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1. I appreciate Tan’s reminder that Christian counsellor’s should continually allow themselves to be filled anew with the Holy Spirit. True relationship with the Holy Spirit will bear fruit in the counsellor’s life eg. gifts of wisdom, exhortation, discernment and many more (a reminder that the counsellor has the aid of God available in every counselling setting). The Holy Spirit can lead the counsellor in all truth according to the Word of God so that counselling given is aligned with the Bible and does not contradict anything God says. It is interesting to not, once again, that the Holy Spirit’s power and God’s truth should be two sides of the same coin and work together in unity to bring renewal and revival in individual’s lives.
2. Again, I appreciate Tan’s reminder that Christian counsellors should constantly be training their hearts to yield to the Spirit’s power, cleansing and guidance in their own lives and not to quench or grieve the Spirit through continual sin or resisting the Word of God and truth. I also like the challenge and encouragement of viewing the gifts of the Spirit not merely as gifts, but as ministries. This removes the focus from merely seeking the gift and allowing God to use the gift through your life. As a Christian counsellor, one of our main objectives should always be to point people to Christ as the ultimate source of life and healing. The Holy Spirit aids this process in bringing true hope and a true sense of a spiritual self to clients choosing to put their hope in Christ. It is wonderful that agape love and true empathy through the Spirit from counsellor to client through the work of the Holy Spirit can bring so much healing.
1. Firstly, it is important to be available to children as children will often share with those they have a relationship with and that seem available when help is needed. This would include checking in on children’s ministry, camps or activities where children are involved and having conversations with them informally. Once entering a more formal counselling agreement, the counsellor should create a safe place where children are able to share without judgement and where a responsible, loving adult can help guide them towards the future, decisions etc. One example would be in grieving, to help children come to terms with the finality of death and allowing grieving to take place.
2. Play is such an important part of a child’s life and can be a useful tool in helping children to express their feelings in a non-pressured way. This also helps to build relationship between the counsellor and the child. Art is another way for children to express their emotions, desires, hopes and dreams. The counsellor can gain insight by asking children to explain their picture after drawing. Bible storytelling is another effective tool. Valuable insights and lessons can be learned from the lives of Bible characters that children can apply to their own lives. Written words eg. letters written to people that have hurt the child or a form of a diary entry can be powerful in helping the child express what is currently in their heart.
