Prayer in Counseling Essay Example for Free

Prayer in Counseling Essay In Eriksen and Weld’s journal article, the writers contend that spirituality and prayer is being utilized more and more by mental health practitioners and counselors. The concept of prayer within the counseling session is something that was considered for a long time but the actual use of spirituality practices is more frequently being used today. This particular article is based upon the data retrieved from two tests that were done on first time counselees and their practitioners. All of the counselees were Christians and results were based on what their expectations were regarding prayer and spirituality inventions. The test also surveyed what the beliefs and practices were of the counselors. Ultimately, the test showed that most counselees preferred the introduction of prayer within the sessions. They wished audible prayer was initiated by the counselor. Additionally, the test results also showed that clients expected prayer and even prefer that counselors or practitioners pray for them outside the prayer sessions as well. Another interesting thing that the test results showed was that religious natured conservatives preferred prayer more than the liberals of a religious nature. Overall, the studies from this article resulted in a confirmation that prayer is therapeutic and healthy for the clients. According to the article, spirituality has already been linked to a sturdy well-being and even secular counselors have used prayer intervention in sessions. There are many therapists that do not believe in mixing psychology with theology, however; the results seem to point to the fact that prayer intervention and spirituality produces effectiveness in psychotherapy sessions. There has been some controversy about using prayer in counseling such as improper use of prayer in counseling. In some cases, practitioners may not be trained properly to incorporate prayer and this could result in a damaged relationship between client and counselor. In some cases there are counselors that may not value prayer within the session but their clients may find it important. On the contrary, one of the studies showed that there were more counselors that valued prayer than their counselees. With these barriers to consider, research and examination of spirituality and prayer in counseling will be pursued further. Interaction It was quite amazing to see how high of a percentage of practitioners actually incorporate prayer with the counseling. There was a time when educators did not suggest using prayer or spirituality in the counseling sessions due to the delicacy of the subject of religion. Also, as a former secular counselor, there was some concern that many of the clients were not Christians and there may be offense taken by the client. After reading this journal article, it is enlightening to find out that many clients prefer prayer especially since many counselors are Christians now. Since there is very little research on the subject of prayer intervention, further research is crucial so that counselors can learn the proper way to incorporate prayer into the therapy session. Although the authors covered a pair of research studies on how effective prayer is to the success of the counseling session, it wasn’t sufficient enough to say that the majority of people who come to counseling prefer prayer. The article covered a lot about proven effectiveness of spirituality with counseling but there needs to be more on how to properly incorporate the two entities. Prayer is enlightening to many counselors but it is still a sensitive subject and needs to be weaned in the right way. It is this author’s assertion that prayer can be enlightening and beneficial to the mental health from personal experiences. The application of prayer and Biblical scriptures has been so uplifting for many clients but there are many out there that do not know the benefits of prayer. Dialogue is crucial when initiating prayer in the counseling session so the counselor needs to be well educated on the techniques. Spirituality and prayer has been utilized by this counselor and has been an integral tool in problem solving and keeping clients happy. As a Christian counselor, prayer for the client can be done after sessions whether the client wants it or not but during sessions should be carefully applied. It is because of this article that this author will study and investigate how to incorporate prayer carefully into the counseling session. Application It is because of this article that this author will study and investigate how to incorporate prayer carefully into the counseling session. Eriksen and Weld’s journal is an important tool and this author has definitely learned a lot from this reading. A client that comes in for grief counseling or depression would benefit from the therapeutic use of prayer. This author would carefully incorporate the Biblical scriptures as well as prayer on and off sessions because it is expected of a Christian. Since religion of any form is very sensitive for many people, this counselor will make sure to learn the best way to initiate it and use it throughout the counseling sessions. Another benefit in utilizing prayer is the trust building of the client for the practitioner so therefore; this author will utilize prayer to promote a great relationship. This author will make sure that the client is confident enough to share their feelings about prayer and spirituality. First and foremost, it will be disclosed in the very beginning that the author is a Christian. After listening to the client and finding his or her comfort level, Spirituality will somehow be introduced in the session whether it is in the form of reading Biblical scriptures or facilitating a prayer. In the past, this author has used prayer with counselees in and after sessions, but now realizes the sensitivity of how to apply it. It has been welcomed by both non-Christians and Christians but the article has shed the light on how detrimental an improper application of Spirituality and prayer can be to the counseling relationship.

