Creation Therapy

Creation Therapy is the first course for every student of the Pastoral Counseling Center.  It provides the foundation for a proven model of Christian counseling that has been rigorously developed and proven over the last 30 years by thousands of Christian professionals. What follows is the introduction and statement of purpose directly from the text of Creation Therapy.  Your are encouraged to spend the time to read this information.  Be blessed as you read...

A Biblically Based Model For Christian Counseling

Purposes of the course Creation Therapy:

• provide the student with the biblical, historic and scientific background of the theory of temperament, Creation Therapy, and to provide evidence of the validity of this theory and counseling technique.

• teach the student the general behavior pattern of each temperament, how it affects every aspect of all our lives, and how to use this information to assist the counselee.

• introduce the student to a test called “Arno Profile System.” This test, unlike all other measurements of behavior, measures inborn temperament with an accuracy rate of 95.7%.

• provide the student with a credible alternative to the counseling techniques currently available to the Christian community. The therapeutic model taught in this course has a proven success rate of 93.4%. This percentage is based on therapy conducted with over 7,000 counselees.

• teach the student how to counsel others and how to assist their counselees in achieving long-term emotional and spiritual well-being.

Introduction

In the early establishment of Christianity, the Church was solely responsible for the counseling of its people. Because of the perception that the Christian community is not qualified to counsel its people, the humanists have largely taken over the responsibility of counseling. Humanists believe that we (the Christian community) do not have any REAL solutions to human problems—depression, anxiety, abnormal stress, etc. In reality, no one is better qualified to counsel than those who know and understand man’s unique position in the plan of creation and realize the place which God has for man in eternity.

Heretofore, the Christian community has simply taken the therapeutic methods developed by the secular community, such as Reality Therapy by Glasser or Client-Centered Therapy by Carl Rogers, and applied them in the biblical approach.

 

You probably already know that in most seminaries the therapeutic counseling technique taught and most widely used among clergy is Client-Centered Therapy. Most seminaries teach this therapeutic method because it is where the pastor can “do the least amount of damage.” Carl Rogers believed that the greatest and most positive changes that could take place in the counselee were brought about by allowing the counselee to talk. Seldom did the counselor or therapist say anything other than to re-focus and re-direct what the counselee just said, i.e., the counselor might say things like, “uh huh, how do you feel about that?” or “You feel angry,” or “You feel frustrated.

Client-Centered Therapy, along with all the other techniques, including Gestalt, Rational Emotive Therapy and Psychoanalytic Therapy, are all based on one assumption—that man has evolved and that man is his own god. Therefore, a person has within himself/herself the solutions to his/her problems. We feel it is impossible to take therapies built on these assumptions and modify them for use in a Christian counseling setting.

The problems of a counselee are not ALWAYS caused by sin in their life.

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Many of today’s problems are a result of the complicated, fast-paced world in which we live, a world that threatens man’s emotional stability.

The goal of this course is to help God’s children reach their full potential through the counsel of the godly.

The counseling problems of the past remain unresolved and are becoming far worse. The divorce rate, sexual abuse and violence in the home are skyrocketing. Suicide, alcohol and drug abuse have become commonplace. High blood pressure and heart disease (due to stress) have become two of the nation’s biggest killers. Carnality is threatening to destroy the Church, and the solutions given to us seem to be quite ineffective.

Creation Therapy is based on the theory of temperament (understanding of the inner man) and uses this knowledge to help us understand ourselves. Therefore, it allows us to be the best that God has created us to be by meeting the needs of our temperament equally and scripturally. Although this therapeutic method is a fairly new concept (developed in 1983), it has been extremely successful.

Of course, Creation Therapy is not “the perfect solution for all of man’s problems” and we do not want to suggest that it is. Nothing can exceed the wisdom which the counselor receives from being open to hear “the still small voice” of the Lord.

The counselor, no matter how excellent the therapeutic method, must always maintain spiritual freedom in the counseling setting. This is to say, we cannot hold to a rigid therapeutic method and be closed to the Lord’s guidance. Ministering salvation to those we counsel must take precedence over this or any other therapeutic procedure used by the counselor/therapist.

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Full and complete change of a human being is an act of God. It is imperative for you to realize that we do not want to teach, or even imply, that the application of this therapy, even in its utopia, can change a human being. It is the understanding and acceptance of one’s unique self through Creation Therapywhich causes each individual to allow God to effect change in his/her life. Creation Therapy is a tool requiring:

• understanding of one’s unique self.

• surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ and His plan for our lives.

• a willingness to surrender the ungodly ways of meeting our temperament needs and replacing them with methods which are taught in the Holy Scriptures. This is a daily surrender.

The theory of temperament teaches that our temperament is placed within us by God, while in our mother’s womb, and that this temperament will remain with us throughout our lives. We are spiritual beings created by God with a precise order and balance of body, soul and spirit. The spirit encompasses our temperament, and our heart is the binding, blending and balancing agent within our temperament. This overlaps our soul and spirit and provides God’s precise order within each of us.

The theory continues to teach that every individual has temperament needs of varying degrees. These temperament needs are met by drawing from the lower soul (humanistic) or from the higher soul, most commonly referred to as the spirit. Most interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts are caused by:

• individuals attempting to meet their temperament needs in an ungodly way (drawing from the lower soul).

• temperament needs being out of balance, i.e., all the individual’s energies spent meeting some needs while other needs are ignored.

• reactions to unmet temperament needs.

Creation Therapy identifies the temperament needs in counselees and helps them find a balance in order to relieve the inner stress. This therapeutic procedure will help your counselees find peace within themselves, within their environment and with the Lord.

Many scholars are of the opinion that any therapy, based on the theory of temperament, “types” individuals. That is to say, it is narrow in scope and has “little boxes” in which it places people. Nothing could be further from the truth because there are thousands of different temperament blends. Creation Therapy focuses on the uniqueness of each individual, not the reverse.

We want you to learn this material, not just in your mind but deep in your spirit. We want you to know what you are doing, and we believe that if you understand this therapy and how it works that you will be able to help nearly every person who turns to you. Learning this therapeutic method requires more than just simply knowing the material. It requires application on a regular basis, thereby increasing your knowledge and understanding daily.

Creation Therapy must be used for good. When a counselor learns and understands the temperaments and how they work, he/she quickly realizes that this knowledge is very deep and reveals private things about other human beings. This confidential information could be very dangerous in the hands of the wrong person. We pray that you will use this knowledge and understanding for the good of mankind and for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.