The Christian Counselor's Manual by Jay E. Adams

The Christian Counselor's Manual by Jay E. Adams

Author:Jay E. Adams
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Psychology
ISBN: 9780310511502
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 1973-01-01T00:00:00+00:00


Advice in making simple decisions

Answers to troublesome questions

Depression and guilt

Guidance in determining careers

Breakdowns

Crises

Failures

Grief

Bizarre behavior

Anxiety, worry, and fear

Other unpleasant feelings

Family and marital trouble

Help in resolution of conflicts with others

Deteriorating interpersonal relations

Drug and alcohol problems

Sexual difficulties

Perceptual distortions

Psychosomatic problems

Attempted suicide

Difficulties at work or school

It is also important to know in what areas problems are likely to lie. With specialized groups, special areas ordinarily (perhaps usually) contain the “hot spots.” For instance, with children counselors should look for problems in child/parent relations, of peer group difficulties, and of teacher and school tensions. With older children and singles, in addition to some of the above…explore the possibility of sexual difficulties, dating problems, communication breakdown, trouble with life meaning, the discovery, development, and use of gifts, and school and/or work. With older singles look especially for resentment over failure to marry and explore objectionable habit patterns that may have become obstructions to and reduce one’s marriage potential. Check up on disorganization of life schedules. With married persons investigate not only strains arising from the marriage itself, but from the family’s relationship to in-laws, problems relating to work or homemaking, financial worries, and the discipline of children. Communication breakdown, resentment, and depression are all possibilities too. Older persons may suffer from loneliness, self-pity, physical aches and pains, time wastage, purposelessness, and the fear of death. Handicapped persons also present specialized problems. In particular, look for resentment (against God and/or others), loneliness, and self-pity. A sense of uselessness may prevail. Such persons need to be shown how to thank God for problems and how to turn their liabilities into assets by the grace of God. Often the handicapped counselee has developed patterns in which he has learned to use his handicap to manipulate others around him.

Not all of these problems are always present in each case. In some instances the special factors that characterize the individual may play no part in the problem at all. Yet, even where some other problem or problems not specifically related to age, or singleness, or marriage, etc., seem to dominate, the special problems within the category may form secondary or complicating problems (e.g., “I know why we had the argument; I’m old and useless and just in everyone’s way”), and will have to be dealt with as well.

Discovering Problem Patterns

Much has been said elsewhere about the ways in which patterns may be uncovered so that they may be broken.6 Here let it suffice to introduce a form that is frequently used with profit in counseling as a homework handout. While this “Discovering Problem Patterns” form may be found helpful, it must be viewed as secondary to the discussion, probing, questioning, and data gathering that takes place in the counseling session itself. The form usually cannot be relied upon in isolation, but rather plays its best role in backing up conclusions drawn from the data gathered in counseling sessions. Sometimes, in addition, information recorded on the form also will stimulate questions in previously unexplored areas.7

One fact about the D.P.P. form that should be



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