Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling (AACC Library)

I feel that McMinn’s textbook was another overall excellent book for me personally. The healing cycle that McMinn proposes in chapter two, makes perfect sense to me, and it fits well with the Scripture as I understand it. I was delighted to read McMinn’s statement that counseling was integrative by its very nature. I was also relieved to see that McMinn did not settle with addressing Prayer, Scripture and Forgiveness in counseling, but also expanded his book to include the topics of Sin, Confession and Redemption.However, I found the way that McMinn arranged his chapters somewhat disjointed. The last six chapters deal with spiritual and theological concepts, but prayer, the use of Scripture, confession and forgiveness are active behaviors. McMinn describes sin as an underlying cause or state of existence, and redemption is an end result. Jumbling them all together in no particular order, without an introduction or explanation of the order of presentation, left me feeling a little discombobulated.There was one more thing that left me slightly unsatisfied. Why did McMinn choose to address those particular six aspects of Christian doctrine and not any others? Why did not he speak, for instance, on the benefits of tithing, the practice of hospitality, and the catharsis of service? While I recognize that every author must limit their work, I wonder what the purpose of selecting these six particular aspects was. It would have been beneficial to have addressed that topic.

I'm just about done reading this book. It was a required read for my Ph.D Christian Counseling Course. I'm so glad they chose this book. The writer is a sure pro in the field. He works at a Seminary training Doctorate students who do tons of research so he has the latest and greatest. The book is updated from 1986. And the way he updates it is the best I've ever seen. he adds the update after the chapter to not change the orginal text that helped so many but to only add to it! The language used is perfect. It's understandable but make you feel very studious! I'm learning tons and I can see the application everday to my marriage:) Watch out wife:) But I'm loving the book and have been thinking this book is a keeper and will use as a reference book for many cases to come.

Could not be happier

Through illustrations and counseling session vignettes, McMinn (1996) provides an excellent working model of how to integrate psychology, theology and spirituality in his book of the same title. He begins the book with exploring the challenges which confronts the Christian counselor who is trying to integrate the science of psychology with the teachings of faith, all the while keeping both the professional and personal life of the counselor at the center of the discussion. McMinn stresses that what happens in the personal life of the counselor is just as important as what goes on behind the doors of the counselor's office. To help the reader understand how the counselor's worldview affects counseling style, McMinn uses vignettes he labels, "What if this happened?" Through these illustrations he is able to explore such issues as the need for a third discipline, namely, spiritual formation. Other challenges are discussed by McMinn as well. For example, he points out the need for a scientific basis, an ethical standard, and challenging the dominate models of mental health.In the second chapter McMinn (1996) offers a more "detailed map" to reaching a healthy mental state (p. 44) in contrast with that of the scientific and theological models of psychology. He suggests that spiritual and psychological health go hand in hand and include a healthy sense of self, accurate awareness of need, and healing relationships. By incorporating all three disciplines, psychological, theological and spiritual formation, a more balanced model of psychological and spiritual healing is created.The remainder of the book is dedicated to discussion on how and when a Christian counselor can utilize the basic tenants of faith in such a way that it promotes mental health in his/her clients. The first spiritual discipline McMinn (1996) examines is prayer. The author examines the psychological properties of prayer as a counseling technique, the types of prayer which may be utilized, and a discussion on when to use or not to use prayer with a client. He concludes that more research is needed on the uses of different types of prayer with clients but warns that although it is a fundamental discipline for the Christian, it is not always an appropriate technique in therapy.The use of scripture is another discipline that McMinn (1996) warns is not always appropriate in the counseling session and this is evident as research indicates that few Christian counselors use this technique. Although McMinn points out that scripture is powerful and certainly has its place in some situations, he reminds the reader that real change takes place when the client can assimilate his counseling experiences outside the session and in his real life. Once again, McMinn warns that whatever the discipline of faith that is being used, it should be delivered with humility by a counselor who is living Christ-like in his/her personal life.McMinn (1996) engages in a discussion regarding the relationship between sin, confession, and forgiveness in the next three chapters of this book. First dealing with the concept of sin and the importance in understanding sin from a theological perspective, McMinn then discusses how a counselor can address sin with humility bringing the client to a point of accepting forgiveness. Regarding the subject of forgiveness, McMinn considers the current popular attitudes regarding the role of forgiveness and the corresponding research available. Forgiveness as a Christian duty is examined as well as how one can best assist the client in maturing spiritual to be in a better position to accomplish forgiveness. In conclusion, McMinn touches on the subject of redemption as a worldview. He provides examples of how a redemptive relationship can be established within different models of therapy such as object relations, cognitive, and Adlerian.

I'm enjoying this book. The author did an excellent job with it.

I read this as a required textbook. The author shares a lot of information in a way that is easy to read. I do not have a strong background in psychology, so some of the terms were unfamiliar, but McMinn gave enough context information that I was able to follow. Each chapter had a specific format that was followed so it was easy to tie things together.Julie Donahue

This book is extremely well written and organized in a fashion that allows readers to understand each chapter of the book individually as well as all together. I recommend this book for any Christian or spiritual counselor or anyone aspiring to be a counselor. The text is insightful and opens one's eyes to the cautions and dangers of using the Bible in counseling but shows that the Bible has a time and a place in counseling as well. The update to the book is a wonderful addition to the text as well.

This is an excellent and thoughtful approach to the task of integrating these three streams in the course of our various works for healing. The update keeps the basic contents of the earlier book but adds enriching reflections from the perspective of the years since its first publication. I think it is thought-provoking for any person interested in this subject, whether just beginning or with long years of experience.

Very eye-opening and inspirational. Pastoral Counsellors are partners with Jesus making people whole. It’s both challenging and exciting to be a part of the healing process.

My friend loved it !

Balanced and very real. Refreshing

This book is an excellent addition to the libraries of Christians who are attempting to live their faith and work in the field of Psychology, as a supplement to secular training or a foundation for Christian Counselling.