"Contemplation and Counseling" by P. Gregg Blanton. A Review

Contemplation and Counseling: An Integrative Model for PractitionersContemplation and Counseling: An Integrative Model for Practitioners by P. Gregg Blanton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If humans are truly made in the image of God then there is necessarily a pious aspect to their make-up, their troubles, and to their recovery. P. Gregg Blanton, professor of psychology and human services at Montreat College since 1997, founder of the Center for Contemplation and Marriage, and active therapist in private practice, has interestingly drawn in contemplative prayer as part and parcel for helping others gain/regain well-being. This is all laid out in his brand new 232 page paperback, "Contemplation and Counseling: An Integrative Model for Practitioners". This volume is primarily for the sanative specialists, drawing from the mindfulness approaches of Kabat-Zinn and Siegel, as well as the centering prayer pathway of Meninger, Pennington and Keating. But it moves into the author's own direction.

In "Contemplation and Counseling" Blanton's contention "is that the Christian contemplative heritage provides counselors with a clear perspective on the three components of counseling: (1) a useful understanding of the client's situation, (2) guidance for establishing a helping relationship, and (3) effective interventions for resolving the client's problem" (17). To get to this three-fold conclusion that author unpacks what contemplative prayer is, shows how it can and does fit into therapy, the reason Christian counselors needs to practice contemplative prayer for themselves, and the ways this approach enhances counseling sessions and beyond.

Most of the book encircles and investigates seven qualities: presence, openness, attention, acceptance, compassion, resonance, and love. On occasion the author will add aspects to these qualities; but they remain central deciphering tools through the volume when looking at each angle of counseling and counselor. There is a very helpful description and definition of love in the final chapter that moves beyond a simple "feel-good-ism".

Since I'm not a counseling professional, I found the book a bit tricky here and there. But I was able to follow along, and get the point and practice the author was gunning for. My only real complaint is that I felt the theological and exegetical sides of the book were light, and at times slightly off-base. I recommend the book for Christians trained as helping specialists in psychology, psychotherapy, and counseling.

My thanks to IVP who sent me a free copy of the book on my request. And my thanks that they have given me the liberty to voice an honest review, no strings attached.


View all my reviews

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?" (Rev. Ed.) by John Fea. A Review

Image
  John Fea is a professor of history at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA. A university founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. He originally published "Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction" in 2011, and it was revised in 2016. This 328-page paperback is packed full with Colonial and American history, drawing from original sources to answer that question. It is a book written "for the historically minded and thoughtful reader who is looking for help in sorting" out this question, avoiding polemics (xix). Since we live in a sound-bite culture, Fea recognizes that it is difficult to have a sustained dialogue on this topic, but he makes a valiant effort toward having that sustained dialogue. The book reads fairly straightforward, and doesn't seem to get bogged down in the contentious mudpuddles or bogs. In the end, Fea seems to get his point across. To answer the reigning question if America was founded as a Christian...
Read more

Union with Christ - An Application

Image
  (This was my weekly letter to my congregation on Wednesday, 21 February 2024) This morning in my devotional reading, I was working through 1 Corinthians 8. Though I’ve read these words a huge number of times over the years, today one verse caused me to stop and take stock.  Paul wrote, “ Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ ” (1 Corinthians 8:12). What struck me is a couple of things. First, in God’s saving work, we are – by grace alone – united (hitched, bonded, ingrafted) to Christ so much so, that what happens to us happens to him, and what is his becomes ours (think of Galatians 2:20, for example). As Sinclair Ferguson put it, “through union with Christ all that is his by incarnation becomes ours through faith” (“The Christian Life,” 110). Let that percolate in your heart for a while. Your fear, anxiety, tears, and so forth, he feels. And his “ Peace, be still ” is yours. Second, the way we treat one an...
Read more

"Ah, Lord! We are Animated by Anger and Anxiety, Fear and Fury..."

Image
I hesitate to put this out there because of the combative environment we are in at present. But I think some souls will take courage from this, and some will also join with me as we get to the end of this little composition. I am struck by the words of God in Zechariah 8. As he rehearses the waywardness and faithlessness of his people in the past, he clearly declares that he " set every man against his neighbor " (8:10). That got me thinking long ago. I started putting the pieces together and realized that one of God's acts of judgment is division, setting a man against his neighbor. That's what happened when he divided his people into the northern tribes and southern tribes (see 1 Kings 11:26-40). Because of Solomon's turning aside, allowing his wives to turn his heart away from the God of his father, David, the Lord brings about a rift in God's people. And this pattern of divisive judgment runs throughout Scripture. On the other hand, truthful unity is the g...
Read more