Dear Rhoni

[chosenbyone]

Originally Posted by Falla39

Bro. ChoseninOne,

I love the song "Great is Thy Faithfulness". My nephew used to

sing it and I never heard it that I wasn't blessed. I am blessed

anytime anyone sings it! It is so true!

Blessings,

Falla39

He's faithfulness is such a wonder. I've never known such a friend as He. It's such a comfort to know that I'm never alone. He has shown Himself to be everything that I would ever need in this world. He is truly so faithful and that is truly great! Thank you for reminding me of that beautiful song. You made my heart smile.

We are God's idea. We are his. His face. His eyes. His hands. His touch. We are him. Look deeply into the face of every human being on earth, and you will see his likeness. Though some appear to be distant relatives, they are not. God has no cousins, only children.

We are incredibly, the body of Christ. And though we may not act like our Father, there is no greater truth than this: We are his. Unalterably. He love us. Undyingly. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (see Romans 8:38-39). A Gentle Thunder

One of my favorite songs is Blessed Assurance. There is no greater assurance I can have than to know that Jesus is mine.

Jesus is the light of the world. Walk in the light, the beautiful light...

[Margies3]

Originally Posted by Rhoni

Today I felt an overwhelming urge to pray for a client right then and there. But the law binds my hands on this ethical issue. I will ask the prayer warriors to pray for a lady they don't even know...she is in her early forties and lives in a small pop-up trailer in a rundown trailer park. It is as small as my bathroom. SHe has called the FBI and everyone else because she feels that there is a conspiracy to erase her from the United States Data Base. Of course it isn't real but in her mind this is her reality. ALl this mental illness makes me sad!

Prayers and Blessings, Rhoni

Originally Posted by Blubayou

Praying

me too.

You have a hard job, Rhoni. I'm glad there are people like you available tho. Who knows - maybe you can help make a difference for this one soul. I pray so.

[Rhoni]

Several people have asked about how one might go about establishing or developing an effective counseling ministry so I found a book that I have used numerous times and I have pulled out some things which might be helpful, such as;

*Counseling do's and don'ts
*Helping people who are depressed
*Understanding how emotions work
*Dealing with Grief and Loss
*Pre-marriage marriage in crisis, & marriage enrichment counseling
*Helping people confront and be honest with themselves


and if anyone else has any questions or ideas feel free to post them here...

May you be blessed, Rhoni

[Rhoni]

Privacy and Confidentiality:

This is a very crucial part of Christian/church counseling. You cannot or will not have a successful counseling ministry unless you commit yourself to guarding the rights of those you counsel. They have to feel safe to expose the things that are truly bothering them. Of course there are a few ethical reasons, by the HIPPA laws and standards which we all must abide by, duty to report , if you know of child or elderly abuse, if you have knowledge that the person will harm themself [suicide] or has intention of harming someone else [homicide].

I know of a Pastor who frequently used situations from his counseling as illustrations in his sermons. He never truly understood why people stopped coming to him for counseling. Once word gets out that you are not RIGID/STRICT in your boundaries of "keeping your mouth shut" for lack of a better phrase...your counseling days are over before they have begun.

Personal Experience: When I was in need of marital counseling as we were were Pastoring...I refused to go to the presbyter, or the District Superintendent in our District because of how they handled our church issues. Every time a saint got upset over something they would call a member of the District Board who would set up a business meeting and come in and tell the church to be patient with us, we were so young. Then they would go and tell everyone in the District all our business, some of it true and some of it false...

So, naturally I would never feel SAFE to go to other ministers in our District. There was no confidentiality exercized at all, and even if they exercized some discretion...their wives would tell friends who would tell friends...and you know the rest of the story...

I will reiterate...confidentiality is a must if you are to have and develope an effective counseling ministry within your church.

[Rhoni]

Before everyone reacts: I am citing personal experience and not third party experience. This is facts as I know them...your experience may be different, and you may feel free to post it as you see it, but please refrain from attacking me for being truthful and honest.

Thank-you, Rhoni

[Rhoni]

The Setting for Counseling a Person in your church:

Pastors have studies, and Christian counselors have offices within the church that are private, some even with private entrances. Whenever possible this is preferable to counseling in your home. When you are in your home, you can't leave. Many times the couple feels comfortable and not concious of the time and infringe on your kindness. The several hours session could have been condensed to 30-50 minutes in a more professional setting.

My personal experience: I have been in the middle of counseling a couple in a Sunday School room because there is no office space in the church and am interrupted 2-3 times by people. There were signs on the door: Do not disturb, and people with keys open the door anyway. There is no confidentiality because now the person entering has seen the face of the people there, and the people have been embarrassed and interrupted and the flow of the session has stopped.

If a separate office for a counselor cannot be provided then your church is not big enough or ready for a counseling ministry.

[Malvaro]

Originally Posted by Chan

Being a practitioner of a worldly philosophy like psychology is not ministry!

*bump*

I didn't see any response to this statement....

[Rhoni]

Originally Posted by Malvaro

*bump*

I didn't see any response to this statement....

and you won't...

[Rhoni]

Protection:

Many affairs have begun with men counseling women, and vica versa. Unless there is no other alternative, I urge you not to counsel persons of the opposite sex. When it is necessary then counsel behind a glass door with a secretary or administrative person in the outer office.

Personal Experience: I have had very few occasion to counsel men. I am a marriage counselor so many of my counselees are couples. The occasions that I did counsel men I had the door open and a person checking, or I was on video tape with my supervisor watching.

Counselors, especially Pastors need to be careful of putting themselves in a compromising position.

Blessings, Rhoni

[Malvaro]

Originally Posted by Rhoni

and you won't...

are you going to let that "loose end" forever hang over the Dear Rhoni thread as an unanswered criticism???