Article Review: Christian Client's Preferences Regarding Prayer as a Counseling Intervention

[Liberty University]

Article Review: Christian Client's Preferences Regarding Prayer as a Counseling Intervention

Summary

The journal article is a study conducted regarding the fact that if religious prayers are applied during therapies or treatments, does it actually have beneficial effects for the patients. Through most researches, it has been concluded that even though science and religion might be at odds with one another, medical issues and especially therapies, can harness both of them in tandem to produce exceptional results. Spirituality which was once completely ignored by modern medicine and science has actually proved to be a huge motivating factor the clients.

“…..Religious or Spiritual Problem was added to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ….”(Weld & Eriksen , 2007)

Majority of the Christians seem to desire that prayers to be a part of their therapies however no study has been conducted to find whether they prefer audible prayers or silent prayers. The study conducted for this article aims to clarify these points through means of research and additionally intends to find out if the clients themselves wish to initiate in-session prayer or if they prefer their counselors to do so. If these pointers can be identified through means of proper research, then prayer can be used much more effectively as a counseling tool for intervention and to make the clients much more comfortable and at ease during the therapies.

The research was conducted in order to determine the preferences of clients regarding the intervention of prayers during therapies, relationship between the client and the counselors prayerfulness, the kind of prayer they preferred, (silent, audible, etc.) and the expectations of the patients regarding the conduction of prayers and from their therapists.

A descriptive research was conducted in order to ...