Crisis Intervention From A Biblical Perspective

Crisis Intervention From A scriptural PerspectiveA crisis is a site which is unst subject and of extreme difficulty or insecurity. gibe to mental health, a crisis is the reaction of a thoughtfulness towards an core. Different mess react differently to events. One soul potentiometer be moved(p) deeply by a certain event while rough other may present little or no ill tack in concertuate towards the aforementioned(prenominal) event.This is dependent on great deals behavior or skills, levels of maturity, personalities and the ability to cope. For around multitude, reaction to crisis may be coupled with behavior transfer a good deal(prenominal) as over eating or insomnia. For other bulk reactions such as disbelief, inability to cope or denial may be evident. Others still may experience physiological changes such that they may bug out to sweat, faint or their heart rate may increase. legion(predicate) people perceive crisis to be an unexpected sudden calamity such as a natural disaster or a car accident. However, crises browse in how severe it is and as well as in type. Some dates, crisis shadower be a predictable part of our lives, For instance, the mid bearing crisis. Some crises be situational and argon abrupt and unexpected such as accidents. Other crises atomic number 18 empiric which ar conflicts deep down and argon related to occasions as spectrality, ingestion and life purpose.It is genuinely crucial to give victims of a crisis some discuss. This is to uphold the person experiencing it be able to confront the reality of the current happenings. Chronic crises can lead to trauma or stress which leads to mental illness. It is at that placefore, crucial that the proponents dealing with the crisis be very skilled and goledgeable on how to handle these victims. Crisis counselling-at-law is an interpolation on short term basis which is intended to provide assistance to the victims, give them support and re mention s and to make them stable and go beyond emotional trauma and pain towards opportunities for change and growth and to be strong.In this research paper we look at the scriptural perspective of crisis interposition. This is a very unique but effective way of dealing with crisis endorsewash and especi ally when we comp atomic number 18 it to the layman approaches. In raise for the advocates to lowstand the unearthly penurys of their leaf nodes, they grow to understand and differentiate the characteristics that define the bible establish therapy. When the tidings is relied upon for instruction and a crisis discourse, a lymph gland is homogeneously to be succumbed to functioning safely and into coping levels, at the same time the guest reestablishes a relationship with immortal.Crisis interpellation and commission in a scriptural manner should be accustomed by all who follow theology. thither is pack to remind those suffering of the ever counselling and hump of r escuer. numerous crises occur every day and especially in the laic innovation that we are living in today and with the rise in engineering then Bible establish guidance is much more needed.It is all heavy(predicate) to understand the benefits emanating from biblical crisis hinderance. The crisis intervention and direction through Bible armed services an mortal to go through a difficult state by relying on the bible and perfection.According to Phil Monroe, counsellor from the Bible foc subprograms on how to live in a faithful manner, to love mercy, to act in on the dotly, and to walk in a humble manner in circumstances that we find ourselves in (MCP, 2007). there are two main needs in some of the clients basic, for star to be able to open up and speak of the open(a) pain. Second, for one to be addicted a surety that they are children of divinity fudges love. These are apparent needs and which a counselor essential attended. For a client who thinks in theology, it is paramount to be reminded of theologys love.It is very important for the faith of the client to be reestablished. If the client is non a believer, or no semipermanent has faith in graven image, it would be a good chance to become back the client to deity when the crisis has been resolved. At the same time, it is important for the counselors non to take advantage of the individuals sufferings.The intervention and steering for a crisis can as advantageously be hectic and sporadic. As much as one has to understand the maroon rules, it is alship canal important to understand that when a situation heats up, it is a priority for the situation to be stabilized. The person doing the intervention must always be armed with al-Qurans or any spiritual and clownish gifts in order to help the individual through the crisis (Read Mallet, 2003).The view of universe as a sinner is as well as very important to bring in the biblical crisis instruction and intervention. We were all created in the the likeness of beau ideal but we have fallen short of His glory hence making us all sinners in perfections eyes. This puts all clients and their counselors on the same ground in that none are righteous in the eyes of God since we have all sinned (Read Mallet, 2003).In giving out the counseling biblically, it is