Jeff C. Vanzant

Prayer in Counseling: the Practitioner's Handbook Jeff C. Vanzant

"Prayer in Counseling ... The Practitioner's Handbook" is a bold apologetic for seeing greater use of prayer with the practice of counseling and psychotherapy in faith-based community, pastoral, and mainstream counseling settings. Using the evidence-based results of the best research studies and client surveys on the efficacy of prayer, the choice to integrate prayer with therapy is philosophically and empirically analyzed from every vantage. Practical examples, key filtering questions, and "tried and true" guidelines help the reader find a balance between the two extremes of avoidance/neglect of prayer as well as excessive/unwise usage. Gathering the best wisdom from the existing literature, the author builds a strong case to view prayer and counseling as unique but complementary avenues for dynamic change in a person's life. In light of potential counseling dilemmas and the need for healthy accountability "Prayer in Counseling" provides a roadmap to navigate the challenging ethical considerations of when and how to integrate prayer into therapy. Scriptural hindrances to effective prayer are identified and then contrasted against biblical principles and practical direction to make prayer a powerful, healing, and successful spiritual intervention in the counseling arena.