CCC 27-2_LR

INNOVATIVE THOUGHT & PRACTICE

Safety. Families come to ministry leaders because of pain, threat, or danger. Creating spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational safety permits clear thinking and planning. Decisions made by families under stress are usually poor choices. However, caregivers who create immediate security permit all to think creatively, col laboratively, and toward a long-term conclusion. Stress, duress, elevated defenses, and reactivity contradict efforts to form good plans and lasting solutions. For example, the first meeting may have a history of events and circumstances coming to a crescendo in the office. Slow the music down! In an initial meeting, every thing will not be fixed, set right, or even understood. Safety creation does not mean anyone should “sweep things under the rug” and pretend, deny, or delay. Instead, safety permits people to obtain internal order and prepare the brain to listen, learn, and select from alternatives. “Safety first” was a good idea in kindergar ten. It is also suitable for those in ministry. Pastoral care for families is usually the starting point, not the final destination. Pastors can become co-travel ers as families address their specific crises, share details, and embrace learning that leads to spiritual, personal, and relational transformation. ;

James N. Sells, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, professor of counseling, and a Hughes Professor of Christian Thought and Mental Health at Regent University, where he also co-directs the Charis Institute. He is the co-author of Ministering to Families in Crisis, Beyond the Clinical Hour, and Family Therapies: A Christian Appraisal. Diane J. Chandler, Ph.D., is an associ ate professor of spiritual formation and leadership at Regent University. She is co-author of Ministering to Families in Crisis and author of Christian Spiritual Formation. Jennifer S. Ripley, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, professor of psychology, and a Hughes Professor of Christian Thought and Mental Health at Regent University, where she also co-directs the Charis Institute. She is the co-author of Ministering to Families in Crisis and Couple Therapy: A New Hope-Focused Approach.

Endnote 1 Vincent van Gogh quotes. Vincent van Gogh. (n.d.). https://www.vin centvangogh.org/quotes.jsp.

20 Christian Counseling Connection