The Christian counselling method, based on faith, beliefs, and practices, is a part of the therapy. In this case study, Jake, a 22-year-old Caucasian male, in counselling is considered, and Christian counselling strategies are adopted. Jake, a military war veteran, is having difficulties in getting used to college life. At the same time, he is fighting academic anxiety and substance abuse, as the unresolved trauma keeps growing inside him. By applying psychological and conflict theory together, a comprehensive assessment can be made which reveals the exact emotional and relational needs of the determined individual. Counselling strategies may comprise Spiritual-based counselling, Christian-accommodating mindfulness, and Christian value-oriented advice. Achieving these goals involves self-worth building, emotions management, and gospel integration. Expected outcomes comprise deepening self-awareness, leaning toward spirituality, adopting coping mechanisms and soaring above with better health and wellness.
Integrating Psychological and Christian Approaches
Using psychological principles within the Christian context gives the counselling framework the capacity to be where science and faith meet to tackle complex problems. Greggo and Sisemore (2012) list five ways to integrate technology. The first approach highlights humility, the fact that humans have limitations, and the fact that science and Christianity must be considered to understand people’s conditions properly. Such provision enables psychologists to go beyond the immediate task of clients’ spiritual and psychological questions but not cross the spiritual or emotional bar that limits their true religious convictions.
As for Jake, who is a 22-year-old Caucasian male, this strategy proves to be an effective solution for both his psychological and spiritual troubles. Jake differs due to his professional experience, mainly in security, and because he began college only a few months ago. It is the process of overcoming challenges he faces every day as he feels academic anxiety, uses some drugs out of the mind pressure and unresolved trauma (Greggo & Sisemore, 2012). A comprehensive roadmap which fits Jake’s spiritual values and seeks acknowledgement of his emotional and psychological disorders is a must. Therefore, this method acknowledges a contradiction between Jake’s exposure to the harsh environment and his need to deal with his past events.
By combining the concepts of Christianity with psychology, the counsellor can establish a healing environment where Jake is free to reflect on his relationship with God and work through his academic and personal issues. This fusion of two characters, Jake and Hermione, brings a new dimension, which could be an attempt by their creator to provide a road to recovery and growth that would correlate with Jakie’s vision of the world.
Spirit-Centered Counseling Approach
The Spirit-Centered Counseling model is an exemplary form of therapy that pays special attention to the spiritual part of a human personality as an essential component of the healing and transformation process. As Decker et al. (2021) suggest, this model hinges on utilizing various spiritual practices to help clients recover while simultaneously creating an intimate link with God. The stress goes to the point where one learns to admit the presence of the Holy Spirit and invites spiritual experiences to treat emotional wounds.
In Jake’s case, the Spirit-Based counselling approach is significant because it resonates in terms of his past trauma, including the near-death experience and the helicopter crash he was an eyewitness to in the Army. Jake had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder but used drugs like cannabis as an ersatz treatment for his problems. (Buker, 2022) Sustaining spirituality in his therapy will enable Jakheal through prayer, Bible reading, and other spiritual practices (Greggo & Sisemore, 2012). This way, Jake digs deeper into his Christian insight, discovering it as the leading cause of the emotional tank support and reconciliation of his past.
Christian Accommodative Mindfulness (CAM) Counseling
CAM Counseling is a method of Christan Accommodative Mindfulness that strikes emotional regulation, awareness, and coping skills through readings from the Scripture, meditation, and meditation ideas. The practice in question is regarded as a remedy for culture-sensitive and spiritual difficulties, according to the perspective of Garzon et al. (2022). CAM advocates for applying Christian teachings to clients’ mindfulness perspectives, which equip clients with emotional and mental balance and focus.
For Jake, CAM is a valuable tool which helps him with impulsive actions, academic stress and drugs. This method entails leading Jake through mindfulness practices that integrate Christian scriptures, giving him a point to stand on and making him more stable. Furthermore, CAM can help Jake become self-aware, which consists of unfailingly unifying the relationship between him and God and thus defining the role of faith in his mental health (Greggo & Sisemore, 2012). With the help of these methods, Jake can acquire the skill of handling stress and can boost self-support by not resorting to destructive behaviours such as substance use.
Christian Value-Based Guidance and Counseling
The Christian value-based propaedeutic is a catalyst to having self-awareness and self-determination and working towards personal excellence through pastoral counselling and discipleship. Anggita et al. (2023) contemplate that this approach is necessary to empower and support teen clients as they establish their identity and develop a sense of purpose. Through this technique, a counsellor can facilitate a client’s way through difficulties in the course of life in connection with Christian teaching and, in turn, enable them to achieve personal goals.