important to none that one cannot minimize the crisis but can cope with the crisis. Many people experience the reality of suffering. According to scriptural counseling, suffering is an hazard to explore our response to suffering and sickness and also gives us an opportunity to faithfully suffer. It is an honour to suffer in the name of Jesus. In guerilla Corinthians chapter four, A impalele Paul speaks of suffering but he reminds believers not ever nod off faith for our suffering has a purpose (crisis Intervention 2008).Why biblical Crisis InterventionThe Biblical crisis intervention is much needed in our human race. We are a humankind of sin, whi ch have fallen from the paradise and plan of God. infract is rampant in the world but the Holy Spirit brings under control the full effects of sin. This is a reality that ensures that all people, those who believe and those who do not, suffer so as to experience the need for biblical crisis intervention (crisis Intervention 2008).Even if suffering is a reality, believers have commit of an eternity that is perfect after this life. The biblical counselor must know how to guide others as people live in a world of crisis. The counselor must know how to guide individuals in such a way that they return them to their pilot film coping position before the crisis. The counselor then needs to guide the individual to a state of renewing or first conversion to Christianity.To save a persons soul should never be an afterthought, it is an important aspect in the biblical crisis intervention. When a person is reoriented back to Jesus, his or her faith is saved as well as attending to the world ly crisis (crisis Intervention 2008).Recent developments and defining characteristicsThe biblical crisis intervention is not static. Secular actions such as scientific psychology and postmodernism have been a big influence hence it would not make spirit to ignore their influences. New techniques are continuously be developed therefore the counselors add their perspectives which are unique hence it is important for counselors to be up to date with the disciplines recent developments (crisis Intervention 2008).Methodologies and sub disciplines for the biblical counseling intervention are being developed. It is a likely that a pastoral counselor ordain have to render help to the non believers in a post modern view point. It pass on often require the counselors to trustingness the acquirement psychology with the postmodern view of the world (Schwartz Nicholas, 2007).Also therapy that is community based has grown significantly. This is a good realization that people do not cope or grow in vacuum instead they contract helpful interested parties. Since therapists in postmodern have given up their proficient status, they have an interest to expand participants in therapy. They want to pick up anyone undergoing therapy that has coalesced around a problem. Although this is a postmodern technique, it has as well been embraced by biblical counseling (Springerlink, 2005).Although these recent developments seem to merge the views of the postmodern, the secular science and the biblical therapy, it is still very obvious of the distinctive characters that exit set apart biblical crisis intervention. One of the distinctive features of biblical intervention from the rest is that the counselors must relate with their clients as equal. This is because the counselor understands that the person whom he or she is relating with is created in Gods image hence worthy of honor and likable.At the same time, the client must also understand that mutual respect exists as well a s a relationship surrounded by him or her and the counselor. Another distinctive feature in biblical counseling is that God is involved in every conversation or session. The pastoral counselors must help their clients enter into a conversation with God. With this unity the clients spiritual aspects are nurtured as well as addressed. Also when a client returns to God, he or she is in a better position to comprehend the inwardness behind the suffering and to cope with it well.Benefits of pastoral therapy in comparison with secular therapyTo a believer, biblical counseling has more benefits to him or her than the secular counseling. This is because of the spiritual experience. in that location is a high possibility of therapy succeeding when the counselor considers the clients pagan background. It is also important to evaluate the impact of the clients religion on the crisis at hand. This go away facilitate total counseling of the client.This is a concept that is in contrast with the secular counseling. It had been assumed that there existed a universal scientific psychiatry that could address effectively all of the peoples emotional illnesses regardless of their heathenish or social backgrounds. In the recent research, ethnic and cultural groups create mentally mental illnesses variously based on their unique conceptualizations of two(prenominal) the cures and causes. Biblical counseling is better placed in helping out the client in numerous situations as it focuses on these unique cultural viewpoints.There is a high possibility that more people would not examine psychological help because of