Puerto Rican Cultural And Religion :: essays research papers

Puerto Rican Cultural and Religion I am a member of the Puerto Rican American Families research team. I myself grew up in a Puerto Rican American, or "New Yorican", family. The assignment is a field study. The study is on an observation of the religious community. We visited a Roman Catholic church in Buffalo on the west side, which is a predominantly Hispanic area of the city. I myself am also a Roman Catholic. This is a slightly erred site, because I believe that most Puerto Ricans migrated to New York City. However, we were able to make some interesting observations. The group attended mass at Holy Cross; both an English and Spanish mass. It seemed that the group accepted our presence without any apprehension, however, as I stated before, this probably is a result of I myself being Puerto Rican American. There were some striking differences between the English mass and the Spanish mass. The first noticeable difference was in attendance. The Spanish mass had a considerable higher attendance than did the English mass. Also the appearance of the manner of dress. The attendees of the Spanish mass were more formally dressed than those of the English mass. Another major difference was in the music. The English mass had the "traditional" European "angelica" type singing. The Spanish mass, however, had more upbeat music, along with the use of "traditionally" Carribean instruments like maracas, for example. What does this suggest about the religious community of Puerto Rican Americans? I think that it is a balance between assimilation and preserving the culture. I think it is obvious that Roman Catholicism was not the native religion of Borinquen. Borinquen was the name of the island Puerto Rico before the conquest of the Spanish. So since they had already been forced to assimilate their culture into European culture by the Columbians, they found they could easily assimilate into American culture more readily than other cultures. However, we find in the Spanish mass, the use of Carribean instruments. This suggests an effort by the religious community to maintain the Puerto Rican culture. I personally have experienced the efforts to maintain Puerto Rican culture in the form of Santeria. Santeria is a religion practiced by, I guess, many Puerto Rican Americans. It is practiced in the homes of Puerto Rican Americans when they are not in church. Puerto Rican Cultural And Religion :: essays research papers Puerto Rican Cultural and Religion I am a member of the Puerto Rican American Families research team. I myself grew up in a Puerto Rican American, or "New Yorican", family. The assignment is a field study. The study is on an observation of the religious community. We visited a Roman Catholic church in Buffalo on the west side, which is a predominantly Hispanic area of the city. I myself am also a Roman Catholic. This is a slightly erred site, because I believe that most Puerto Ricans migrated to New York City. However, we were able to make some interesting observations. The group attended mass at Holy Cross; both an English and Spanish mass. It seemed that the group accepted our presence without any apprehension, however, as I stated before, this probably is a result of I myself being Puerto Rican American. There were some striking differences between the English mass and the Spanish mass. The first noticeable difference was in attendance. The Spanish mass had a considerable higher attendance than did the English mass. Also the appearance of the manner of dress. The attendees of the Spanish mass were more formally dressed than those of the English mass. Another major difference was in the music. The English mass had the "traditional" European "angelica" type singing. The Spanish mass, however, had more upbeat music, along with the use of "traditionally" Carribean instruments like maracas, for example. What does this suggest about the religious community of Puerto Rican Americans? I think that it is a balance between assimilation and preserving the culture. I think it is obvious that Roman Catholicism was not the native religion of Borinquen. Borinquen was the name of the island Puerto Rico before the conquest of the Spanish. So since they had already been forced to assimilate their culture into European culture by the Columbians, they found they could easily assimilate into American culture more readily than other cultures. However, we find in the Spanish mass, the use of Carribean instruments. This suggests an effort by the religious community to maintain the Puerto Rican culture. I personally have experienced the efforts to maintain Puerto Rican culture in the form of Santeria. Santeria is a religion practiced by, I guess, many Puerto Rican Americans. It is practiced in the homes of Puerto Rican Americans when they are not in church.

