The Lay Counselor

The Lay Counselor

By Rueben A. Hubbard

Copyright 1986 Reuben A. Hubbard

Smashwords Edition

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Dedicated to my wife Ramona

The Lay Counselor

Dr. Reuben Hubbard

Table of Contents

1: A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE OF COUNSELING

2: THE WORK OF THE LAY COUNSELOR

3: OVERVIEW OF COUNSELING METHODS

4: THE THREE STEPS IN THE COUNSELING PROCESS

5: STEP ONE OF THE COUNSELING PROCESS

6: STEP TWO OF THE COUNSELING PROCESS

7: STEP THREE OF THE COUNSELING PROCESS

8: SELF-KNOWLEDGE THROUGH SELF-OBSERVATION

9: ANTECEDENTS, BEHAVIORS, AND CONSEQUENCES

10: TERMINATION AND PERMANENCE

11: CHARACTERISTICS OF A BEHAVIORALLY SOUND PROGRAM

12: CASE STUDIES IN LAY COUNSELING

13: VERBATIMS IN LAY COUNSELING

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Other books by Rueben Hubbard

A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE OF COUNSELING

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make then lie down, says the Lord GOD, I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice, [Ezekiel 34:15, 16].

Pastoral care is a corporate responsibility of the congregation, not the exclusive domain of the pastor. The Apostle Paul instructed, Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ, [Galatians 6:2]. James advised, Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed, [James 5:16]. This requires the training of laity in the counseling skills.

Jesus’ Threefold Ministry is described in Matthew 9:34: and Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. He ministered to the people’s physical needs with healing, to their mental (emotional) needs with teaching and to their spiritual needs with preaching. He provided the model for the ministry of the church. Laity are to be trained so that they too may participate in the Threefold Ministry of Jesus.

The Case of the Prophet Elijah

The Threefold Ministry of Jesus is illustrated in God’s ministry to Elijah when the prophet suffered from deep depression. Our story begins with Elijah announcing to Ahab that there would not be any rain in the land except at Elijah’s word [1 Kings 17:1]. Then Elijah made a strategic retreat, taking the spigot of heaven with him. At the next encounter between Elijah and Ahab, Ahab poses the question, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? Elijah’s response: I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim, [1 Kings 18:17, 18]. Elijah then challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mt. Carmel.

With biting sarcasm he taunted the prophets of Baal; then, in a dramatic display of power, he did what they had been unable to do, he called fire down from God out of heaven. The people shouted, The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God, [1 Kings 18:39]. It was a mighty day and Elijah had displayed faith unparalleled to that time. Then Elijah slew all nine-hundred fifty of Jezebel’s prophets [1 Kings 18:40]. He was so wound up that he outran Ahab’s chariot all the way from Carmel to Jezreel. Elijah was riding on a high.

But this mighty display of faith and power exacted a toll from Elijah. When Jezebel sent word that she intended to kill him, Elijah, the mighty warrior of the LORD, ran like a scared rabbit [1 Kings 19:1, 2]. Finally dropping exhausted underneath a juniper tree he requested for himself that he might die, [1 Kings 19:4]. He didn’t really mean this, for all that he would have had to do was stay where he was and Jezebel would gladly have obliged him. But depression left Elijah physically, emotionally and spiritually drained.

Let’s imagine that Elijah lived today, and instead of sitting under the juniper tree, he had gone to see his physician. How would the medical doctor have dealt with Elijah? He would have listened to him, then probably have written a prescription. Take a few days off, we hear the good doctor saying in our imagination. Go over to the coast. A good rest will do you good. You’ll come back a new man. If, instead of seeing a physician, Elijah would have consulted a psychiatrist, the interview may have gone like this: the psychiatrist would have taken more time to explore the problem. He would have diagnosed Elijah as suffering from deep depression and visions of grandeur. When he stated that he was the only one left in Israel still serving the true God, the doctor would note that Elijah seemed to have trouble thinking straight. He also demonstrated paranoia, They seek my life, to take it away. His diagnoses: Elijah was suffering from an emotional problem. He would suggest that Elijah get in touch with his feelings, and examine his fears.

But suppose that instead of the psychiatrist, Elijah had made an appointment to see his minister. The clergyman would immediately diagnose Elijah’s problem as spiritual. Elijah, you lost God somewhere between the mountain and the juniper tree. The parson would probably read a text, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Then the two men would kneel and pray together. The question is, which of the three men really ministered to Elijah’s need - the physician, psychiatrist or minister? Or did all of them and none of them? Put another way, was Elijah’s problem physical, emotional or spiritual? The answer is yes! When God ministered to Elijah he ministered physically, mentally and spiritually. Let’s peak at how God ministered to Elijah as recorded in 1 Kings 19.

First God took care of Elijah’s physical needs by making him sleep and then feeding him. God made him sleep a second time then served a second meal [verses 5-8]. This built up Elijah’s physical reserves. Three times Elijah poured out the vomit of his soul. God patiently listened without rebuke and without judgment even though Elijah sounded like a broken record: I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I even I only, am left and they seek my life to take it away, [Verses 9, 10, 13, 14. See also verse 4]. God lent Elijah the emotional support he needed. Then Elijah was prepared for spiritual ministry.

