Vanessa Chant’s Thesis: The Integration Of Spirituality In The Practice Of Christian Counselling
Abstract
Christian counselling is encouraged by churches and provided for by theological colleges who incorporate counselling training in some of their curricula. Registration is provided by Christian counselling organizations and some employment opportunities are provided by many not-for-profit Christian organizations and Churches. This research sought to comprehend the significance of Christian counselling and to gain an understanding of how training impacts the Christian counsellor.
The literature and background information in Christian counselling was viewed, laying a foundation for the research. The research comprised four scales culminating with two client scenarios. It sought to determine the value of Christian training in counselling and to gain a better understanding of Christian counselling. There was an expectation that Christian counsellors would be able to articulate what the distinctives were in relation to Christian counselling. There has been no known research in this particular area in Australia.
The research included 128 Christian counsellors who were graduates of Christian colleges, counsellors employed in Christian organisations and members of the Christian Counsellors Association of Australia.
The results of the research indicated that most participants, although enthusiastic in relation to Christian techniques in theory, did not always follow through with practical examples of this in the scenarios. The hypothesis, =Graduates who are trained in theological institutions will be more likely to utilise Christian spiritual issues in their profession of counselling‘ was not supported.
Vanessa Chant’s full thesis may be downloaded from the below links:
Dear Vanessa, (and hello Barry)
I am prompted to write to you in response to your outline of your thesis. I am saddened that your hypothesis of integrated Spiritual practice by theological graduates was not supported. However, I am excited that in 2019 the CRC International will introduce Counselling as a stream within the Diploma of Ministry. To this end, despite having a Diploma of Christian Studies from Burleigh/Tabor in 1990 and a Diploma in Counselling from ACAP in 2016 after early retirement from secular employment; I will be studying the CRC Diploma of Ministry full time in 2018 within the Missions stream, and then the Counselling stream in 2019.
I have a role model whom you may wish to contact. I came to the Lord in 1977 at the hands of a Chaplain Bill Rosier RAN, on the South China Sea in a warship. He subsequently mentored me when we were both posted to jobs in Sydney. As the only Charismatic chaplain at that time, he nurtured and counselled me through a divorce and my transition from Naval to civilian life. And he did this with his heart open to the voice of the Spirit and his exposition of the scriptures in a way that I can only recall as a powerful model for integrated Christian counselling. I sincerely hope to engage pastoral care/counselling in an equally dynamic way within my own church (New Life Warrnambool) and in the Philippines.
But I am at the beginning of my new adventure in the power and leading of the Spirit at the age of 68 after some 40 years of rejecting Him under the influence of reformation teaching; and seeking to thereby foment my Christian walk “under the law”, having begun in the Spirit at CRC Victor harbour all those years ago. This is Bill’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bill.rosier.5 should you wish to chat with him. Also, if you have specific resources which further suggest how counselling in the Spirit might be achieved, I would welcome hearing from you. It will certainly be my paradigm within the body of Christ. And Vanessa, will you be having an input and/or teaching role in the CRC Diploma/Counselling?
Yours with fond memories Frank Fisher