Christian Counseling through Discipleship

Christian Counseling through Discipleship

     As the entire country has exploded in the field of Psychology and medicating the mentally ill, there is a huge concern if this approach is the exact one that should be taken alone.  There is a growing concern of prescription drug use, which is in fact simply medicating the problem instead of completely addressing it, so that the disorder can possibly be overcome.  Could this be that God has been taken out of the equation?  In the early field of Psychology there was little focus on the spiritual healing of those that had been abused or terribly hurt by problems, or associated with things that left them incapable of facing on their own.  Still today there is little focus on the spiritual side of Psychology or the profession has little to say about Biblical truths.  In fact, they do not include spiritual healing and restoration in their practices at all in secular Psychology

         It is of great hope that through some of the information generated on three topics on the subject, a clear conclusion can be drawn that could possibly change the course of how the problems have been addressed with those that are spiritual oppressed, tormented by issues of pride, and also the sins of the ancestors that may be also affecting their lives to this day. 

     Psychology is clearly not the enemy, although the precepts have not always led to lasting
results.   There have been many breakthroughs in the development of disorders, and also
cognitive therapies to change behavior patterns.  The problems that are associated with the
outcome are that there has been little room, or attention given for using cognitive therapies,
including spiritual revelations, this had led the profession in a childlike state that cannot heal
mental illnesses.  The fruits of its work alone are not bearing the results that is needed in the dark
world today.     In order to broaden our paths of healing the broken, the definition of truth must
be defined, and there is no other answer that can ever supersede the ultimate understanding and
healing power of Jesus Christ. 

     Society has denied the roots of the problem and it has been left with only a band aid for the cure, and are neglecting the true healing source of redemption and restoration in the lives that are spiraling into a black hole of hopelessness.  Christians and the Churches can no longer afford to not confront these issues.  Christian encourages must press on to be servants in the commission that Christ has called them to be.   

       Neil Anderson addressed many of these issues in his book Discipleship Counseling,
(Anderson, Neil. T., 2003 Discipleship Counseling) Anderson presents a huge amount of
information that is being used among Christian professionals working in the Counseling
profession.  The information is very insightful and gives great hope to the encourager to engage
on some of these areas to help the growing numbers of people that are suffering.

 Helping the Spiritually Oppressed

     According to Anderson (2003), he states “When we lack the expertise and the patience, we resort to some kind of power mode to correct people or circumstances”. (p 173) Anderson raises the question in thoughts of what happens if the lights have been extinguished within the Churches?  He concludes there is great damage that follows this path.  Anderson (2003) states below:

 Pharisaic leaders in such ministries are more concerned about controlling others than about developing self-control.  They do not want to set their people free.  They want to control
 them.  Such people have never really entered into the experience of spiritual life.  They go to church and critique the message and the music.

      Dealing with spiritual bondage will draw persecution and attacks according to Armstrong (2003). Scripture is a reminder to pray for those that are persecuted or cursed.  Some of the self-righteous spirits that are in leadership positions will actually prevent those that are seeking to come to the truth as Anderson (2003) goes on to explain. (p 176).  Legalism is not spirituality.  It is a religious man made tradition, and it can create a huge amount of bondage.  Jesus greatly warned against this in Matthew Chapter 23.  He called them hypocrites that sought to close the doors of the Kingdom that prevented those that needed it the most while turning them away from the truth. (Matthew 23:13).  

  There are many concerns of the spiritually abused also, and this can also create a lack of distrust, and also lead one down a path of complete hopelessness with absolutely no faith at all.   The problems are in every aspect of the world today.  When dealing with a broken spirit it is extremely important to understand the fruits of the spirit, and how to address ourselves to them.    Men and women of God must be led by the power of the Holy Spirit.  This is what will prove our character and it is not of self-effort, but the working of the Spirit that comes through Christ.   Galatians 6:22-25 (NT) but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.   If we live by the Spirit so let us walk by the Spirit.  This gives us the instructions of how we should relate to those when we are encouraging or giving counsel to others.  Anderson stated, “Satan has gained access to people’s lives because of the openings they have given him”.   To give lasting hope to those that are dealing with spiritual oppression, there is a need to be fully prepared for spiritual warfare, and know how to put on the helmet of salvation.  This is the greatest weakness of secular Psychology because these important issues are not addressed.

