Spiritual Counseling

[steamer]

I am a spiritual counselor. I have all the credentials of a spiritual counselor and I am here to help.

Tell me your troubles and I'll give you spiritual solutions.

If you don't see any difference after trying my solutions, don't blame me, spirits are invisible.

[NZSkep]

my spritual trouble usually involve choosing between Vodka or Gin. :)

[steamer]

Try having a drink first, it makes these sorts of decisions so much easier.

Next.

[Hedshaker]

Never post under the influence of alcohol

:devil1:

[steamer]

I think I'm becoming possessed by the demonic spirit of Tim Muse. Can you exorcise him?

:devil1:

Sure, no problem...

First find a herd of pigs, preferably near a convenient cliff. The cliff is optional but really adds a nice plot element.

Anyway, have a few drinks and stand in front of the pigs while singing ooh.. eeh... ooh... ah... ah... ting... tang... walla... walla... bing... bang.

This will either excersize the demonic spirit of Tim Muse or your head might shrink, I forget which.

[Hedshaker]

This will either excersize the demonic spirit of Tim Muse or your head might shrink, I forget which.

I don't mind which so long as he shuts up ;)

[steamer]

Well, before this thread gets whisked off to elsewhere, I guess that I ought to add some seriuos content. Does anyone here believe that being a "spiritual counselor" is something different than being a snake-oil salesmen sans snake-oil?

[Deacon Doubtmonger]

Anyway, have a few drinks and stand in front of the pigs while singing ooh.. eeh... ooh... ah... ah... ting... tang... walla... walla... bing... bang.
SAVAGE, UNPRINCIPLED HEATHEN! Thou shalt honor ONLY the Holy Liturgy of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You"! :Cheeky: :p

Does anyone here believe that being a "spiritual counselor" is something different than being a snake-oil salesmen sans snake-oil?
Not me. My guess would be it's an impressive-sounding dodge to allow people to charge high fees for a "service" without having to prove any actual competence, whether to clients or to a state licensing board. Even the nomenclature allows for dodging: I understand that in New York State, a psychologist has to have an advanced psychology degree and meet state licensing requirements ... but anyone can hang out a shingle saying "psychotherapist."

So right off the bat: Just what is the definition of "spiritual counselor" anyway? And can clients rely on it so they can know when the therapy fails or when therapeutic boundaries are crossed?

[Anat]

Is spiritual counseling a method of practicing psychology without appropriate training and licensing, or are there some kind of criteria one must fulfill before presenting oneself as such?

[EarlOfLade]

I am a spiritual counselor. I have all the credentials of a spiritual counselor and I am here to help.

Tell me your troubles and I'll give you spiritual solutions.

If you don't see any difference after trying my solutions, don't blame me, spirits are invisible.

What is a spirit?

[Withered]

Is there any place to look for data concerning the effect that spiritual counseling has on people that undergo it? Unbiased data? That would be a hoot ill bet.

Could i be a spiritual Counselor? Is there any money in it?
L.

[steamer]

Is spiritual counseling a method of practicing psychology without appropriate training and licensing, or are there some kind of criteria one must fulfill before presenting oneself as such?

As above, the credentials for spiritual counseling is the ability to speak for god. Since god is something I and every other spiritual counselor imagine, it is easy for me to speak for him.

[steamer]

What is a spirit?

Everyone has an invisible magic magic-self which is just like your real self only you don't have any knowledge of it and it is invisible and undetectable. Pretending that you do have some knowledge of it and that a god cares about it, is the job of us spiritual counselors.

Its all very technical...I'm sure no one that doesn't pretend to have a direct connection to the almighty like me, could possibly understand it.

[steamer]

Is spiritual counseling a method of practicing psychology without appropriate training and licensing, or are there some kind of criteria one must fulfill before presenting oneself as such?

The criteria is very strict otherwise anyone with a third grade education could do it. We are very well trained to spot spiritual maladies...Did you get a bad parking spot at the mall? That's a sure sign the the devil is after you and you have serious spiritual problems. Also your a heathen and your going to hell. Do you know any dead non-Christians? They're all in hell being tortured for no apparent reason and they deserve it also for no apparent reason. God is mysterious isn't he? We counselors like to joke that he's a mysterious asswipe, but since we only ever imagine him, we imagine that he appreciates the joke.

