From--Counselor Corner SP®: As Counselors, We Also Look At Our Client’s Religion!

From: Counselor Corner SP® & Tres Mali Scott

This topic is endorsed by Counselor Corner SP® by Tres Mali Scott, M.Ed., M.S., Ph.D. (ABD)--Certified School Counselor Oklahoma State Board of Education since 1998

I am a Psychiatrist, why is this important to me? Psychiatrist give assessment and evaluations that shape the course of the lives of the individuals they evaluate. Understanding religious vocabulary can help you give more objective assessments and evaluations.

As counselors, we also look at our client’s religion. Religion gives sets of rules that dictate how we respond and behave. Each religion has values, norms, and beliefs that shape how we interpret our world, our environment, our relationships, our goals, our hopes, and our dreams.

Each religion has a vocabulary that describes. For example, the educational discipline and psychology discipline have similar theories, but different words to describe them.

• What is considered acceptable vocabulary for our experiences is also evaluated according to religion. Most religions have prayers and rituals that have been repeated since childhood and the wording is mental training. Some religions have violent wording that is in conflict with the norms of appropriate societal behavior, including suggestions of suicide, homicide, or abuse.
• Though counseling does not support or encourage religion, it is important to evaluate clients in context of what they consider appropriate as a result of upbringing and training. This is important in treatment planning and approach to counseling.

Again, as counselors, we also look at our client’s religion. Though counseling does not encourage or support religion, what vocabulary client’s use to describe can be better understood if the origin of the meaning is known.