      According to Diane Langberg (2011) she stated, “You see, trauma does not heal apart from
being spoken and it needs to be heard in the context of a safe relationship where the dignity of
the one who has been crushed is restored”.  (p 3) She concludes that Christian encouragers are to
go, and to patiently listen, be there is the face of the enemy, and do so in love.  Langberg (2011)
spoke no truer words when she addresses the question of “Is not this what Christ did for all”?  To
be Christ like is how love is reflected towards others, even in the very presence of evil. 
He will equip those with the power of his Holy Spirit.

 Overcoming the Issues of Pride

 Pride will always come before a huge fall according to scriptures.  Becoming obsessed with the self-mode will not make the best results in the counseling profession.  Many fail to realize that this very issue is what led to the downfall of Lucifer when he rebelled against God.  Apart from the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing.  Humans are born into pride, because of what happened in the beginning of creation, when Eve wanted to have the equality of God.   Anderson (2003) stated that “hell is where people say, “My will be done.”  Heaven is where we say, “Thy will be done.”  Do you see the exact opposite of the two?  One is totally motivated to self, and the other is governed by the Spirit of God.  So this brings the subject to motive, and why people pursue what they do.  What appears to be a helpful situation could in fact not be at all, if it is being ruled by the spirit of pride.  Anderson (2003) continues to remind others, that helping people should be clothed in kindness and humility towards others.  God is against the proud.   Those that are attended with self-absorption are blind leaders.  Jesus constantly brings to our attention the working of the Spirit.  Those that operate outside of the fruit of the spirit can be deceivers, and full of themselves, so it would be an impossible task for them to encourage others effectively.  The motive is false deception. 

      Anderson (2003) stated that “the more we are able to accomplish by the grace of God, the more susceptible we are to pride. (p 295).  It appears that Anderson is trying to warn others than even in grace, pride will come and sweep Encouragers away if they are led away in boasting, because of our good works.  The works of an Encourager are sacrificial, and they are done under the authority of the Holy Spirit, and nothing that is done in themselves.  We do these things to give glory and honor to the Lord, and not to seek our own gratifications.  It is His working power that gives those the abilities, and the gift of the Spirit to walk beside others in the healing process.  

     Others must have teachable spirits in order to grow in maturity.  Counseling is a muscle, constantly flexing and growing in the process of helping others

Overcoming Ancestral Sins

     Many people are born into dysfunctional families.  Often sins are passed down from one generation to the next according to Anderson (2003).  Anderson also states that “it is the final links of bondage that have chained them to their past”.(p 329) Anderson continues to address the occult experiences in family heritage, and how it has a great influence on what people carry around with them.   He states “Unless we make concerted efforts to do otherwise, we will perpetuate the habits, customs and traditions passed on in our families for generations.” (p 330)

     People develop habits early on, and were not necessarily taught these things.  It is a natural
reaction to pick up things from those related to others.  It can be passed down for several
generations, and many of these contracted habits can be harmful.   Anderson states that “we are
not guilty because of our parents sins.  Yet because they sinned, we are vulnerable to what they
have taught and modeled for us”.

