Ethical Strategies for Christian Integration in Counseling

Approved for 6 Ethics or CORE CEs by LPCA-GA

Can you function as a “Christian counselor” and licensed professional? The answer is YES if you follow the ACA and AMHCA ethical standards. Using an integration approach, you can practice within professional ethical guidelines and fulfill your spiritual mandate to love your neighbor. In this workshop, we will review Barnett and Johnson's ethical decision-making process model, promoted by the American Counseling Association, and give examples of ethical strategies for Christian integration in multiple working environments while avoiding “imposing your beliefs” on your clients. We will discuss research on Christian integration and books for future study. Motivational Interviewing and a Christian-Integrated Trauma Model will also be presented as helpful tools for ethical integration.

Objectives:

1. Participants will review the Barnett and Johnson 9-stage model for ethical integration of spirituality in counseling.
2. Participants will explore the 5-views of Christian integration written by Eric Johnson and integration by David Entwistle.
3. Participants will participate in small group discussions applying ethical and integrative principles to case studies.

Basic Schedule:

8:45 am - 10:15 am: History of Christianity in Psychology. Overview of the 5-views of Psychology and Christianity. The  First small group discussion. (1.5 hrs)

10:15 am - 10:30 am: BREAK

10:30 am - 12:00 pm: Barnett & Johnson’s 9-stage ethical decision-making model. Ethical Assessment of Client Spirituality. Introducing Christian-oriented spirituality into counseling using MI and a Christian-integrated structured trauma model. (1.5 hrs) Small group discussion

12:15 pm - 12:45 pm: LUNCH

12:45 pm - 2:00 pm: A deeper dive into one or two of the 5-views of Psychology and Christianity. Using the “Spirit of Motivational Interviewing” in assessment and treatment to avoid ethical dilemmas. (Third small group discussion) (1.5 hrs)

2:00 pm - 2:15 pm: BREAK

2:15 pm - 3:45 pm: Examples of ethical integration. Christian use of “secular” or other religiously-based interventions. Case studies caught between Christian and professional ethics. Final small group discussion. (1.5 hrs.)