an ~ blank sheet of paper ~iease ~rlt@ c~e rollovinl:

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.,_. ',.ihien .1re3S do you :e~1 c'':Jncernea .lbout :::e .11OSt..: _

4.. t."hicn areas are Itardesc to 'Jnderscand:'

5. In whicn areas do you have e~e teast amount of help?

6. In which areas has i e been hardes c co see God working?

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i. !n '.."hic~ areas is it hardest :0 sense ~11 :~c is involved?

8. In your original lis~ Eor question 1. indicate che area enat overall
concerns you ehe mose '.•i en a "1.'~ Rank ehe other items '""itn numbers wien
areas of !Doseconcern closer cd "1."
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 DOverview of AsseSSlllent Method
In Section 2, '''Assessment Tools: Where to Start," assessment worksheets are provided. You
may use the worksheets as a counselor in ass~the counselee and/or you can give the worksheet to
the counselee to use in personal self-evaluatlcm. In tither case, you can keep copies of the completed
worksheets as part of your record ofcoUI1~ndividual, family and/or couple. To use the
worksheets, you can copy them. If there is an mtroductory title or paragraph(s) that mayor may not
go with the worksheet(s), you can block them "outwhen copying .

• Assessment by Area
The assessment worksheets correspon9 with the areas presented in the counseling methOdology
in Section 1. The areas were spirit, emotions, !thinking, behavior and contexT. Different areas of
context have seperate worksheets as well.
The following is a General Asgesgme~tWorksheet which helps determine which area to
initially emphasize in counseling. The counse,lloris looking for the area given the most attention by the
coundee. The area covered by the worksheet: is to the left of the worksheet.
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I General4-ssessment Worksheetl
Area :1

General List five major concerns to you:

Emotions 'Which concerns do you feel are the most difficult'?

Thinking Which concerns do you not understand?

Behavior \-Vhich concerns are the hardest to change?

Context In which concerns do you have the least amount of support from others?

Spirit In which concerns is it hardest to sense God working?

General Which area of concern is the most important to you now?

.0 ASSeSSlllent of Spiritual Areas
Spirit Area Profile
Use the left-hand, "Current Inventory," column to identify the current aetvities and conditions of the
counselee in the area of the spirit. The rating is fr9m +5 to -5, indicating the the leveloffrequency and
quality of that activity. Also, there is room for extra comments with each activity and a general comment
section at the bottom~ of the Profile. Usethe righi-hand, "Counseling Approaches,"
column to describe counseling and rate the even~ outcome of counseling and degree of change.

Current Inventory "

Counseling Approach
'1

Area Rating (+5 to -p) Rating (+5 to -5)

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Salvation ii

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Sanctifica tio n ;j
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Holy Spirit Baptism
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Prayer
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\Vorship
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Church
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Discipleship
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Scripture
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Fellowship
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Sin
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Faith
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Conscience
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Reflection
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Personal Devotions
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Other:
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";."

D Counseling th~ Spirit

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• You may not mention concerns apout spirituality first.
You may not mention God at the begirking of a counseling session or at all during a counsel-
ing session. Other topics may draw the attenti~n of the counselee. There may be other concerns that
press in on the counselee such as an overwhelming sense of grief. The counselor can remain centered
upon God in the counseling process even thoJgh God may not be mentioned.

• Know the Counselee's Experience with God

Probe the person's experience with God. You may pick up indications of their level of experi-
ence through conversation. You may use direct question and answer. You may ask them to write
down the nature of their spiritual experience. Knowledge of their spirituality is as vital as knowing
about any other area of the counseling profile of the counselee.

Is the person saved?

Is the person sanctified?
Is the person Baptized in the Holy Spirit?

• Try to determine whether the person is concerned about spiritual tllings.

Though the person may not be saved: or the person may in fact be saved, it is important to be
aware of the individual's current concern for spiritual things. The person more "spiritualize" matters,
making them ultra-spiritual, not matching reality. The individual may express little concern about
spirirutal concerns, seeing little connection between what is being experienced and spiritual matters .

• Provide a context in which the individual is aware of the presence of God.

Discuss with the person that spiritual realities are real and do impact what the person is going
through. Whether the person may realize the impact of spiritual concerns, from your perspective as a
counselor, you are convinced of the importance of spiritual concerns. As a result, you provide a
model of spirituality for the other person. That modeling makes the person aware of the importance
of spimtl things and especially the reality of the presence of God. You as a counselor may even
indicate to the person that is present in the counseling session. References to the presence of God do
not need to describe God. You may express what you feel God is doing in the midst of the counseling
session. However, reference to the mere presence of God is a powerful catalyst in itselfto making the
person aware of the spiritual dimension in the counseling process.

Two questions that raise awareness

,
of the dimension of the spirit:

What appears to be the center of the person's life?

What appears to be the source of the person's life?