     The Prophets in the Old Testament warned us about the sins of ancestral decent.  According to Anderson (2003) National or corporate repentance cannot happen effectively without individual repentance. (p 335)  If past sins are left to fester, they will be passed down to the next generation.  Anderson (2003) concludes that “it is because we are new creatures in Christ that we can actively choose and renounce the sins of our ancestors and stop the cycle of abuse. (p338)

 It is however not encouraged to introduce this to those in the initial process, unless the Lord brings it to their remembrance.  Encouraging others in Christ is something that should be practiced, and to put on the armor of God to fight the good fight.  Anderson (2003) concludes in his writing that Christ is our defense and we should never let the enemy set the dinner table.  In other words, not to give too much credit on the enemies behalf.  (p 339)  In helping others we want them fully protected under the care and authority of Christ, and that by the grace of God; others can be fully equipped to help break any linkage that imprisons someone because of generational sins or curses.

     According to McMaken, Bonnie (March 2011) almost every family has secret roots that are
embedded in their families.  Sometimes it can be a painful dig to get to the very root of the
problem that sprang from our ancestors.   Generational sins can be hidden very well and are often
swept under the rug to help protect younger generations.  However if the family does not possess
the proper knowledge to break destructive patterns, like addictions processes they will be passed
from one generation to the next.  The cycle of destruction can continue, and can be very
complicated to discover the root of the problem.  In this case passing through the light, and the
knowledge of truth according to God’s word it will very often expose dark secrets, or possibly
bring them into the mind of the counselee, and then they can be encouraged to walk through the
process to break free from the bondage that is keeping them imprisoned.

      In the closing argument, it should be addressed that we can walk side by side with
Psychologists in the healing processes of redemption.  As Christians we acknowledge the job is
not complete until Christ can work through the processes that surround the subject  Psychology.  While there are many great discoveries in this field, the Christian counselor fully
understands that complete healing comes from Christ alone, and not secular theories or a
prescription of drugs.  Although these things may temporarily aid the problem, it truly does not
heal and restore the broken soul, nor will it give them the hope of eternity.  It is a great hope that
these fields will come together in their research, and examine the need of spiritual revelation in
helping those through whatever Mental Illness or addiction they may be facing.  The most
important thing of all is to remember that Christ was the most wonderfully powerful Counselor
of all, and that we would strive to model His pattern while working with broken people.

 References

Anderson, Neil T. (2003) Discipleship Counseling: The complete Guide to Helping Others Walk

In Freedom and Grow in Christ. Ventura: Regal Books

Langberg, Diane, PH.D (2011) Trauma as a place of Service: A Traumatized Planet, She’s my

sister, a Bible Society initiative.

McMaken, Bonnie (Mar 7, 2011) Do Our Parents’ Sins Affect Us? Finding healing from

generational hurts and hang-ups.

"Mental Illness and addiction in the Prison System"

You may not realize that 80 percent of the people that are incarcerated today are under the influence of substance abuse.  This not only affects the lives of those that are in prison, but many children that are victimized by this, and faced with a great deal of hardship and loss.  Many families are completely split and some never recover.  Children are also very vunerable to the system as well, because there is very little help for these that did not commit the crimes but they too, wear the numbers on there backs through the entire process.  The point of this blog is to say, we have a horrible problem that is only getting greater.  I think it is time to come up with more solution

instead of taking tax dollars to build more prisons.

  In the last year they have also laid off many chaplains that are closely associated to those that are incarcerated.  I do not believe the solution is going to get better by merely building more prisons.  It is much less expensive to help rehabilitate than to house.  Also the war on drugs is causing greater sentencing than those of pedifils which are let out and repeatly reoffend.  It is hard to understand how violent people are set free and non violent drug offenders are kept 3 times longer. 

          There is a growing concern about the prison systems and the mentally ill.   Large numbers of people with mental health disorders are filling the prison systems.  According to the Human Watch statement for the record to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Human Rights and the law it is clearly documented that prisons were never a place for the mentally ill, however; that is exactly what it has become.  There are many people in the communities that cannot get the proper mental health care that they need, and they fall into the cracks of the judicial system.