their personal religious views. Consequently, attitudes towards psychological disorders among religious groups will impact on a persons admission of a problem, and behavior to judge help.The writer of Hebrews explains that, we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 413) when we approach God with our problems. Thus, these indivi duals must be made to understand that the pastoral counselors could be the vessels that God uses to help them approach Him.The pastoral counselors need to understand that human beings are either in a relationship or out of family line with God. If the client is out of fellowship it is up to the counselor to bring them back to and if the client is in a relationship with God, then it is the counselors responsibility to help the client understand on how to seek guidance and strength from God (Crisis Intervention, 2008).As much as the biblical crisis interventions have more benefits than those of secular, it does not mean that they should be mutually exclusive. Human beings have many dimensions and since there is a connection between emotional and spiritual dysfunction and health, both psychological and pastoral resources must be integrated in order for a holistic healing to be achieved.Human beings have been provided by God the understanding ability of the external natural world and t he psychological world which is internal. Counseling is more likely to succeed when there is a combination of the counseling lessons with those of the biblical t apieceings. Secular theologists find this concept very difficult. They have ac intimacyd the religious aspect of man just recently although it has been the cornerstone of biblical crisis intervention from the beginning (crisis Intervention 2008).In almost cases, early childhood occurrences can have a lasting effect which can easily distort our apprehension of love of God. These misconceptions of the love of God may have lasting effects on the coping capabilities of a person. The childhood events can imprison us in beliefs which are misshapen and which may misshape our perception of self, others and God.The foundation of cognitive counseling is that the dysfunction in psychology emanates from false beliefs and to be healed emotionally, one requires replacing lies with the true statement. However, thoughts which are impe rfect cannot occur at the cognitive level of logical knowledge. We may have the precise study nigh ourselves and God in our heads. or else, the faulty beliefs that misshape us normally transpire at the effective level of knowledge experience.Only biblical orientation can break free of these distortions hence the secular crisis intervention is otiose to reinstate an individuals coping abilities since they are unable to restore a persons relationship with God. Another benefit that the biblical crisis intervention has over the secular is that biblical counseling acknowledges the significance of religious exercise to a rapid event. This benefit helps the client to understand who they are and ways of functioning within their society (crisis Intervention 2008).Focus on the event and the resolutenessThe Biblical crisis intervention uses two approaches. The two approaches are not mutually exclusive and focus on two aspects that are different. The first approach focuses on the event an d challenges to alter the views of the client on the original event. This approach is also called the handed-down therapy. The other approach focuses on the solution and tries to use the client, God and the set up event as a change catalyst. It is also called the Brief therapy (ITHACA, 2010).No matter the approach, identification of the crisis cause is very important and the main goal for the counseling is to make the client return to a coping level before the crisis. At the same time the pastoral therapist may attempt to return the client to his or her original comfort zone or may even stretchability their zones of comfort to existing conditions (crisis Intervention 2008).The main reason for the biblical crisis intervention in counseling is the impact that the crisis can have on an individual. Our perception of reality or what is not real can be belie by our worries. The worries that are often the source of the crisis or relate to a possible future day crisis do not help the b iblical counseling process. In fact, thoughts full of fear are normally exaggerated and can even make the problem to worsen (Popovich, S. 2010).The most important thing is to restore the write abilities of the individual because when they are not restored the results would be disastrous. When a person is unable to cope with a certain crisis, the impending dangers would be depression, taking out anger on others in insults or violence, debase of substance or even suicide.This affects the persons future coping as he or she will be left with feelings of failure and guilt and this affects his or her future coping mechanisms. This renders the client to have a downward coiling which moves from one crisis to another which then accumulates future crises resulting to a degraded life style of the client (MCP, 2007).There are many factors that increase crisis effects. Some of the factors are expectations that are unrealistic, personality