In what wa~'smight 3"00 as." the person these questions in counseling?

 o Assessment of Contextual Areas
Contextual Area Profile I
Use the left-hand, "Current Inventory, "to record contextual are:lS important for the counselee,
e.g., people, institutions. circumstances. time. age. health. fitness. etc. Rate the positive or nega-
tive impact of the context relative to the counselee's ability to solve the problem(s) brought to counsel-
ing. The rating is from +5 to -5, indicating positive (+5) and negative (-5). Use the right-hand,
"Counseling A.pproaches," column to describe and rate counseling responses to contextual..concerns.
I
I
Current Inventory Counseling Approach
Context Rating (+5 to -5) Rating (+5 to -5)
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 DCounseling About Context
DCounseling Relationships
• Counselees live in a system of relationships
Church Work Friends Government

Family
\/
Counselee -------- School

Neighbors
~/~ Debtors Marketplace Entertainment

• Placing God at the center of the system

Much of the work of God-centered counseling is to help the counselee place God at the center
of relationships and one's living context. Three factors are critical in placing God at the center of the
system: Affections,Priorities and Commitments. Whatever or whoever receives the largest amount
of these three factors in a person's life, indicates the center of the individual's system ofliving.
Realtionship facators reflect the areas of emotions (affections), thinking (priorities) and behavior
(commitment). The God-centered counselor assists the counselee in placing God at the center through
the three factors. The process is illustrated as follows:

::::h~ -.
7~:Co:::lnment
God~

self~/\~
Neighbors Debtors Marketplace Entertainment

• The family is a primary relationship context

Effective counseling takes into account the condition of the counselee's family history of
relationships. The family, whether absent, dysfunctional or ideal, is the primary factor in personal and
relational development. The family should be incorporated into the solution of the problem as much
as possible. The family has some degree of influence in the formation of the problem and has a
significant role in the development of the solution.

What is the family history and it's impact on the person I am counseling?

Family members:

Current condition of famiiy reiationships:

 Counseling Developntent Issues
Individuals are at certain levels of development when they are being counseled. Some of that
d~velopment is relative to age and the stage oflife the person may be in. Life development stages
h fi 11owmgtas k san d transItIOns:
include someo f teo
Sta1!e Task/Transition ..
Infancy Establishing trust with parents, interaction with environment
Toddler Learning to respect limits, determining and communicating basic
needs, learning healthy dependency, need for presence of both parents
Preschool Developing ability to think in relationship to environment, learning and
developing language skills, interacting significantly with siblings
Elementary School Social development with peers, respecting authority, learning discipline
Adolescence Acquiring sense of identity, establishing roles in relationship to society,
. accepting changes in body features, developing intellectual skills
Young Adulthood Finding a spouse, learning to live with spouse, raising children,
managing a home, starting an occupation, responsibilities in society
Middle Adulthood Relating to one's spouse, helping growing children, making an adequate
income, community leadership, adjusting to physical decline, adjusting
to aging parents
Later Adulthood Adjusting to aging and death of spouse, establishing satisfactory
retirement conditions, accepting identity as aging individual, adjusting
.:.. ..... to declinein health

Determine the development level/tasks

Part of the task of counseling is to determine which developmental tasks the counselee mayor
may not have accomplished. Even though the counselee may be older or younger than the above chart
may indicate, the individual may still have some earlier developmental tasks unfinished or may be
working on some developmental tasks early. Whether the counselee is working on certain tasks and
transitions early or late is not as significant as the fact that the person work on them. Progress and
effective functioning as an individual is more dependent upon th~ ability to be aware that one is work-
ing on certain tasks and that the completion of tasks are prepatory for more effective transition into the
next stage of development.
What developmental tasks is my counselee working on?
 D AssesslDent of Emotion Areas
Emotion Area Profile
Use the left -hand, "Current Inventory," to record terms the counseleeusesthatmdicate and identify
emotions. Remember, use the terms used by the counselee. Rate thepositive ornegative quality of the
emotion carried with the terms relative to the counselee's ability to solve theproblem( s) brought to counsel-
mg. Theratmgisfrom+5 to -5, mdicatillgpositive(+5) andnegative( -5). Use the right-hand, "Counseling
Approaches," column foruses of the terms m counseling.

Current Inventory Counseling Approach

Terms Rating (+5 to -5) Rating (+5 to -5)
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 o Counseling thelEmotions
• Determine the ter~s and phrases the person
uses to express ~motions.
Example of Terms and Phr~sesUsed to Express Emotions
Emotion TermlPtirase
Anger "That ma~es me so upset"
Confusion "It left m~ all mixed up"
Love "I really care for that person"
Joy "It really ~ade me feel good"
Sorrow "I felt it right here in my gut"

• Use the same expressions that they use

When you miss the emotion the counselee is trying to show you:
If the counselee sa s... And ou sa ...
"That makes me upset" "You're really mad aren't you"
"It left me all mixed up" "You just couldn't figure it out"
"I really care for that person" "Gh, you're in love"
"It really made me feel good" "You have joy in your heart"
"I felt it ri ht here in m t" "You're overwhelmed with sorrows"
Your expressions are of your own emotions and interpretations of the counselee's emotions. If
you want to focus on the actual emotions of the counselee, use the terms used by the counselee to
express emotions. If the counselor continues to just express personal emotions and not use terms of
the counselee, it is like they are in two different rooms emotionally .

