Book Review McMinn Assignment

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Psychology

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Nov 24, 2024

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1 ARTICLE REVIEW Book Review McMinn Assignment Summary Kateena Welch School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University Author Note Kateena Welch I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kateena Welch Email: kwelch21@liberty.edu

2 ARTICLE REVIEW Book Review McMinn Assignment Summary From the outset McMinn employs psychology, religion, and spirituality in the counseling office for the process of aiding people with different aspects of their life. To paraphrase what McMinn (2011) has to say about the subject, ""unlike competency in psychology and theology, knowing spirituality does not lend itself to credentials" (p. 11). People have to engage with God and with a spiritual order, which leads to God's personality ad activity. It's unusual to see spirituality reflected in higher education, especially at the postgraduate level. The therapist or counselor should have a strong faith and be able to persevere through difficult times. Realizing our own frailties helps us appreciate the extent to which God's grace empowers us in Christ. "Therefore, I take pleasure, for Christ's sake, in whatever amounts to weakness, insult, adversity, persecution, and difficulty. Because "my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:10). McMinn (2011) argues that many Christian counseling practices are just modified versions of other widely used approaches. The author, McMinn (2011), writes, "We can bend Christian assumptions to conform to existing techniques, but at some point our belief system snaps, and we are left with only theistic scraps saturated by atheistic definitions of mental health" (p. 17). The widespread belief that positive self-esteem is essential to mental health is the most typical worldview example encountered by Christian counselors. Christian teaching tells us that we are not innocent victims of sin but rather active participants, and that acknowledging this fact is crucial for spiritual restoration. The Bible teaches us that instead of blaming others, we should consider their needs and work to meet them. Counseling services are in high demand because many individuals believe they need to turn within to find their "I'm okay" self-image.

3 ARTICLE REVIEW Counseling that takes into consideration a person's mental and spiritual well-being is a more involved form of the profession. According to McMinn (2011), the majority of therapeutic road maps solely concentrate on mental health because they operate under the assumption that it can be separated from spiritual health (p. 39). Incorporating Christian beliefs into therapy can be beneficial to the patient in a variety of ways, including enhancing the patient's overall well-being, assisting the patient in better understanding and meeting his or her own unique set of needs, and strengthening the patient's connection with God and with other people (McMinn, 2011). According to McMinn (2011), "it should be a map that assumes neither a oneto-one correspondence between spiritual and psychological health nor complete separation of the two" (p. 40). After the first two chapters, McMinn separates the book into a training text that should be in the collection of every Christian counselor. Prayer, the Bible, sin, repentance, forgiveness, and restitution are just few of the subjects covered. McMinn argues that quiet prayer, spontaneous prayers, and encouraging clients to pray outside of the session may have a therapeutic effect and strengthen the client's spiritual development and relationship to God during therapy sessions. McMinn outlines four methods for having difficult conversations with clients about sin. We should "in counseling confront sin with silence, pondering, questioning, and direct censure" (p. 167), as McMinn (2011) advises. A therapeutic connection might flourish if the counselor refrains from passing moral judgment on the client. Personal Reflection I considered myself to have a complete grasp of the Bible and my personal spirituality before reading the book Psychology, theology, and spirituality in Christian therapy. McMinn enlightened me to the wealth of information available and the proper ways to combine Christian

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4 ARTICLE REVIEW faith with psychological practice. Forgiveness, which McMinn addresses in chapter 7, was the most moving part of the book for me. McMinn notes on page 251 that published journals on forgiveness have increased by about 300 percent over the last several years, despite the fact that the issue was previously largely disregarded by the psychological community. According to McMinn, "Forgiveness is God's job not yours" (p. 253) is an argument used by those who disagree with include forgiveness in treatment. Jesus taught us to pray, and one of the petitions we make is for "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us" (Luke 11:4, NIV). It has been argued by McMinn (2011) that "forgiveness, in its theological and spiritual context, is profound, life-giving, and transforming" (p. 254). Today's culture places a premium on the "I'm okay" identity at the expense of forgiveness. My pain was inflicted upon me by a third party; it is not my doing; and God has a purpose in it all. However, the 12 steps utilized by AA emphasize the need of forgiving others. Addicts need to take responsibility for their actions throughout their addiction, apologize to people they hurt, and work to make amends with them. A person's spiritual well-being and relationship to God are strengthened via prayer during therapy. According to McMinn's concluding chapter, there is a strong connection between forgiveness and redemption. The marvel of redemption, as stated by McMinn (2011), is that "we are brought back into a relationship with God," but "the problem with sin is that it separates us from God" (p. 315). A Christian counselor who is faithful to his or her religion and who incorporates the ideas presented in this book may assist guide clients toward fruitful Christian counseling sessions. These ideas include prayer, scripture, confession, forgiveness, and redemption. Analysis