traits which are negative, a sense of identity which is faulty, a belief system which is faulty, and isolation. This could lead also to an advanced isolation and a loss of support from the loved ones. The main goal, therefore, of biblical crisis intervention and counseling is to try reduce the impact of the original crisis and hence to reestablish the mechanisms for copying (CCEF, 2010).The first approach (the traditional therapy) for the pastoral counselor is to establish a rapport and a relationship with the client while determining the sensed impact of the precipitating event. Some of the precipitating events may be intensely dehumanizing hence it is important to first reestablish the individuals humanness. The interventionist will have the need to confront the realities of shame and sin when helping the client. It helps to remind the client that we are all sinners and we all have fallen short of Gods glory (Roman 323).When the crisis intervention undertaking focuses on the solution, it becomes more complicated. This is because so me individuals have a rough time overcoming the event even if they are well reestablished with God. The same way when Peter the Apostle denied Jesus the night of His arrest, even after the event, he lived with the shame and guilt of his sin (Mark 14 66- 72).On the other hand, some clients are able to confront the situation but still need to be reminded of Gods love. They need to be reminded that according to the writer of Hebrews, God says I will never leave you, never will I forswear you. (Hebrews 135). At the same time, believers are encouraged to say, The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can human beings do to me? (Hebrews 13 16).The second approach (the brief therapy) that the counselor will focus on is the possible solutions to the crisis. The main goal is to help the client in the least(prenominal) period of time as possible. This approach does not minimize the precipitating event rather it focuses on the future. The crisis may have been caused by many and compl icated causes, hence the therapy focuses on what can be done in order to change the situation in the present and in future rather spending a lot of time focusing on an event that may or may not be able to be changed (ITHACA, 2010).The distinguishing feature between the traditional therapy and the brief therapy is that they focus on a treatment that is specific, with measurable and short term goals. The client and the interventionist prevail hand in hand to set up measurable objectives that they interpret after every session. This use of smaller shorter objectives make the clients feel like they are accomplishing something and also feel in control of their lives. The counselor is also there to help the client if they go astray (ITHACA, 2010).There is a major difference between the roles played by both the traditional therapist and the brief therapist. In traditional therapy, the counselor is seen as an happy hence a bit distant with the client, whereas in brief therapy, the counse lor kit and caboodle in collaboration with the client to understand and to solve the problem.In brief therapy, the counselor is seen as a sister or a brother in Christ whereas in traditional therapy, the relationship is that of an expert and a subordinate. The relationship in the brief therapy allows for a position to preach when one is needed or desired (ITHACA, 2010).Biblical counseling controversiesThere are disagreements and exploits that occur in Biblical counseling and crisis intervention. There are two known main figureheads within biblical counseling. The first movement is to discard all the secular techniques and counsel with only the Bible. The second movement is a movement that seeks to reduce the Bible usage within the Biblical counseling.Some denominational seminaries are the ones who discussed the first movement that biblical counseling should move away completely from counseling using secular theories to use of biblical teachings only. They contend that scripture is enough to address psychological problems. This movement believes that by incorporating secular counseling in pastoral counseling, the biblical counseling has lost its way and focus on God (Goliath, 2008).To defend their position, they credit the Bible in Pauls words that, all Scripture is God- breathed and is effective for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that all Gods people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3 16-17).The implication that pastoral counseling is not biblically based is either in all ignorant or totally arrogant. Pastoral counseling and care which is not based on the Bible or theological integrity is deficient. Again, Biblical counseling that does not include awareness of psychotherapy has a danger to be abusive.This danger is that those with problems that cannot be wholly solved through scripture may not seek the help they need and probably will never recover. According to David Winfrey, when biblical cou nseling rejects the behavioral sciences, its discarding an important source of information which has been made operational by God (Koenig, 2005).According to Phillip Monroe, the Bible is not a text book in counseling just it