Equips Christian counselors and therapists to confidently use mindfulness techniques with their clients in a way that is both practical and biblical. Accessing mindfulness is a therapeutic touchstone for a range of emotional issues, from mild distress to the treatment of trauma, but the term mindfulness has often left Christians wary. Stripped of Christlike spirituality, it sounds self-focused at best, and at worst like a fusion with modern pop-religions of the day. But the quality of mindfulness—of being fully present, aware of ourselves and our situation so that we can better respond to the chaos around us—is a profoundly biblical concept. And it can be used effectively by Christian counselors and healing practitioners. In A Counselor's Guide to Christian Mindfulness, Regina Chow Trammel (a clinical social worker) and John Trent (a marriage and family therapist) team up to offer training in mindfulness skills used in evidence-based practices, such as dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. These therapies have been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of many mental health issues, blending elements of neuroscience, social science, and religious training. This book is the ideal resource to equip those in the helping professions to faithfully use mindfulness interventions both professionally and personally and includes: A historical and theoretical overview of Christian mindfulness and how it contrasts with other mindfulness-based practices. A practical guide for how to use mindfulness skills in counseling and therapeutic practice. A section addressing specific challenges or situations that your clients face. Dialogue scripts and contemplation exercises to adapt for your own work. The practice of Christian mindfulness can be effective in helping clients manage their intrusive and stressful thoughts, emotions, relationships, and challenges. This book fills a gap for Christian counselors and therapists who are eager for a resource that teaches mindfulness skills from a Christian and biblical perspective.

What does a Christian approach to counseling and psychotherapy involve? The 2021 Fuller Integration Symposium Lectures by Dr. Siang-Yang Tan, published in this book, cover this topic with the overall title of: “A Christian Approach to Counseling and Psychotherapy: Christ-Centered, Biblically Based, and Spirit-Filled.” The three lectures in three chapters are on: (1) “A Christian Perspective on Human Nature and Effective Counseling and Psychotherapy”; (2) “Implicit and Explicit Integration in Christian Counseling and Psychotherapy: Christian Faith in Clinical Practice”; and (3) “The Role of the Holy Spirit in Christian Counseling and Psychotherapy.”

“Those going through dark times will find this generous, strongly Christian work a welcome beacon of light.” —Publisher’s Weekly Sorrow is a dark and painful road. You don’t need to walk it alone. The Bible says that “God is near to the brokenhearted,” but what does that look like when you’re lost in the darkness of agonizing grief? How do you engage with your sorrow when the world tells you to shoulder through or move on? Award-winning writer and podcaster Clarissa Moll knows this landscape of loss all too well. Her life changed forever in 2019 when her husband, Rob, died unexpectedly while hiking—leaving her with four children to raise alone. In her debut book, Beyond the Darkness, Clarissa offers her powerful personal narrative as well as honest, practical wisdom that will gently guide you toward flourishing amidst your own loss. In the pages of Beyond the Darkness, you’ll learn how to meet and engage with loss in your everyday life, uncover the lies the world has told you about your grief, and point your feet toward hope and find a way to navigate your new life with loss and God beside you. Whether you’ve lost someone dear to you or you’re supporting a loved one as they mourn, you can learn to walk with grief. And as you do, you might be surprised to discover the path is wide enough for another companion, the Good Shepherd of your soul. Grief may walk with us for the rest of our lives, but Jesus will too.

This book focuses on the role of ethics in the application of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) in clinical practice. The book offers an overview of the role of ethics in the cultivation of mindfulness and explores the way in which ethics have been embedded in the curriculum of MBIs and MBPs. Chapters review current training processes and examines the issues around incorporating ethics into MBIs and MBPs detailed for non-secular audiences, including training clinicians, developing program curriculum, and dealing with specific client populations. Chapters also examine new, second-generation MBIs and MBPs, the result of the call for more advanced mindfulness-based practices . The book addresses the increasing popularity of mindfulness in therapeutic interventions, but stresses that it remains a new treatment methodology and in order to achieve best practice status, mindfulness interventions must offer a clear understanding of their potential and limits. Topics featured in this book include: • Transparency in mindfulness programs.• Teaching ethics and mindfulness to physicians and healthcare professionals. • The Mindfulness-Based Symptom Management (MBSM) program and its use in treating mental health issues.• The efficacy and ethical considerations of teaching mindfulness in businesses. • The Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Program. • The application of mindfulness in the military context. Practitioner’s Guide to Mindfulness and Ethics is a must-have resource for clinical psychologists and affiliated medical, and mental health professionals, including specialists in complementary and alternative medicine and psychiatry. Social workers considering or already using mindfulness in practice will also find it highly useful.

Faith-Based ACT for Christian Clients balances empirical evidence with theology to give mental health professionals a deep understanding of both the "why" and "how" of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for Christians. The new edition includes updated discussions in each chapter, more than 20 new and updated exercises, and new chapters on couples and trauma. The book includes a detailed exploration of the overlap between ACT and the Christian faith, case studies, and techniques that are explicitly designed to be accessible to both non-Christian and Christian (including evangelical Christian) counselors and therapists. Chapters also present the established research on Buddhist-influenced mindfulness meditation and newer research on Christian-derived meditative and contemplative practices and lay a firm theological foundation through the use of engaging biblical stories and metaphors.

In this book, experts in the field discuss how spiritual and religious issues can be successfully integrated into counseling in a manner that is respectful of client beliefs and practices. Designed as an introductory text for counselors-in-training and clinicians, it describes the knowledge base and skills necessary to effectively engage clients in an exploration of their spiritual and religious lives to further the therapeutic process. Through an examination of the 2009 ASERVIC Competencies for Addressing Spiritual and Religious Issues in Counseling and the use of evidence-based tools and techniques, this book will guide you in providing services to clients presenting with these deeply sensitive and personal issues. Numerous strategies for clinical application are offered throughout the book, and new chapters on mindfulness, ritual, 12-step spirituality, prayer, and feminine spirituality enhance application to practice. *Requests for digital versions from the ACA can be found on wiley.com. *To request print copies, please visit the ACA website here: https://imis.counseling.org/store/detail.aspx?id=78161 *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to [email protected]

All approaches to counseling and psychotherapy rest on assumptions about human nature. Current theories are primarily derived from Buddhist, humanistic, and evolutionary perspectives where there is no God or faith. This book mines the riches of scripture to identify the dimensions of human nature as understood in the Christian faith that can illuminate the work of the practicing clinician. These dimensions of human nature serve as a scaffolding that organize the scientific findings from psychology and neuroscience while remaining attentive to the spirituality of the client. A neuro-psycho-spiritual approach takes a whole-person perspective, delving into the psychological, neurobiological, and spiritual layers of human experience that are relevant to clinical practice. The counselor and psychotherapist will learn how to utilize the dimensions of human nature found in the Bible and apply them to their clinical work through the treatment of Joe, a priest struggling with a sex addiction. Joe will serve as a guide to illustrate how Christian principles can serve as a roadmap to better understand how emotional healing can be facilitated.