Position Paper APA
Position Paper on Psychology and Christianity Integration
Kevin. B. Guillory Sr.
Point University
Position Paper on Psychology and Christianity Integration
Introduction
First of all to make counseling truly Christian we must bring our faith and our counseling together in our mind. We do this by recognizing Christ as the only wonderful Counselor and he becomes our model. Most importantly we not only make Him Lord over our lives, but also over our clinical education and practice. We look to Him as our clinical supervisor who oversees all we hear and say in the counseling office. Regardless of the theoretical orientation of our training (dynamic, cognitive, behavioral, object relations, eclectic, etc.) we need to place all we have learned about counseling from our education, training, and experience into the hands of Christ. Then, we can trust Him to help us apply our skills as we believe he wants us to in ministering to those who seek our help. In this report I will show how it relates to psychology and discus the perspective of integrating it into Christianity.
Psychological Perspective
Psychology is both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain how we think, act and feel. As most people already realize, a large part of psychology is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. Psychology evolved out of both philosophy and biology. Discussions of these two subjects date as far back as the early Greek thinkers including Aristotle and Socrates. The word psychology is derived from the Greek word psyche, literally meaning 'life' or 'breath.' Derived meanings of the word include 'soul' or 'self.' I view psychology and theology/Christianity as fields that have common concerns, and elements of focus. I believe the purpose is to provide sound, biblical counseling that deals with complexities and pain found in a fallen world and in the human heart. We are
Kevin. B. Guillory Sr.
Point University
Position Paper on Psychology and Christianity Integration
Introduction
First of all to make counseling truly Christian we must bring our faith and our counseling together in our mind. We do this by recognizing Christ as the only wonderful Counselor and he becomes our model. Most importantly we not only make Him Lord over our lives, but also over our clinical education and practice. We look to Him as our clinical supervisor who oversees all we hear and say in the counseling office. Regardless of the theoretical orientation of our training (dynamic, cognitive, behavioral, object relations, eclectic, etc.) we need to place all we have learned about counseling from our education, training, and experience into the hands of Christ. Then, we can trust Him to help us apply our skills as we believe he wants us to in ministering to those who seek our help. In this report I will show how it relates to psychology and discus the perspective of integrating it into Christianity.
Psychological Perspective
Psychology is both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain how we think, act and feel. As most people already realize, a large part of psychology is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. Psychology evolved out of both philosophy and biology. Discussions of these two subjects date as far back as the early Greek thinkers including Aristotle and Socrates. The word psychology is derived from the Greek word psyche, literally meaning 'life' or 'breath.' Derived meanings of the word include 'soul' or 'self.' I view psychology and theology/Christianity as fields that have common concerns, and elements of focus. I believe the purpose is to provide sound, biblical counseling that deals with complexities and pain found in a fallen world and in the human heart. We are