is more than a pointer to God. It does not provide an all-inclusive methodologies or theories for counseling. However, it is not just a book that discusses God. It also points out truths about the human nature and life hence should be used together with counseling methodologies that are not in the scripture (MCP, 2007).Biblical counseling is based on the notion that each and every believer performs like a counselor to other believers. Secret knowledge, professed(prenominal) credentials, or smart set are not needed. Even if some people may have wisdom and Christian maturity that enables them to deal effectively with complex people and issues, we will all be treated the same. Seek the face of God, love God and others in the moment, trust God for things you can not change and when things seem glowering and dismal, repent and trust God all over again each day (HOLY Bible).The pastoral counselor hopes to help the person being counseled to suffice in faith when in fear, when angry, when confused or grieving. When this happens, person being counseled may have the experience of peace and joy also the disarray within will be minimal (MCP, 2007).The opposing movement has minify the use of the Bible and uses at a larger extent secular approaches and only supplements religious thoughts when necessary. This movement poses the problem of minimizing the personal responsibility to God. Instead of being responsible to God and living His will, these secular techniques allow people to only be accountable to no one else other than themselves.The beat out and the approved biblical counseling and crisis intervention methodology incorporate techniques from both the Bible and the secular disciplines. This will help in giving the counseling service to both the believers and the non believers and the pastoral counselors can even evangelize to the non believers (Koenig, 2005).It is important to understand that its not by simply talking about God whether in a professional or an academic manner that will reorient individuals back to Jesus. When we combine reintegration to the church community with psychological therapy it provides both the long term support and the immediate guidance an individual will require to cope with the crisis at hand (Koenig, 2005).ConclusionThe challenge for biblical intervention methodology is providing a valuable crisis assistance and support within the earliest time possible following victimization, and to make the resources and services available in order to meet the victims needs by providing a direct assistance or referring to other agencies (crisis Intervention 2008).The Biblical crisis intervention and counseling does not imply the end of the required therapy. When an individual has been established in a church community, much support is thereafter needed. When the crisis counseling is over, many church ministries continue to offer the long term help that is much needed by their clients. Since there is a unique relationship between the client and the counselor, it should be very possible for the life counseling and guidance sessions to continue.Biblical guidance is a beautiful way since it is a proof of the love of God for His people. The love and affection that the pastoral counselor displays is just a small token in comparison with the love God gives to those who believe in Him. This is a reality that guides the pastoral counselors in get their clients back to God.At the same time, when we rely on Gods word, it reminds us of Jesus importance in our lives. As the Hebrew writer explains, the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb rews, 412). Again, in the Gospel of John, Jesus tells all those who believe in Him that Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free (John, 8 32).Biblical therapy is counseling is not only focused on sin. It sees suffering as a given opportunity to suffer in faith as we discover how we oppose to pains and sicknesses whether self inflicted or God oriented. How we respond to the difficulties that befall us reveals what we worship and seek in life whether its God, pleasure, comfort, perfection, and escape, to be safe or to be significant.The biblical crisis intervention and counseling is not focused on ending human suffering or teaching skills to end suffering, rather, it works with the broken and sinful people who live in sinful world and helps them live in a faithful manner and to trust in God the creator of all things.Biblical therapy strives to help people combine the worship of God and enjoy the blessings of being the chosen people of God. It also helps to reorien t people in discipleship, mercy ministry and help them in sanctifying themselves.Biblical counseling works on the principle that the Bible has all the information we need to help us deal with our day to day problems. near people believe that emotional and mental problems should only be dealt with the professional psychologists but this has been proved wrong since bible therapy has seen many people be able to cope to cope with their problems and even face others in future. Again, it has been turn out that bible therapy is the best as it deals with the souls of human beings and pastoral counselors are well exposed to the wisdom of God.