Prayer in Counseling Essay

In Eriksen and Weld’s journal article, the writers contend that spirituality and prayer is being utilized more and more by mental health practitioners and counselors. The concept of prayer within the counseling session is something that was considered for a long time but the actual use of spirituality practices is more frequently being used today. This particular article is based upon the data retrieved from two tests that were done on first time counselees and their practitioners. All of the counselees were Christians and results were based on what their expectations were regarding prayer and spirituality inventions. The test also surveyed what the beliefs and practices were of the counselors. Ultimately, the test showed that most counselees preferred the introduction of prayer within the sessions. They wished audible prayer was initiated by the counselor. Additionally, the test results also showed that clients expected prayer and even prefer that counselors or practitioners pray for them outside the prayer sessions as well. Another interesting thing that the test results showed was that religious natured conservatives preferred prayer more than the liberals of a religious nature. Overall, the studies from this article resulted in a confirmation that prayer is therapeutic and healthy for the clients. According to the article, spirituality has already been linked to a sturdy well-being and even secular counselors have used prayer intervention in sessions. There are many therapists that do not believe in mixing psychology with theology, however; the results seem to point to the fact that prayer intervention and spirituality produces effectiveness in psychotherapy sessions. There has been some controversy about using prayer in counseling such as improper use of prayer in counseling. In some cases, practitioners may not be trained properly to incorporate prayer and this could result in a damaged relationship between client and counselor. In some cases there are counselors that may not value prayer within the session but their clients may find it important. On the contrary, one of the studies showed that there were more counselors that valued prayer than their counselees. With these barriers to consider, research and examination of spirituality and prayer in counseling will be pursued further. Interaction It was quite amazing to see how high of a percentage of practitioners actually incorporate prayer with the counseling. There was a time when educators did not suggest using prayer or spirituality in the counseling sessions due to the delicacy of the subject of religion. Also, as a former secular counselor, there was some concern that many of the clients were not Christians and there may be offense taken by the client. After reading this journal article, it is enlightening to find out that many clients prefer prayer especially since many counselors are Christians now. Since there is very little research on the subject of prayer intervention, further research is crucial so that counselors can learn the proper way to incorporate prayer into the therapy session. Although the authors covered a pair of research studies on how effective prayer is to the success of the counseling session, it wasn’t sufficient enough to say that the majority of people who come to counseling prefer prayer. The article covered a lot about proven effectiveness of spirituality with counseling but there needs to be more on how to properly incorporate the two entities. Prayer is enlightening to many counselors but it is still a sensitive subject and needs to be weaned in the right way. It is this author’s assertion that prayer can be enlightening and beneficial to the mental health from personal experiences. The application of prayer and Biblical scriptures has been so uplifting for many clients but there are many out there that do not know the benefits of prayer. Dialogue is crucial when initiating prayer in the counseling session so the counselor needs to be well educated on the techniques. Spirituality and prayer has been utilized by this counselor and has been an integral tool in problem solving and keeping clients happy. As a Christian counselor, prayer for the client can be done after sessions whether the client wants it or not but during sessions should be carefully applied. It is because of this article that this author will study and investigate how to incorporate prayer carefully into the counseling session. Application It is because of this article that this author will study and investigate how to incorporate prayer carefully into the counseling session. Eriksen and Weld’s journal is an important tool and this author has definitely learned a lot from this reading. A client that comes in for grief counseling or depression would benefit from the therapeutic use of prayer. This author would carefully incorporate the Biblical scriptures as well as prayer on and off sessions because it is expected of a Christian. Since religion of any form is very sensitive for many people, this counselor will make sure to learn the best way to initiate it and use it throughout the counseling sessions. Another benefit in utilizing prayer is the trust building of the client for the practitioner so therefore; this author will utilize prayer to promote a great relationship. This author will make sure that the client is confident enough to share their feelings about prayer and spirituality. First and foremost, it will be disclosed in the very beginning that the author is a Christian. After listening to the client and finding his or her comfort level, Spirituality will somehow be introduced in the session whether it is in the form of reading Biblical scriptures or facilitating a prayer. In the past, this author has used prayer with counselees in and after sessions, but now realizes the sensitivity of how to apply it. It has been welcomed by both non-Christians and Christians but the article has shed the light on how detrimental an improper application of Spirituality and prayer can be to the counseling relationship.