[steamer]

Is there any place to look for data concerning the effect that spiritual counseling has on people that undergo it? Unbiased data? That would be a hoot ill bet.

Spiritual counseling works terrifically as long as one does it while under the supervision of a licensed mental health care professional and the applicable medication.

What is this unbiased data you're babbling about? Unbiased data doesn't support the trinity of what we spiritual counselors do. We are fathers, sons and holy ghosts of spritualness all rolled up into one, so obviously we are trustworthy.


Could i be a spiritual Counselor? Is there any money in it?
L.

One must have a very vivid imagination to actually believe one speaks for god. Since that isn't a very rare commodity...Sure welcome aboard.

As for the money, those greedy bastards at the church keep claiming they have some higher authority and that the god they imagine needs the cash more than the god we imagine...We're working on it thoiugh.

[EarlOfLade]

Everyone has an invisible magic magic-self which is just like your real self only you don't have any knowledge of it and it is invisible and undetectable. Pretending that you do have some knowledge of it and that a god cares about it, is the job of us spiritual counselors.

Its all very technical...I'm sure no one that doesn't pretend to have a direct connection to the almighty like me, could possibly understand it.

Translation: Spirit is something I made up because I'm mentally deranged!

Get some mental health care!

[angela2]

I am a spiritual counselor. I have all the credentials of a spiritual counselor and I am here to help.

Tell me your troubles and I'll give you spiritual solutions.

If you don't see any difference after trying my solutions, don't blame me, spirits are invisible.
What are your credentials? What school did you graduate from? Is your counseling biblically centered or more oriented to psychology?

[angela2]

I don't mind which so long as he shuts up ;)
I'll second that.

[angela2]

Is spiritual counseling a method of practicing psychology without appropriate training and licensing, or are there some kind of criteria one must fulfill before presenting oneself as such?
Depends. But there are graduate courses and licensing procedures for those who do it for a living. Also, minister/pastors/priests usually have some minimal training. Thankfully the training includes recognizing when you are in over your head and need to refer the person out, although not all ministers are wise enough to follow what they've learned in this.

When I was pastoring a church for the summer, I was able to help people who needed psychoactive medication but couldn't afford it. The local pharmacy would fill the prescription and bill the church. I would pay the bill out of the pastor's discretionary fund so that the person's privacy was maintained. Since these people had prescriptions, they already had a therapist. So I refrained from counseling them as much as the people would tolerate.

[Hedshaker]

I'll second that.

Yeah, I found myself agreeing with you more than once on that other thread, which was a very strange sensation indeed :D

[angela2]

Yeah, I found myself agreeing with you more than once on that other thread, which was a very strange sensation indeed :D
Thanks....I think. :confused: :D

[steamer]

What are your credentials? What school did you graduate from? Is your counseling biblically centered or more oriented to psychology?

I make shit up and then find some scripture to back it up.

[angela2]

I make shit up and then find some scripture to back it up.
That sounds about right.

[Deacon Doubtmonger]

What is this unbiased data you're babbling about? Unbiased data doesn't support the trinity of what we spiritual counselors do. We are fathers, sons and holy ghosts of spritualness all rolled up into one, so obviously we are trustworthy.
You're kidding and satirizing. Prepare to be horrified by three authors who aren't:

From Christ Centered Therapy by Neil T. Anderson, Terry E. Zuehlke and Julianne S. Zuehlke (Zondervan, 2000):

... people are mentally ill if they have a distorted concept of God and themselves ... When secular therapists observe this, some will blame the church for messing up people's minds; most will try to free their clients from their "religious obsessions" by discouraging them from Bible reading or church attendance. The world, the flesh, and the devil all stand in opposition to our sanctification. (p. 184)

:eek: :eek: :eek:

(Sorry in advance if this duplicate-posts -- my PC seems to have obsessive-compulsive disorder today ...)