Still God ministered gently to His prophet. God did not come to Elijah in a strong and mighty wind. Neither did he come in an earthquake, nor fire, but in a still small voice, [verse 12]. The ORD God did not rebuke His servant for his lack of faith or his weakness, but instead assured him that he was not alone: I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. He told His servant that he still had a work to do and quietly instructed him on what he should do [verses 15-18]. Elijah returned to his work with a new vigor and a new appreciation for God’s loving care, and God translated him.

When God ministered to Elijah He ministered to Elijah: body, soul and spirit (physically with healing, mentally with emotional support, spiritually with assurance). When Christ ministered He ministered body, soul and spirit (healing, teaching and preaching). How do we minister today? Our ministry has been departmentalized. To make man whole we send his body to the hospital or clinic for healing, his mind to the church school or college for teaching, and his spirit to the church so that we can preach at it! All of this to make man whole. What the church needs is a complete ministry that ministers to the whole man, not a fragmented ministry, or a departmentalized ministry, nor a specialized ministry, but a complete ministry.

The trained lay paraprofessional counselor is the best equipped person in the congregation to provide this complete ministry, patterned after the ministry of Christ. The lay counselor is prepared to bear the burdens of other members of the congregation. The lay counselor is vital to the spiritual health of the congregation. This same lay counselor can minister to the physical and emotional needs, not only of the congregation, but also of those the church is trying to win to Christ. The church needs a large core of its members trained in the counseling skills to minister to those who have personal and family problems, to the aging, the ill, chronically ill, the homebound.

The church also needs trained lay counselors to minister to those who participate in the myriad of health programs the church sponsors.

Lay Counselors and Ministry to the Sick

Physical, emotional and spiritual healing all require the presence and power of God. God promises, I am the LORD, your healer [Exodus 15:26]. This is the power by which Jesus healed [Luke 5:17]. The principle characteristics of God’s healing power are love, compassion, and faith [Matthew 14:14]. Jesus said, I have made a man every whit whole... [Mark 6:56]. Wholeness encompasses the total restoration of man’s physical, mental (or psychological) and spiritual powers.

Healing and forgiveness are treated together in Scripture [Psalm 103:2, 3; James 5:14-16]. Some human behaviors are called sin: sins of commission, things which we do which we should not do, and sins of omission, behaviors we should have done but failed to do. Some sins (behaviors) result in sickness. One example is adultery. Sexually transmitted diseases are becoming more common. Sickness related to behavior is also obvious when toxic chemicals such as alcohol and nicotine are used. Man is responsible for his behavior. When a person overeats, that person gets fat, develops high blood pressure and has a stroke. He is more responsible for such an illness than someone who did not abuse his or her body through irresponsible overeating.

A third of the references to salvation in the New Testament are to restore functions of the body, mind, and spirit. The Hebrew word shalem can be translated, healthy and whole. It is a cognate of shalom, peace. The Greek word sozo, I save, also means to make whole from a disease, and soter means both savior and healer. Our healing ministry involves more than mere body repair work. It is a restoration to a full life of harmonious relationship with Jesus Christ. While we cannot expect the people we serve to return to a youthful state of health after a lifetime of indulgence, whole healing strives for as complete a physical functioning as possible, and, most important of all, a restored relationship with God.

Life-style and values are important in Judeo-Christian healing together with the proper use of the will [Mark 5:19, 20; John 5:6]. When Jesus healed He did several things: He changed the life-style of those He healed; He removed self as the center of life and gave those whom He healed a mission greater than themselves: a meaningful task of helpfulness. The power of our healing ministry is the healing presence of Christ [Matthew 1:2].

Emotions affect the state of the body. The psychosomatic disorders commonly encountered are stomach ulcers, migraine headaches, backaches, myocardial infarctions (a form of heart attack) and angina. Patients experience deep emotional trauma while physically ill. Whole healing must address the social dimension as well as the physical and psychological. Shepherding has potential for a compassionate ministry and also contributes to cost-containment.

Because human beings are also spiritual beings, wholism includes the spiritual aspect of man’s needs. Spiritual ministry recognizes man’s desire to relate to God, the meaning of life in the Judeo-Christian sense, values and morality, lifestyle and future destiny. The basic need in healing and in prevention of illness is a personal relationship with God.

Whole healing in a Judeo-Christian context will help the individual discover new resources he/she can use to master life’s stresses. One resource may be the reordering of his/her value system. Decisions about diet, exercise, alcoholic beverages and smoking are of critical importance in wholistic healing. To ward off disease or recover health, men, as a rule, find it easier to depend on physicians than to attempt the more difficult task of living wisely. Our life-style is killing many of us, as well as those around us.

When physical healing cannot be our goal, eternal life should be. Comfort must be given to patients and family. This is how we participate today in the spirit of Christ’s healing ministry. We too preach, teach and heal. We use the gifts of the Holy Spirit as listed by Paul: utterance of wisdom, utterance of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, et cetera. In all of church history we see the healing/shepherding activities. We can minister in a manner that is consistent with our spiritual mission and cooperative with other medical efforts.

Matthew 25: Theological Basis for Lay Training

Usually when we think of spiritual gifts we think of Paul. Paul developed the idea into a Christian doctrine. But Jesus laid the theological foundation for spiritual gifts in Matthew 25. In Matthew 25 there are three parables: the parable of the ten virgins, the parable of the servants, and the parable of the sheep and goats. In each parable only one small difference separates the saved from the lost. Each parable intensifies the description of