Interventions That Apply Scripture In Psychotherapy Case Study

Journal Article Review One Throughout the therapeutic process therapists have many tools at their disposal in their quest to promote healing. Therapists who want to incorporate Christianity have even more that can be highly effective in producing long-term restoration. As with any technique or tool to be used in the counseling process, education is vital to ensure proper use of the methods. In the article entitled “Interventions that Apply Scripture in Psychotherapy”, author Garzon provides such an education for therapists who desire to blend their Christian faith into the therapeutic process. Illustrated by a case study, Garzon’s presentation of multiple techniques across several theoretic orientations is an essential read for both therapists
He began with giving his thesis which is to demonstrate real ways to merge Scripture in counseling and to cause ideas to flow in readers for further application in their own setting. The client, George, was detailed as a young, relatively new Christian who has become depressed about the stale place he is at in his life. He was described as suffering from anxiety and a poor self-esteem. Garzon briefly touched on his childhood, revealing a troubled relationship with his father, causing Garzon to ultimately diagnose George with post-traumatic stress disorder. Further anxiety and stress arise from George’s habit of overworking himself at his job. Garzon urged counselors and readers to be mindful of the external issues before implementing Scripture in sessions. He explained that both ethical and cultural values, must be assessed, but more importantly, to take into consideration the readiness and agreement the client has about Scripture techniques. Counselors may have Biblical intentions for the use, but if the clients isn’t fully willing for has had bad experiences from church, the best Scripture interventions may still be unhelpful. Garzon went on to describe six different techniques for multiple counseling orientations. For psychodynamic therapists, he explained that an indirect approach through prayer for the client and maintaining a Christ-like
It was interesting to learn about the inclusion of the psychodynamic orientation with Christian principles. As the theory deviates sharply against Christianity in many of its foundational assumptions and techniques, it was surprising to read that Garzon made note of there being therapists who practice from this orientation and actually want to incorporate Scripture. The technique for this approach was basic, but appeared to be in line with Scripture. Further areas of study would be to examine articles that discuss particular passages of Scripture for issues such as depression, anxiety, mood instability, low self-worth, shame. Additional research would be to analyze articles that discuss the combination of systematic desensitization used in the behavioral approach with