Jake’s case demonstrates the vitality of Christian values-based guidance to promote self-exploration and goal-setting. Having his unknown future and his dissociation from college mates, his counsellor can guide Jake in his strengths and goals and help him build a new person (Greggo & Sisemore, 2012). Unlike the Victorian era, when religion played a significant role in education, tutors today are focused on integrating Christian principles into their approach to preparing students for their independent lives (Garzon et al., 2020). Jake finds a solution to finding his purpose and enlightenment in the book. He achieves it by emphasizing pastoral counselling and discipleship.
Objectives of the Counseling Procedures
The counselling procedures aim to achieve several key objectives to address Jake’s emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs:
- Improving self-identity: Through the combination of the Christian values Jake is following and his teachings, he can creatively elaborate on himself and recognize what he is supposed to be in the world (Sandage & Brown, 2015). Through meditation on his faith, Kathrine can become more conscious about himself and better understand his life’s mission.
- Instilling emotional regulation and coping skills: Using CAM, the counsellor assists Jake in managing stress and anxiety (Greggo & Sisemore, 2012). This is done through mindfulness approaches like thinking, prayers, and meditation. These attributes are significant ingredients that help him get back on his feet and stay stable.
- Fostering faith comprehension: Jake’s faith guidance process creates an environment within which he can do good spiritually and understand the influence of his spirituality on his mental wellness. However, this experience with spirituality and God helps Jake deepen and establish his spirituality’s foundation.
- Developing effective coping mechanisms: Jake, by integrating both the psychological and the Christian approaches, recognizes the faulty ways he uses to deal with stress and trauma. This includes identifying the triggers, maintaining impulsive behaviour and having a helpful community.
Expected Outcomes
The expected outcomes of the counselling process are as follows:
- Increased self-awareness and emotional regulation: With the aid of CAM and other counselling sessions, Jake learns to manage and control his emotions better. He no longer has impulsive behaviour (Sandage & Brown, 2015). This not only helps him overcome the academic and personal difficulties he faces on campus, but he also gains personal growth from all this.
- A stronger connection between Christian faith and values: Through the ministry of Spirit-guided Counseling and other Christian-only measures, Jake establishes a more concrete relationship with God and finds God amid his struggles (Greggo & Sisemore, 2012).
- Improved coping mechanisms: As Jake discovers healthier means of dealing with the stress and trauma that have haunted him, he can get away from drug abuse to the point where drugs and alcohol play no significant role (Greggo & Sisemore, 2012). This is accomplished through such methods as meditation, mindfulness, recitation, and prayer, which he can can use to use to withstand various life challenges.
- Enhanced self-identity and well-being: Through Christian value-based advice, Jake finds it more accessible to discern matters on his way to keeping an aim and a goal (Anggita et al., 2023). In particular, this positively rejuvenates mental health, which boosts overall happiness, a feeling of belonging, and the capacity to engage with the challenges of college and life.
In conclusion, applying psychological principles and Christian values results in a distinctive type of counselling that deals with the complicated issues that define Jake’s situation. This case study reveals nonlinguistic ways to manoeuvre Jake’s adjustive issues, academic strain, unhealed trauma and, on top of that, spiritual confusion. The Integrative Counselor employs the techniques of Spirit-Centered Counseling, Christian Accommodative Mindfulness, and Christian value-based guidance to provide Jake with a widely structured program for healing and transformational growth. The set strategies can give him the cornerstone of stability, help him strategize how to find solutions to his problems and strengthen his spiritual relationship with God, thus leading to improved well-being and a brighter future.
References
Greggo, S. P., & Sisemore, T. A. (2012). Counselling and Christianity: Five approaches. InterVarsity Press.https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=T7q-AVs7FWQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=Greggo,+S.+P.,+%26+Sisemore,+T.+A.+(2012).+Counseling+and+Christianity:+Five+approaches.+InterVarsity+Press.&ots=IcbURAMT1K&sig=Hni0kXplqZM1573Z-UGRQts5_NI
Sandage, S. J., & Brown, J. K. (2015). Relational integration, part I: Differentiated relationality between psychology and theology. Journal of psychology and theology, 43(3), 165-178.https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Steven-Sandage/publication/296742308_Relational_Integration_Part_I_Differentiated_Relationality_Between_Psychology_and_Theology/links/56e2df5608ae387a2483a454/Relational-Integration-Part-I-Differentiated-Relationality-Between-Psychology-and-Theology.pdf
Buker, B. J. (2022). Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling. Salubritas, 2, 23-43.https://www.academia.edu/download/100448716/viewcontent.pdf
Garzon, F., Benitez-DeVilbiss, A., Turbessi, V., Offei Darko, Y. T., Berberena, N., Jens, A., … & Artis, C. (2022). Christian accommodative mindfulness: Definition, current research, and group protocol. Religions, 13(1), 63.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/1/63
Anggita, I., Ramli, M., & Muslihati, M. (2023). Narrative review: strengthening students’ self-identity through Christian values-based guidance and counseling services. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Kristen (JUPAK), 4(1), 18-31.http://ejurnal.sttkadesiyogyakarta.ac.id/jupak/article/download/182/242