23. List several reasons for
terminating a counseling case. Answer this for cases terminated because of
spiritual change (growth) and spiritual hardening (failure to comply).
Counseling
is not meant to be a lifelong process (as discipleship is) in a believer’s
life. Because it’s intention is to
intervene when the counselee requires aid of another in their walk with Christ
is the hope is that in due time the one-on one counsel will no longer be
required as the counselee gains understanding of truth, independence, and a
pattern of obedience in their life in the area they came to counsel for. Occasionally counseling cases must end due to
a counselee’s failure to comply, in which case there is no progress being made,
or willingness on the part of the counselee.
These situations are unfortunate, but a counselor cannot force a
counselee into yielding to Scripture or Biblical change, so it is sometimes
best for the process to end until the counselee is willingly responsive.
When
a counseling case has met the intended purpose of using God’s Word to discern
thinking and behaviour that God wants to change, for the benefit of the counselee,
and the glory of God; helped our counselee become God’s kind of person;
becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ then logically you want to
send them out to live their lives for the Lord, and serve others. For example if a counselee came in with the
issue of anxiety/worry and over a period of several sessions came to see that worry
is sin, that it revealed a heart of disbelief in God’s character, and has with
a personal plan using Scripture, prayer, and accountability seen growth and the
putting off of worry and replacement with faith and gratitude towards God then
this person is ready to finish their counseling sessions at this time. It does not require the person to have
totally eradicated worry from their life, but to have a working plan in place,
be practicing repentance when they fail, and seeing progress towards less and less
anxiety, and more peace and confidence in the person of Christ in their life. In Galatians 6 we read that we need to bear
one another’s burdens in the body of Christ, and then; “The one who is taught
the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.” (Galatians
6:6) When our counselee can testify of
God’s Word changing them, and show evidence in their lifestyle that is Biblical
change in that specific area of sin for which they came, then they can
“graduate” from this season when counsel intervention was required.
When
a counselee is non-compliant to receiving truth from Scripture, refusing to
change the sessions have no value in their lives, and the case must be closed
until the heart of the counselee changes.
This is hard to do, and difficult for a counselor, but we cannot do the
work of the Holy Spirit, or the Word of God in a person’s life. Scripture
speaks strongly; “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to
counsel.” (Proverbs 12:15) Wasting time with a counselee bent against the
work of God in their lives is futile, it can be best to move on to the next
willing person and pray that God changes that individual’s heart. For example; a counselee may come in and
string out a long sob story of parental neglect, and blame their inability to
keep down a job on their parents who “didn’t teach them necessary life
skills”. In doing a little research
outside the counseling room you as the counselor come to discover that the
counselees’ parents are respectable citizens, have done their best by their
daughter/son, and they are simply lazy, and unwilling to work hard for a
living, giving up easily when things become challenging. In counseling sessions you seek to help the
counselee see their faulty thinking and blame shifting, urging them to take
responsibility for their own choices, attitudes, and actions. This only results in them becoming defensive,
angry, and walking out of sessions.
After several attempts you come to conclude that this counselee will not
accept Scriptural truth or responsibility, so speaking in love you tell them
they are welcome to come back when they are prepared to accept God’s Word about
their situation, and welcome the help you are seeking to offer, but until then
the sessions are unfruitful.
Though
Scripture says; “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise
the rest of your days.” (Proverbs 19:20) We as counselors cannot force
compliance. It brings great comfort to take heart as counselors that it is
never our responsibility to change a person.
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in
you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) God Himself will always continue to work in the
lives of Christians. He after all
commits to; “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8) Yielded or not, God will pursue, love and
discipline His own.
No comments:
Post a Comment