The Relationship of Christian Faith to Institutional Purpose: A view from Counselor Education

Shirley Huffman

As a participant in a discussion group that explored the book, Quality with Soul: How Six Premier Colleges and Universities Keep Faith with Their Religious Traditions (Benne, 2001), I am challenged to consider how Christian faith is related to the purpose of Lenoir-Rhyne College. Specifically, how does my program, Counselor Education, approach the issue of integrating Christian faith into the counseling program?

Several prominent factors contribute to Christianity and the counseling profession having an uneasy relationship, if not a disdain, for one another. Historically, the belief systems and practices associated with Christianity enjoyed little popularity in the intellectual circles that gave birth to most theories in counseling (Burke, Hackney, Hudson, Miranti, Watts, & Epp, 1999). Constructs such as the nature of humanity, mental illness, wellness, and spirituality, were formulated primarily from a secular perspective.

Two other factors that contribute to the uneasiness between counseling and Christianity are Postmodern constructivism and the diversity among counseling professionals. Constructivism, a prominent theory in counseling, posits that there is no fixed truth: Individuals construct their own reality or truth (Sharf, 2001). Counselors from diverse lifestyles and belief systems find safety in a discipline that embraces a founding tenet of unconditional positive regard for all. There is wariness toward a religion of absolute truths that is often depicted as drawing a circle around itself and ascribing a condition of “less than” to those without.

Christian reality can be quite different from secular versions. The very founding assumptions of counseling theories, such as the nature of humanity, are profoundly different from Christian assumptions. There are many questions that must be discussed if a secular program intends to be more explicit with its integration of faith and learning. Consider the following: Exactly how would integration of Christian theology change a secular program? How much Christian theology will students tolerate if they have perceived the program to be secular? How much should they have to tolerate if the program has not marketed itself as a Christian counseling program? When should a secular program consider identifying itself as a Christian counseling program? The literature of our profession offers little guidance, as we wrestle with these and other questions.

Studies suggest that religion and spirituality, even defined in the broadest sense, receive modest attention in counselor education programs (Burke et al., 1999). However, there are a few outstanding exceptions such as the Christian counseling programs offered by Fuller, established in 1965, Rosemead in 1970, and Psychological Studies Institute (PSI) in 1971. They are beacons of success, demonstrating how to integrate Christian faith and counseling practice.

The counseling program here at Lenoir-Rhyne has always had a strong implicit spiritual component. Yet, our program is fundamentally secular. Our desire is to instill the program with more explicit Christian perspective. Use of The Career Counselor’s Handbook (Figler & Bolles, 1999) as one of the required texts for the Life and Career Planning course this semester, is such an attempt. Much of what Figler and Bolles write varies little from books of secular persuasion. However, there are substantive differences that reflect their faith positions. Although Figler and Bolles are clear about the influence of Christian theology in their approach to career counseling, they also invite those who hold a different religious belief to interpret and apply their principles in ways that are helpful for them. Figler and Bolles have wide appeal to persons of all faiths, probably because of their expert knowledge and wisdom coupled with a lack of arrogance. Our students gave the text high ratings.

Counselor Education is also in the process of developing a postmasters Certificate in Christian Counseling. This provides choice for our students. Those who seek a secular experience can choose courses other than those with a strong Christian emphasis. Those who desire the certificate will be exposed to courses that seriously address the synthesis of theology and psychology. They will be challenged to incorporate Christian tenets with counseling practice in both a moral and ethical manner.

We are committed to combining Christian faith and counselor education in a way that engenders freedom of choice and respect for differences. We desire to offer a Christian perspective of reality within a secular program, a viable foundation for being, thinking, and acting. We struggle with exactly how to accomplish this. We hope to challenge students to grapple with the hard issues, clarify personal faith, dare to be themselves, and ultimately love who they are. We believe, as our mission statement professes, that these challenges are best discerned from within the perspective of Christian faith.

References

Benne, R. B. (2001). Quality with soul: How six premier colleges and universities keep faith with their religious traditions. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing.

Burke, M. T., Hackney, H., Hudson, P., Miranti, J., Watts, G. A., & Lawrence E. (1999).

Spirituality, religion, and CACREP curriculum standards. Journal of Counseling and Development, Summer 77, 251-257.

Figler, H., & Bolles, R.N. (1999). The career counselor’s handbook. Berkley, CA: Ten Speed Press.

Sharf, R. S. (2001). Applying career development theory to counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.