• Affirm the emotions of the counselee

Create an environment during counseling in which a person will feel free to express what he or
she is actually feeling. Listening is more important than categorizing or commenting on feelings.
Feelings flow from experience and are inhibited by too much analysis and judgment. Analysis is
important but there are times in the counseling process when it is more important to listen and allow
the person to express and feel certain emotions. Blocking of emotions will inhibit other areas of the
counseling process to be explored .

• Accurate ownership of emotions

Ownership of emotions is with the person experiencing them. No one forces me to feel a
certain way. I am responsible for what I do with my emotions. Emotions are not put on me by others.
Emotions are the result of my own processing and perception of relationships. Some statements
people make to blame others for their own emotions:
"You make me so upset"
"If you would just leave me alone I would feel better"
"You hurt me"
"You drag me down"
"My spouse won't let me express the way I really feel"
"That person makes me afraid"
DAssessment of Areas of Thinking
Feeling- Thinking-Acting Profile

26
 D Counseling the Mind
Thinking is a very important link between emotions and behavior. When a person does not
think before doing, emotions have become the basis for behavior. In actuality, thinking is always
between emotions and behavioral responses. The problem is not so much the lack of thinking as the
kind of thinking that is going on. Thinking is the filter between emotional experience and the behav-
ioral response. The counseling process can assist a person in making adjustments in thinking and
interpretaions of experiences and emotions. The three-part proces can be illustrated by the following:

Emotions Thinking Behavior

I feel certain emotions I insert a certain I act on the

interpretation basis of my thinking

• Emotions do not determine actions

The counselee would like to believe that the following pattern is true:

Emotion/Experience
No one said, "Hi"
I received a bad grade
My boss corrected me
My spouse interrupted me
I don't like being here
ActionlResponse
No one likes me, I don't like them
I'm a failure, I'll never pass school
I'm !wing to be fired, I better quit
I'mbeing controlled, I better fight back
This isn't a good service, I'm leaving

The reality is that there is a mental filter causing the actionJreponse. Actions are more the
result of the mental filter than pure emotions and experience. The more accurate pattern is:

Emotion/Experience Action /Response

No one said, "Hi"
I received a bad grade
My boss corrected me
My spouse interrupted me
I don't like bemg here
One negative detail
dominates my viewpoint
Exaggeratingthe effect
of an incident
Persona lZlng events
Discounting the positive
Se.lfhas to be pleased
No one likes me, I don't
like them
I'm a failure, I'll never
pass school
I'm gomg to e hred, I
better quit
I'm being controlled, I
better fight back
This isn't a good service,
I'm leaving

• What filters do your counselees use?

EmotionslExperience "MentalFilter ActionlResp~1
 D Assessment of:BehavioraI Areas
Behavioral Area Profile
II
Use the left-hand, "Current Inventory, '~to record tenns and actions that identify behaviors
important for counseling. Rate the positive or negative quality of the behavior relative to the impact
II
the behavior has on the counselee. The rating 'is from +5 to -5, indicating positive (+5) and negative (-
5). Use the right-hand, "Counseling ApproacHes," colurrm to indicate the behavioral change needed
for effectiveness and rate the degree of actual change +5 to -5.

Current Inventory Counseling Approach

Behavior Rating (+5 to -5) Rating (+5 to -5)
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 DCounseling About Behavior
• Behavior as conditipning toward responses
Many times people act the way they do blcause of the reponse or reward they receive as a
result of their actions. The response to an actionllmay be positive of negative. The response may be
painful or pleasureable. The type of response redeived as a result of the action has much to do with
whether the person will repeat the behavior. The1lpattern is as follows:

I Action RewardlResponse I
• Behavioral change requiresintervention
For a change in behavior to occur several factors need to be added to the process of action and
response. The actions of the individual must be identified. Modeling of new behavior must be
modelded because the counselee may literally not know how to act in a different way. The action of
God must viewed as instructive for the counselee, teaching the person how to act according to the
ways of God. Finally, the reward and result of the action must be monitored so that there is a godly
reward and outcome as a result of the behavior. The pattern for change is as follows:

Action Actions J\tlodeling Action of God Godly Reward

Identified

• An example of beh,vioral change process.

,

Action The coun!~eleeyells at members of the family

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Action Identfied Certain ~ords that are used are identified

The words are used when certain topics are discussed
The counselee admits to being angry when yelling

Modeling The counselor provides other words to use

The counselor identifies other emotions besides anger
The counselor demonstrates how to talk, what to say
and how to monitor emotions in conversation

Action of God The patience of the Lord in Scripture is reviewed

God is seen as being patient during the conversation

Godly Result Peace and love are felt as more appropriate words
are used and emotions are brought under
control