Contemporary Theory Presentation

Keturah Teasley

EdD Community Care & Counseling, Liberty University

EDCO715: Applied Counseling Theories

Dr. Carlene Fider

Module 5

Introduction

The infamous King David often expressed himself to God with deep sorrow and lament. Whether on the run from his enemies or experiencing overwhelming distress as a sovereign, David did not deny his emotions as it was his primary way to articulate the core of what he was feeling at pivotal moments of his life. In this process with the Lord, he often came to the deep resolve that he was not alone and could find solace in comfort and reassurance from the God who heard and saw him.

Imagine David, being unable to engage with God in this manner. Would he still have courageously handled the lions and bears as a shepherd boy? Would he still have fought Goliath and won?  Would he have survived the rejection and isolation from being pursued by those who opposed him?

One might argue that David’s success was rooted in his ability to be prayerful and absolutely dependent on God - even at the cost of being emotionally exposed. Although David did not have access to the modern psychotherapy of our current time, there is valuable insight to be gained for how he engaged with his emotions. For the sake of this project, I will give an overview of Christian Emotion-Focused Therapy as a psychological intervention and honest response to God.

Christian Emotion-Focused Therapy Explained

The Dysfunction

There are adults who are often too easily moved by their emotions and impulses, and express them inappropriately (Kim-van Daalen, 2016)

The Nature of the Sessions

Stage 1: Discover (identification of emotional struggles).

 

Stage 2: Uncover (expose negative emotions through recollection of recent events and past experiences).

 

Stage 3: Recover (counselees connect with Christ's death and resurrection as they experience a new beginning to a transformed life in lieu of this reality).

 

Stage 4: Cover (counselor and counselee collaborate on ways to deepen healthy emotional patterns via activities linked to the home life - scripture reading, writing, etc.). 

Assessment

Stage 1 of the sessions is intentionally paced as counselees are invited to share the details of their issue. The counselor then identifies the core negative emotions related to the issue. Prayer between the counselee and counselor precedes the assessment as guidance from God is sought.

Frequently Asked Questions About Christian Emotion-Focused Therapy 

What is the role of the client and the counselor?

Therapists help counselees address dysfunctinal emotional patterns in order to apply new ways of thought to themselves and surroundings. This a collaborative effort maintained by both therapist and counselees as active participation is utilized in order to maximize the therapeutic experience.

What is the goal of therapy?

The goal of therapy is to provide Christian emotional transformation rooted in believers having an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ and a dependence on Him as the One who can ultimately provide love, forgiveness, and perfect righteousness (Kim-van Daalen, 2016)

What are some example techniques?

The empty chair technique is used to help deepen the therapy process by examining unresolved negative emotions. Additionally, meditating on Biblical images (e.g. being held by God), may open the heart to viewing God as the ultimate sourch of comfort and healing. As mentioned, the therapy process is deepened in Stage 4 of the sessions as counselees engage in homework activities in their natural environments.

Case Example

Emotion-Focused therapy with Dr. Ladislav Timulak (2019) explores the empty chair technique with a counselee who had experienced childhood trauma.

View the video segment at 12:00 to 18:12: 

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https%3a%2f%2ffod.infobase.com%2fPortalPlaylists.aspx%3fwID%3d96753%26xtid%3d189813

Critique of the Theory

Kim-van Daalen (2016) suggests that Christian Emotion-Focused Therapy may not meet the needs of all counselees. Other counseling frameworks must be considered if emotional functioning is severely compromised.

On the other hand, most Christians will benefit from Christian Emotion-Focused Therapy (Kim-van Daalen, 2016). Wan's (2021) research exposes his own experience with Emotion-focused therapy and Christian prayer as a means to personally heal. Counselees can not only see Christian Emotion-Focused Therapy as a clinical intervention but a discipleship strategy for building a more honest and close relationship with God.

Kim-van Daalen (2016) describes secular Emotional Focused Therapy as having strong empirical support with 75% of DSM-IV-TR disorders consisting of problems related to emotions or the regulation of them. Their research also recommends more exploration of the effectiveness of Christian Emotion-Focused Therapy. 

References

Emotion-Focused therapy with Dr. Ladislav Timulak: Understanding emotional pain (eft) – therapy session with commentary. (2019). In Films On Demand. Films Media Group. https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=96753&xtid=189813

Kim-van Daalen, L. (2016). Transformation through Christian emotion-focused therapy : an excerpt from Transformative Encounters /. IVP Academics, an imprint of InterVarsity Press,.

Wan, J. (2021). Emotion-focused prayer with an emotion friendly god - my exploration of prayer with EFT techniques as a chinese christian counsellor. Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies, 20(3), 214- 231. https://doi.org/10.1080/14779757.2021.1938

 

About Keturah Teasley

Keturah is a minister, prevention educator, and scholar-in-the-making focused on building upon a non-clinical Christian intervention approach to trauma healing.