A Spiritual Approach to Counseling:
Is it Significant?

Abstract
This paper will identify what spiritual warfare is and how it integrates into counseling, and explore steps to take in recognizing spiritual problems. It will assess the benefits of spiritual growth and why it benefits a person, and whether it is crucial to counseling. The illumination of the responsibility of the counselor to the counselee will also be addressed. The purpose will be to see if the understanding of the spiritual life and the application of that type of counseling is beneficial.

Introduction
Is the problem physical, mental, or spiritual? This paper will aid in understanding spiritual warfare, the counselor’s responsibility in recognizing it, and the spiritual growth that is needed to for the counselor and counselee for productive therapy. The professional field of psychology is opening up to the idea of spiritual formation and the benefits of being spiritually aware. This is profitable, but can also present some problems if the counselor does not understand what they are dealing with, and they are spiritually inept. Counselors should understand spiritual warfare; understand their role, and how to obtain knowledge and guidance by spiritual growth.
Spiritual Warfare
There are instances where conventional medicines do not suffice in helping someone overcome their predicament. This is because the physical world of medicine cannot identify with spiritual world of conflict. Spiritual conflict is also known as spiritual warfare. According to Dr. Rediger spiritual warfare is seen as the battle between good and evil (Rediger, 1998, p. 19). You cannot literally see good and evil, but you can see the results of it. Therefore, you cannot see the spiritual battle, but you must deal with repercussions of the war. The recognition of the spiritual realm is often overlooked and not a consideration within the medical community. Dr. Anderson explains this in his book Discipleship Counseling, and he tells of a situation of a woman with who was ready to commit herself into treatment because of countless years of counseling, and not getting any results. After speaking with her and helping her through spiritual conflict, she felt free; the best she had ever felt. . Those at that facility did not recognize her problem as a spiritual one, and advised her not to seek other options. Sadly, she stayed in the facility and she lost her spiritual battle and circum to the world of prescription medication (Anderson, 2003).
Prescriptions are too often given to hide or cover up a problem. They do not stop the problem at its core; instead, it masks the symptoms and does not affect the root of the problem. Thus, the epidemic of dependence and abuse of prescription medication are formed, and the ideology that a pill can fix anything. It is like repeatedly prescribing a pain medication for a throbbing toe that someone keeps stumping. The best help would be to help the patient stop stumping their toe, instead of giving them medication to cover up the pain. In the field of counseling, the counselee would benefit greater by finding the root of their problems and treating them from there. The unseen spiritual battle can also be the root of mental and even physical dilemmas. The spiritual battle should not be exaggerated but it should be part of the equation when counseling.

Spiritual Growth
To be able to understand spiritual warfare effectively, one will need to grow spiritually. The process of sanctification is the process of becoming Christ-like, and when we take this journey we will grow spiritually. Not all counselees will have this ideal, but it should be the goal of the counselor to have them grow spiritually. For this to begin, one must be converted. Research conducted in 1900, showed that there is an “awakening of social and altruistic impulses” when one is converted (Starbuck, 1901, p. 373). This can be explained by the new nature of Christ. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, New Living Translation).
Counselor Responsibility
The responsibility of the counselor is to be able to identify what kind of treatment is necessary. Giving thought to all possibilities of treatment and causation. The recognition of both the spiritual and clinical approach to counseling is becoming more relevant.
First, religious practitioners are rejecting a dependence on psychology and working to mine the resources of their tradition to conceptualize and build strong helping relationships. Second, psychologists are beginning to look to religious ideas and practices as a way of enhancing their own efforts to help others. This mutuality of conversation offers richer possibilities for a psychology and religion dialogue and bodes well for the future (Nelson, 2009, p. 506).
The neglect of not considering all options can result in non-progressive treatment. The approach should be balanced and subjective. The responsibility of the counselor according to Dr. Anderson is to be spiritually led, and to have right relationships with God and the counselee. The counselor must be dependent on God, not quarrelsome, be kind, be able to teach, and be patient. They must also know the role that God and the counselee plays in the process, and let each do their part (Anderson, 2003). Understanding that the spiritual world exists and how we relate to it, is profitable to know. There are people in this world who are put on medication, given a label, and left to deal with it, and there may be another force driving their behavior: A spiritual force. It is the responsibility of a counselor to understand that there are steps to becoming aware of these circumstances and to alleviating them. Both have to do with expanding our knowledge and growing spiritually, and the results of doing so can only bring about productive treatment to recovery. After all, the Bible tells us that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, New Living Translation). To ignore this, would have serious repercussions.

Resources
Anderson, D. N. (2003). Discipleship Counseling. Ventura, CA: Regal Books from Gospel Light.
Nelson, J. M. (2009). Helping Relationships: Counseling and Spiritual Growth. In J. M. Nelson, Psychology, Religion, and Spirituallity (pp. 475-506). NY: Springer New York. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-87573-6_14
Rediger, G. L. (1998, April). Spiritual Warfare. The Clergy Journal, 74(6), pp. 18-23. doi:28833991
Starbuck, E. D. (1901). The line of growth following conversion. The psychology of religion: An empirical study of the growth of religious consciousness, 353-374. doi:10.1037/13725-028