      There are Mental Health courts that are set up in different areas of the country that  bring this into the judicial system to plead with the courts on the cases of the mentally ill that are being convicted of crimes, or that are currently serving charges in the prison systems.  According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Mental Health Courts provide a number of services to those that have been diagnosed with Mental Illness.  They address to the courts, the mental health issues of offenders and those that are mentally disabled.  They try to access the circumstances of the offender and provide resources, life skills, mental health care plans and also consider relapse from substance abuse to keep from occurring by providing these services to keep the mentally ill from becoming a revolving door into the prison systems.  The Bureau of Justice Assistance further concluded that The Mental Health courts also try to establish continuing supervision and long term treatment long after the probation or parole has ended.  These courts deal with nonviolent offenders who have clearly   been diagnosed with a mental disorder or suffer from substance abuse.

According to (Judge Charlotte Cooksey), the mentally ill spend needless amounts of time in

jail, and they do not have the proper care for their mental health problems.  After the offender is

released and enter back into society, he or she will normally be recycled back into the system,

and it continues to repeat it’s self throughout the life of the accused offender.  This is not a

service to community, and tax payers are paying extreme amounts while the offender continues

to have the same pattern of problems and risks of reentering  back into the prisons systems.

      The Mental Health Court is a team of professionals that are specialized in the field of Mental Illness, and also law.   The goal of the Mental Health Court according to (Cooksey), is to improve outcomes for this special population, including the mentally ill and those that are suffering from substance abuse while increasing public safety.  The court strives to cut downthe rate of offenders that commit petty crimes due to their mental illness and also suffer from drug addictions.  The outcome is to provide the needed services and networks of community support to help the offender lead a more sustainable life, and to break away from the revolving door of the judicial system.

According to (Maiken, Scott), if we can give these mental ill offenders the resources that are

needed in order for them to succeed, there are great opportunities to give this population hope

that one day they can be productive citizens.   Many of these included in the mental health

population are homeless, and because of there need to survive they have used the prison systems

to be able to exist.  In this group of offenders they have not been able to effectively work through

the system that is currently provided and giving them the needed resources can certainly provide

them with a greater opportunity to take the next step forward.   There are housing concerns,

needed psychiatric treatment, and many of them need help and assistance in finding jobs

according to (Maiken).  He also further concluded, Mental Health courts and drug courts are

similar in nature with addicts, and they are succeeding in the efforts to prevent reentry back into

the judicial system.  There are still many problems ahead because incarceration will never be a

right solution for those that are mentally impaired according to (Wagner, Peter).

       Prisons are very expensive and they are less effective than mental health treatment, and the sad tragedy according to (Wagner), is that state governments are cutting mental health budgets in order to build more facilities to hold offenders.  The budget is to build more prisons and to provide less mental health care.  This definitely raises a huge concern.  (Wagner) further concluded his regards of destroying the mental health system, and at the same level resorting  to raising criminal charges and incarceration to the population of mentally ill.  (Wagner) noted, “Rikers Island is the largest Psychiatric facility in the country”.  The statistics show approximately 16 percent of the prison population is mentally ill.  The most shocking numbers are those that are suffering a form of chemical dependency and this is 80 percent of the prison population.  Many are facing dual disorders, mental health issues as well as chemical dependency.  The numbers appear to be skeptical according to (Wagner) because these are only the ones that have been diagnosed or treated and many of the others are swept under the rug, or never addressed. 

(Wagner) further states, “Prison is harm and not a treatment”.   When the mentally ill are

imprisoned without the proper mental health treatment according to (Barr, Heather) in Wagner’s

Research article she concluded, that this population are the ones that fall victim and remain

isolated.  When the rules become distorted and difficult for the mentally challenged to follow

they fall into the pit of segregation; being locked away 24 hours a day.  (Barr) concluded her

statements further, bringing attention and addressing it with this statement.  “This is a problem of

services, not a legal problem.  Alternatives to incarceration are needed”, implemented from(Wagner’s) final closing statement.

