"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

“The Shift” - 2023 Movie. A Review

Image
  What do you get when you cross a dark dystopian storyline with sci-fi, alternative dimensions, theological and philosophical questions, and the biblical book of Job? You get The Shift , written and directed by Brock Heasley, produced by Ken Carpenter, and distributed by Angel Studios. This roughly one hour and 45 minute tale swirls around Kevin (Kristoffer Polaha) as he moves from one realm of life, with it’s happiness and heartbreak, to another dimension that is a dismal existence clearly governed by The Benefactor (masterfully played by Neal McDonough). A viewer will be asking questions all the way through, and picking up clues and answers that pull the story together bit-by-bit. The story bumps up against an infinite set of alternative possibilities, of time, space, and versions of one’s self that will likely stoke a viewer’s imagination. But the heart of the narrative - besides love, grief, loss, trust/distrust - is around the place of evil, specifically, personal or human evil.
Read more

"On Getting Out of Bed" by Alan Noble. A Review

Image
  When it comes to family members or friends going through a significant mental crisis, or suffering, we often can feel like we’re fumbling about to help them. Sometimes, we can become like Job’s friends, whom he had to call “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2). But very recently Alan Noble, assistant professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee Oklahoma, and cofounder and editor-in-chief of “Christ and Pop Culture” penned a deeply beautiful 120-page hardback that addresses mental affliction. “On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living” is written for those who struggle with mental affliction, but also pastors, teachers, parents, and loved ones, to “help them understand their loved one’s suffering. It is for anyone who ever struggles to get out of bed” (3). I finished this book earlier this week, and kept finding myself saying, “Finally! Someone gets it!” Eight chapters fill up this handy manual. They run through several subjects, like not sounding like Job’s f
Read more

Community?

Image
  (This is from my letter to my congregation I sent out today, 30 August 2023) As one of my elders was leading us through Carl Trueman’s Strange New World in our adult class , I appreciated Trueman’s emphasis on community. And our discussions, especially the last two Sundays, were very fruitful as we thought out loud together about this subject. Therefore, I thought I would share something from David Brooks, an Op-ed columnist that leans into this discussion.   Brooks published a book in 2019 titled, “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life”. In that work he was taking a gentle punch at destructive trends he has been seeing, and giving some helpful correctives. And so, he notes that “Individualism, taken too far, leads to tribalism” (34). He then shows how the loneliness and spiritual emptiness of individualism taken too far have become more prevalent in our time and the ways that they lead to very dark social consequences. These darker social consequences foster the need t
Read more