A normal session length is 60 minutes, and we expect to meet with the client at least once a week until the client feels that their presenting issue is under control. During our sessions, we will address the presenting problem and work to identify the client's spiritual condition by using the Steps to Freedom in Christ, enabling us to help them with both spiritual issues and life stressors.
During the initial visit, we will discuss the reason for seeking Christian counseling, and we will spend time getting acquainted with one another. We will also discuss any questions or concerns you may have about the process, the current events happening in your life, and your personal history relevant to your issue.
In our second visit, we will use the Steps to Freedom in Christ Spiritual experience checklist developed by Dr. Neil Anderson to evaluate and identify any spiritual conflicts. We will also discuss family-of-origin, health, behavior, and spiritual history that you submitted from the website. Once we have a good understanding of the issues, we will work collaboratively with the client to develop a plan of action that would be most beneficial.
Based on your specific needs, counseling can be short-term, to address a specific issue, or longer-term to deal with more difficult patterns of behavior.
It is very important to understand that in order for counseling to be effective in your life, you must actively participate in the process. The main goal of Christian counseling is to help you take what you learned in the session and apply them to your life. To facilitate the process of healing, the counselor may suggest some things for you to do outside of the therapy session, such as reading a pertinent book, journaling on specific topics, or attending a weekly bible study.
I will administer the Arno Profile System (APS) to measure and identify the individual’s temperament in three different areas: Inclusion, Control, and Affection. Inclusion is a person’s social orientation and intellectual abilities. Control is a person’s willingness or unwillingness to make decisions for self and others. It determines whether an individual is independent (a leader) or dependent (a follower). Affection measures a person’s interaction in deep relationships.
Drs. Richard and Phyllis Arno developed this therapeutic procedure over a seven-year study through systematic research with over 5000 individuals. Their objectives were to base it on Scripture; to save clients and a counselor’s precious time; and to produce effective, positive, and more immediate results with those being counseled.
This temperament profile has been proven highly successful in clinical studies. The counselor gains insight into the behavioral tendencies of the client and then uses this evaluation to help each person understand their inborn temperament. This assessment clearly measures the strengths and weaknesses within a person’s temperament and, therefore, has been a proven tool to help people with personal growth issues and for improving group relationship dynamics. In using this profile, consideration is given to learned behavior, personality, family of origin, and birth order, as well as the individual’s relationship with God.
According to Dr. Hart, when temperament is combined with perceptions learned through the family of origin, a person may develop patterns of behavior, styles of communication, and forms of humor based on what was customary in their family. These customs may become an expected code of behavior for its members. These expectations can be surprising and even objectionable to others who have come to expect another set of rules. People from different families have typically learned different structural principles, values, and beliefs, even if both have been reared in a Christian home. When these family structures and personal inborn temperaments are blended together, it can seem as if the other person has come from a different culture.
The APS is an eye-opening, in-depth assessment that helps individuals grow in their understanding and appreciation of themselves and each other. Everyone will be given a personal report to take home that is full of insight into their temperament.