As counselors, working with families and individuals, we believe that God’s love is unconditional. No one is beyond the love of God. Families and individuals who have a belief system can tap into Christ’s power to restore relationships. This restoration is made possible when there is an atmosphere allowing God’s unconditional love to be present. We have seen the work of Christ in broken relationships and we believe that Christ is a healer of relationships. This does not mean that families are not to be engaged in being responsible for acting on their own initiative. The spiritual qualities of confession, forgiveness and becoming a “new creation” are important applications in therapy. But these applications include new and changed behavior to match the spiritual attitudes of confession and forgiveness.
The Bible is God’s living Word of life. We may include Scripture as a part of the therapeutic process, but the application of scripture will depend on the needs of the client. The relationship between therapist and the client is a sacred trust. Our stance toward families and clients is one of unconditional positive regard. We allow God’s love to be the foundation upon which to build a therapeutic relationship with clients.
Scripture can be a wonderful source of comfort and strength for persons recovering from trauma, grief, loss, anxiety and addictions. Using a scriptural passage as a point of meditation and prayer may be a ideal source of power and may provide the client with renewed hope.
One observation from studies that have identified characteristics of “strong families” is that family “traditions” is one indicator of families that are able to be resilient and meet the challenges of a world that wants to tear families apart.