Mental Disorders," Joseph W. Ciarrocchi, Integration Books, 1993.

"Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,"