History of U.S. in 400 Words Essay

I am very proud of my country because it was formed on the foundation of freedom and has continued to support freedom for all of its citizens as well as helping to spread freedom throughout the world. First, America was founded by common people looking for a better way of life, one in which they were able to practice their religion and participate in how their settlements were governed. Committed to their beliefs, America endured eight years of war to gain their freedom. There were many hardships along the way: disease, starvation, and suffering; but we hung in there and eventually beat the British, the most powerful nation at that time. Then, we did something shocking; we made it a democracy, the first in the world. People thought it was crazy, this American experiment, but we proved it could work. Unfortunately there was a problem brewing – slavery! It ended up causing a great civil war, the North pitted against the South. We got through it and in the end the nation was reunited and freedom for all prevailed. Women still had some problems, though, and after nearly one hundred years of protesting they finally received the same rights as men as they got the right to vote. Our ideals of freedom were then tested outside our boundaries. We got involved in World War II as we helped to purge the world of the atrocities that the Nazis inflicted. We helped in the Korean and Vietnam Wars in their struggle for freedom and equality. After a long Cold War, we were successful in our efforts to get the Soviet Union to end communism and tear down the Berlin Wall. We also got involved in the First Gulf War as we worked to get the Iraqis out of Kuwait and restabilize the country. Then, on September 11, 2001, terrorists struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an airplane in route to Washington, D.C. and we again had to defend our freedom. We are continuing to help put an end to the senseless acts of terrorists along with teaching the people in Iraq and Afghanistan how to defend themselves against the Taliban. The United States of America is a world power, supporting the individual rights and freedom of people throughout the world. It stands for and supports liberty and justice for all, and that makes me incredibly proud.

The Caribbean Islands of Greater and Lesser Antilles

The Caribbean Sea is filled with tropical islands. They are popular tourist destinations and many people refer to the  Antilles  when speaking of certain islands in the archipelago. But what are the Antilles and what is the difference between the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles? The Antilles Are Part of the West Indies You probably know them as the Caribbean Islands. The small islands that scatter the waters between Central America and the Atlantic Ocean are also known as the West Indies. Trivia Time: The West Indies received its name  because Christopher Columbus thought he had reached the Pacific islands near Asia (known as the East Indies at the time) when he sailed west from Spain. Of course, he was famously mistaken, though the name has remained. Within this large collection of islands are three main groups: the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles. The Bahamas include over 3,000 islands and reefs on the north and east side of the Caribbean Sea, beginning just off the coast of Florida. To the south are the islands of the Antilles. The name Antilles refers to a semi-mythical land called  Antilia  which can be found on many medieval maps. This was before Europeans traveled all the way across the Atlantic, but they did have an idea that some land was across the seas to the west, though it was often depicted as a large continent or island. When Columbus reached the West Indies, the name  Antilles was adopted for some of the islands. The Caribbean Sea is also known  as the Sea of the Antilles. What Are the Greater Antilles? The Greater Antilles are the four largest islands in the northwestern portion of the Caribbean Sea. This includes  Cuba, Hispaniola (the nations of  Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. In total, the Greater Antilles make up almost 90% of the land in the West Indies.  Cuba is the largest single island in the Caribbean.During the colonial period, the island of Hispaniola was known as Santo Domingo, named for the capital city of what is now the Dominican Republic. What Are the Lesser Antilles? The Lesser Antilles include the smaller islands of the Caribbean to the south and east of the Great Antilles. It begins just off the coast of Puerto Rico with the British and U.S. Virgin Islands and extends south to Grenada. Trinidad and Tobago, just off the Venezuelan coast, are also included, as is the east-west chain of islands that stretches to Aruba. The Lesser Antilles are further divided into two groups: the  Windward Islands and the  Leeward Islands.Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao are known as the ABC islands and are territories of the Netherlands.A number of the Lesser Antilles islands are dependent on or territories of larger countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and France.