What Interventions do Christian Counselors Use?
This is the final post in my series of findings from a 2014
survey. In this post I include list of interventions and the frequency they are
used by Christian counselors.
This list of interventions includes spiritual practices some
Christians use or request when in need. In some cases, we expanded a common
practice like prayer so we could obtain more detail. We included prayer types that might only be used by Pentecostals and Charismatics because little is known what that small segment of the counselor population might use.
|
Spiritual practice
|
Common
|
Never
|
Rarely
|
Sometimes
|
Often
|
Most
|
|
1 Refer to Bible
|
74.4
|
6.80
|
18.80
|
46.00
|
17.20
|
11.20
|
|
2 Invite God’s presence
|
65.67
|
21.89
|
12.45
|
21.89
|
15.88
|
27.90
|
|
3 Pray
about issues
|
55.42
|
18.47
|
26.10
|
28.51
|
13.65
|
13.25
|
|
4 Share testimony
|
58.06
|
14.92
|
27.02
|
41.94
|
10.48
|
5.65
|
|
5 Spiritual imagery
|
54.22
|
16.47
|
29.32
|
36.95
|
13.65
|
3.61
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 Pray for healing
|
42.17
|
26.91
|
30.92
|
27.31
|
8.03
|
6.83
|
|
7 Pray with hands on client
|
16.94
|
63.71
|
23.79
|
9.68
|
1.61
|
5.65
|
|
8 Anoint clients oil
|
3.21
|
90.76
|
6.02
|
2.41
|
0.40
|
0.40
|
|
9 Pray in tongues
|
2.01
|
94.78
|
3.21
|
1.61
|
0.40
|
0.00
|
|
10 Pray for deliverance
|
5.65
|
82.26
|
12.10
|
3.63
|
1.61
|
0.40
|
|
11 Prayed to saint
|
2.80
|
96.40
|
0.80
|
1.20
|
0.80
|
0.80
|
The spiritual practices in rows 1 – 5 are in common use as
defined by at least 50% of Christian clinicians using a practice at least
sometimes. As expected, references to the Bible and prayer were the most
frequent spiritual practices employed by Christian clinicians in a session. Prayer
for healing was by no means rare at 42% engaging in this type of prayer at
least sometimes. Considering the responses for more than sometimes, it is possible for clients to visit most clinicians in
our sample and not experience any of the spiritual practices in this list.
Practices generally considered unique to Pentecostal or Charismatic
spirituality were rare (e.g., praying in tongues, praying for deliverance).
Approximately 19% of responses were from clinicians who self-identified with
Pentecostal or Charismatic Christianity.
This group of interventions includes those that are more
formalized than those in the previous list. Some like Christian PREP and SYMBIS
provide clinicians with specific guidance.
You can find a recent review of Evidenced-Based Practices for Christian Counseling and Psychotherapy in a recent book I reviewed. The review is a free download.
|
Treatment
|
Common
|
Never
|
Rarely
|
Sometimes
|
Often
|
Most
|
|
44.40
|
49.14
|
6.47
|
18.97
|
16.81
|
8.62
|
|
|
2
Contemplative prayer
|
35.47
|
50.00
|
14.53
|
22.65
|
10.26
|
2.56
|
|
3
Pray deliverance
|
34.33
|
43.35
|
22.32
|
21.46
|
9.44
|
3.43
|
|
4
Centering prayer
|
28.21
|
56.41
|
15.38
|
19.66
|
6.84
|
1.71
|
|
5
Inner healing prayer
|
23.08
|
59.40
|
17.52
|
15.81
|
4.27
|
2.99
|
|
20.94
|
67.66
|
11.54
|
12.82
|
6.41
|
1.71
|
|
|
18.38
|
75.32
|
5.98
|
10.68
|
5.98
|
1.71
|
|
|
15.38
|
75.64
|
8.97
|
9.83
|
4.70
|
0.85
|
|
|
9
SYMBIS
|
3.42
|
91.91
|
4.70
|
0.43
|
2.14
|
0.85
|
The column labeled common
identifies how common an intervention is based on reports that clinicians use
it is at least sometimes. Close to half use Christian CBT. About one-third use
contemplative prayer and prayers for deliverance from a condition. Other
identified interventions are not in common use. The data do not indicate how
common use might be for a specific problem. For example, clinicians would not
be expected to use a forgiveness intervention unless it was relevant to the
client’s presenting problem.
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