Transformative Encounters: The Intervention of God in Christian Counseling and Pastoral Care
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
What would it mean for Christian counseling and pastoral care to take seriously the idea that God intervenes in the world? What would it look like for therapists and pastors to see themselves as opening the door to a miraculous divine encounter? How would counseling change if the intervention of God was not merely a theoretical idea but a lived experience?
In this volume more than twenty of the best pastoral counselors, clinicians, and counselor educators introduce us to the models that they use to integrate the Scriptures and the work of the Holy Spirit into their daily practice. They share with us what Christ-infused counseling looks like. Divided into three sections: Transformative Encounters Done in Church, Transformative Paradigms for Church or Clinic, and Transformative Interventions for Clinical Practice, it is a perfect mix for any student or counselor who wants to review counseling practices that bring about lasting psycho-spiritual change in the here and now.
Some of the topics discussed in the book include:
- Inner healing
- Prayer ministry
- Deliverance
- Christian holism
- Contemplative prayer
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Emotion-focused therapy
- Group therapy
- Forgiveness
- Visualization and EMDR
- Addiction
- Life coaching
This book seeks to inform students, pastoral counselors, clinicians, and counselor educations of the variety of methodologies that are available to those seeking this kind of God-encountering, Christ-centered ministry of miraculous change.
- Introduces models used to integrate the Scriptures and the work of the Holy Spirit into daily practice
- Includes contributions from pastoral counselors, clinicians, and counselor educators
- Addresses topics including group therapy, inner healing, and contemplative prayer
- Part 1: Transformative Encounters Done in Church
- Part 2: Transformative Paradigms for Church or Clinic
- Part 3: Transformative Interventions for Clinical Practice
- Part 4: Toward Universal Transformational Practice
Top Highlights
“God deeply, asking him to reveal his special way for this unique person that he has sent to us for help” (Page 44)
“identity, cognition, affect, relationship and behavior domains” (Page 39)
“Relationship. We are hardwired for relationship, and all we are, do and become is a function of our embedded relationships.” (Page 41)
“the person of Christ, who is anointed by the Father and made alive in our hearts and minds by the Holy Spirit” (Page 32)
“inviting God to step into the helping or ministry endeavor in a way that works miraculous change” (Page 36)
David W. Appleby (PhD, University of Delaware; PhD, University of Northern Colorado) is a minister, counselor, and trainer working in the overlapping fields of family counseling, psychology, and deliverance ministry. He is the founder and president of Spiritual Interventions, Inc., a non-profit organization that promotes spiritual interventions in Christian counseling practice. He also teaches courses in psychology and professional and pastoral counseling at the Center for Counseling and Family Studies at Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia. The author of It’s Only a Demon: A Model for Christian Deliverance, Appleby has spoken and conducted training sessions on deliverance in therapeutic practice at numerous churches and institutions across the country.
George Ohlschlager (JD, MSW, University of Iowa) is a psychotherapist, ethicist, and writer. He is a certified Christian counselor with the International Board of Christian Counselors and a certified professional Christian counselor and Christian mediator with the American Association of Christian Counselors. Among Ohlschlager’s many books and publications are Caring for People God’s Way (coeditor with Timothy Clinton and Archibald D. Hart) and Competent Christian Counseling, Volume One: Foundations and Practice of Compassionate Soul Care (coauthor with Timothy Clinton).