      From the research that I have compiled, there is a huge need for mental health care of the mentally ill, and those suffering from substance abuse in the prison systems.   The problems I have noticed, is the funding for these programs are being slashed and the problems are increasing more every year.  Prisons are no answer for the population suffering from mental health disorders.  Many of these offenders are unable to get help and then paroled out and continue to return. In my conclusion in the review of the Human Rights Watch Statement on Human Rights and the Law, Mental health treatment can help and possibly save offenders lives and also prevent suicidal measures.  The statement reported that 22 states out of forty correctional centers reported that they did not have the adequate number of mental health staff to deter the problems they faced.

      From the observations of the research, we have yet to scratch the surface, and we definitely need to provide these mental health services in the prison systems.  By disallowing treatmentwe are robbing a society of hope, along with the families of those that are suffering as well, and unfortunately many of them are children.  To change these circumstances it will begin from the local level in my opinion, and to elect the officials that will support the mental health issues we are facing around the country.   Prison time is hard for a person that is mentally stable, but for someone that has a mental disorder it can further impair there thinking, and without healthy resources they are sure to return back to a system that have become entangled into with no real coping skills of returning into society.

      I do not see an end in sight to this problem until it is properly addressed and implemented, so the recycling process can be reduced, and people can be given the mental health care they rightfully deserve.  Mentally ill, and those suffering from addictions are not criminals; they are broken individuals with serious mental health concerns, and resources for this population are desperately needed, and I do not see how this could be denied or ignored.  It is my hope that more advocacy will bring this growing problem to the National level and funding will be granted to give hope to those that cannot help themselves.  In my own personal view, I see this population as the least of these, and I firmly believe if this part of the prison population is not given the proper mental health care, it will further grow and erode our entire society. 

     I have seen children's lives destroyed, or also turned to the judicial system after one of there parents has been incarcerated.  They to become a statistic.  I am not taking away the accountablity from the wrongs of what one does.  There are consequences we all must learn from;however, this problem is not disolving, but growing in huge magnitude.  The attack is always on the future seed, the children.  I seriously must question something of great importance to this generation.  Where are the spiritual leaders of today?  This is not isolated problem.  It is not totally the responcibility that should fall upon the government, but upon the house of God to reach out on this issue that is totally eroding the next generation of the young. 

      Many of these mentally ill that are incarcerated, or those suffering from addiction problems are spiritually broken, and many families can be brought back together if these problems were addressed.  Many children are falling into the system of foster care and suffering more abuse.  Where there is no hope, the people perish.  It seems that the spiritual leaders of our country would care more about these things that building the walls of their palaces that will one day rot and leave nothing but a stack of stubble.  Something to consider, and there are people that can make a difference if they wanted to truly open there eyes.  Our churches are blinded in many ways of self and binding up their people in a building to have there ears tickled, and go home, and it bring about very little change.  We have problems here at home and this is affected at every local level.

      I pray more will give thought to this, and pray that the Lord might use your professional experiences, or the compassion you might feel to make a difference.  I pray that Churches and clergy would no longer sweep this problem under the rug.  80 percent of the prison population.  The numbers enough tell there own story.  The number of children is staggering.  Over 50 percent of these children are also entering into the prison population.  This should raise enough concern to fuel God's people to act of this alone.  Solemn prayers that outreach will here the cries of these children, and awareness to make some type of difference for them.

References:

(Bureau of Justice Assistance), Mental Health Courts Program

     http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/mentalhealth.html

Cooksey, Charlotte, Mental Health Programs

     http://www.courts.state.md.us/district/archive/mental%20health.pdf

Human Rights Watch (Sept 2009), Mental Illness, Human Rights, and US Prisons

     http://www.hrw.org

Maiken, Scott (May 2010), Mental Health Courts offers new beginning.

    

Wagner, Peter (April 2000), Prison Policy Initiative, Incarceration is not a solution to mental illness.