5 ARTICLE REVIEW As ethical issues assume a more prominent role in the area of mental health, an increasing number of people are turning to Christian treatment. I agree with McMinn (2011) that the practice of confession has declined in modern culture and among many of the world's major religious systems. Accepting personal responsibility for one's own actions is a necessary step in the process of admitting guilt. McMinn (2011) points out that "even among Roman Catholics, where the sacrament of penance has been valued for centuries, the practice of confession is waning" (p. twenty-four). When they are ready to unload their deepest, darkest secrets, counseling clients want to talk to sympathetic ears who won't cast judgment on what they share. During the course of therapy, avoiding responsibility by acting as if everything is OK and participating in what is often referred to as a "I'm okay" session. First and foremost, according to McMinn, is the confession of faith. Jesus, who was aware that some people would confess Him while others would not, issued a warning in Matthew 10:32–33, stating that whomever rejects Him in front of others, He would also deny before the Father. This warning was given despite the fact that Jesus was aware that some people would confess Him while others would not. In accordance with what is written in Psalm 32:5, I will confess my faults to the Lord. Confession and accepting responsibility for one's actions are two of the most difficult challenges a person may face in their lifetime. These days, nobody like having their beliefs challenged or disproved. They are searching for somebody to blame. Confession is necessary for any kind of spiritual growth to take place. The primary issue that McMinn has with psychology is that many otherwise competent psychologists have faulty worldview assumptions, which have caused a significant amount of damage to contemporary society. According to McMinn, the quantity of literature on issues such as self-love, self-affirmation, freedom, and individualism has been detrimental to the current

6 ARTICLE REVIEW generation. This generation has been negatively impacted as a result. McMinn (2011) states that "but the aging baby boomers who are rushing back to church do not want to hear sermons that might rattle their self-esteem" (page 187). All of this has brought our attention to be more focused on the importance of the person. Application As school counselors at a private Christian school, we have the opportunity to interact with students who come from a variety of backgrounds, including some who do not follow Christianity. The parents have expressed their interest in pursuing a more advantageous educational alternative. Because of this, there is a possibility that additional criteria may need to be completed. Prayer is at the top of my list, despite the fact that all of the subjects discussed in the book—such as psychology, theology, and spirituality—are essential to the practice of Christian counseling. Because we are a Christian school, the most important part of each day is spent in prayer. A prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America, the Christian Flag Pledge, and the Bible Pledge are said at the beginning of each day. The prayers that are said in the morning and the prayers that are said in the evening are both parts of our daily routine. It is only logical that prayer be included into the guidance sessions given that our school is a Christian institution. According to McMinn (2011) (page 87), the capacity to have an encounter with God via the practice of prayer is at the core of Christian spirituality. Second, we educate our pupils on the Bible and organize weekly chapel services in order to underscore how important it is to our daily lives to follow the teachings of the Bible. Keeping this in mind, I believe that it would be beneficial to include the use of scripture into the therapeutic session. According to McMinn (2011), "a rich resource for wisdom and personal maturity" (p. 122) is provided by this book. In order for their children to acquire a foundational

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7 ARTICLE REVIEW understanding of Christian theology, parents send them to our educational establishment. It would be absurd to believe that they would object to Christian doctrine being included into treatment. Third, we discuss the concepts of original sin and personal sin since we are a Christian institution. The damage that sin does to our relationship with God. Despite the fact that original sin is unchangeable, every single one of us has committed sin and has fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Still, it was Jesus' blood that set us free. McMinn (2011) argues that "to practice competent Christian counseling, we must understand sin from a theological and spiritual perspective" (p. 190). The grownups of the future won't need to be corrected if we educate today's kids. Fourth, the topic of forgiveness is one that must be addressed often in a Christian school (or any school). You will constantly deal with one youngster unhappy with another about one issue or another. Forgiveness-based methods should be emphasized. This is an essential idea to keep in mind while seeing a counselor. It is our Christian obligation to forgive and in a Christian school we teach this principle. (New International Version) "Bearing with one another, and if anyone has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive" The last point to mention, but perhaps not the least important, is that the concept of redemption would be used in the counseling office of a Christian school. The idea of redemption is discussed in a variety of contexts throughout Bible study; hence, the client would not find it strange. For Christians, the moment they realize they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the defining moment of their faith. The fact that I am able to work in a Christian school rather than in any of the other alternative settings makes me feel really lucky. I am accountable for assisting the children that pass through our doors to develop spiritually in some way. This

8 ARTICLE REVIEW presents an opportunity for me to collaborate with other people to encourage the spiritual development of future agents of global change.

9 ARTICLE REVIEW Reference McMinn, M.R. (2011). Psychology, theology, and spirituality in Christian counseling. (Rev. ed.). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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