Cognitive Biblical
Therapy Coursework
Counseling Through God’s
Transformative Word!
Chapter 2 Topics:
a. Explaining the Agape Questionnaire
b. Phases 1 – 3 of Cognitive Biblical Therapy
c. Describing the IDI and ISI forms
d. Phases 4 – 5 Of Cognitive Biblical Therapy
Important Note: Answering the section questions is a great way to prepare for the end of the chapter quiz.
Quiz Requirement: A score of 75% is necessary to continue to the next chapter.
Retaking a quiz is accepting grace in order to learn the applications of CBT. Keep taking the quiz until you pass the 75% benchmark.
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Chapter 2
Analysis Questionnaire and Agape Love Analysis
Explaining the Agape Questionnaire
With Course One you received supportive documents which contain the materials that you will need for the course: an Analysis Questionnaire for Agape Love, Word Studies which are also called the Biblical norms, and scoring directions. Find the Analysis Questionnaire for Agape Love (AQAL) and use it as a reference for the following text. You will see various names for the questionnaire in the CBT courses, like “Analysis Questionnaire”, “Agape Questionnaire” or “Agape Love Questionnaire Analysis” form, though the word “questionnaire” is usually consistent in the form title.
The first thing to notice is that it’s a series of 75 questions. Underneath each question are five potential answers: almost always, sometimes, generally, most often, almost never. The reason for the five different potential answers is that whenever you’re doing or making an attempt to measure human response through what’s called a self-report questionnaire, you would have to have a way to measure it. A Likert scale is a research method that’s used to give people a variety of potential answers, each one slightly different than the other across degrees of behavior, from one extreme to the other. Attaching a number to each response provides a record that can be collected to provide information about their behavior. In this case we attach a number value to their answer that ranges from 1-5 depending upon which response they select. See Analysis Questionnaire Score Sheet.
You’ll also notice the age group. The reason for the age group is because that’s another research tool. We use the information for statistical analysis to see if the answers vary by age. You’ll also notice at the very end of the questionnaire and on any other CBT material is a copyright. All this material is registered to me with the Library of Congress under the name of Cognitive Biblical Therapy.
The last facet of the questionnaire that it has been written using the qualities of Agape love from I Corinthians 13:4-8. Each quality of love has been used to develop 5 different questions. In my doctoral research I developed questionnaires dealing with any relationship: marital relationships, child-parent relationships, employment, relatives, brother-sister, and a relationship to God. Using each quality of agape love, I developed Biblical norms or standards for relationships. Those norms are what love is: patient, kind, does not envy, is not rude, does not boast, is not proud, rude, self-seeking, easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. It rejoices in the truth, protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres and never fails. For each norm (quality) five questions were developed from Word Studies using the original languages of the Bible using Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and an Expanded Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, and a Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament Words.
For example, what does being patient mean? The questionnaire may ask, “Do you remain quiet almost always or almost never?” From the word study, patience has a much different meaning than doing nothing, being quiet, gritting your teeth, tolerating junk, and doing nothing. Rather, patience is a process of Biblical responses that starts with asking Jesus to help you, “What am I doing?” Our goal is to respond in a godly manner. So, if Jesus when He’s mistakenly accused does not bury his feelings, or pop off and say, “Who do you think you are?” What response would Jesus have? The questionnaire will measure how difficult it is for the client to remain quiet when mistakenly accused. That answer will be given a number value on the Likert scale of 1 – 5 according to the continuum of very patient or not patient at all. The Scripture shows that it should almost never be difficult for you to remain quiet when you’re mistakenly accused, because you have knowledge and a confidence in a relationship to God that’s stronger than the accusation. You know you’re righteous, Jesus Christ gives you that, so being wrong doesn’t mean you’re stupid or you have to be afraid. It means that God’s going to help you do something about it. God will show you the truth so that you can look the person in the eyeball and say, “I need to talk to you, because I have a problem with your accusation. Here are my facts and help me understand what you mean.” In other words, your response, your patience is going to be productive, not destructive. Most people don’t understand that. Not only that, but they don’t understand kindness or rudeness or being trustworthy.
All these qualities that God talks about in this passage on love, has to come from God’s Holy Spirit living in you. Measuring each of these qualities (norms) is the first step of the methodology. The analysis of love behaviors is through the questionnaire. The questionnaire for children 10 years of age or older and a questionnaire for children 10 years of age and younger have the same norms, but fewer questions. With this understanding, you are able to explain the questionnaire to the client as the first step in finding out objectively what the presenting problem is based on. The analysis will guide you in their counseling and alleviating the problem. The analysis will show them the place where they are in order to move forward in learning and changing.
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Describe the Agape Love Analysis Questionnaire including the detail of scores, the source of the elements measured, and the purpose for the Questionnaire.
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Dr. Dan's Answer:
What it is and how it is scored. The Agape Love Analysis Questionnaire is a self-report questionnaire of 75 questions. It uses a Likert scale which gives people a range of answers across degrees of behavior, from one extreme to the other. Each answer is given a number value from 1 to 5, and 5 matches the Biblical norm.
Source of the elements measured. The questions come from the qualities of Agape love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Each quality became a Biblical norm -- a standard for relationships -- and five questions were written for each one. The norms were developed through word studies in the original Hebrew and Greek using Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and Vine's Expository Dictionaries of the Old and New Testament.
Purpose. The questionnaire is the first step of the CBT method (Analysis). It gives an objective starting point, or profile, showing how the client understands and practices love compared with God's standard. The results also reveal the client's knowledge base and relationship with God, so they can begin learning and changing.
At this point, the questionnaire will give the client a starting point (profile). The scores of their responses will show them their current understanding of how they are acting in a loving manner. You will also be able to explain the areas that they are having trouble with. Each area aligns with a specific Biblical norm of agape love. It serves to clearly present the knowledge base of the individual as they have reported, their perspectives on relationships, and the kind of life experiences they’ve had and how those experiences shaped their thinking, actions and concepts. It will also clarify their emotional makeup, spiritual condition (relation to the Scriptures), and their relationship to God. Each questionnaire regardless of which one they take will show those characteristics. In a marriage one person has been passive and withdrawn and the other may have been strong willed. If it’s an employment situation, they will learn how their relationships at work are affecting them.
Whatever the situation, even an eating disorder, they will learn how their concepts are affecting their life choices. There are always situations and circumstances in the person’s life that are going to generate choice for reactions to them. Until you identify for them what kind of choices they make, how those choices are hurting them, and how they’re allowing negative situations to impact them, they don’t see it. You want them to understand that God has a plan by which they can be healthy, living in dignity and respect. The client can understand himself, body, mind and soul, because he potentially doesn’t right now.
But this is the first step and what an initial session is like using CBT. Now some of this you’re going to see more clearly by learning what is in the following courses where you will get more understanding and detail of how this all works together.
In keeping these basic thoughts that I just shared about the questionnaire and introducing these things to the client, you want to think about what Biblical purpose the analysis questionnaire fulfills. It may seem odd to clients how a Biblical norm can be used to help them change. There are so many different psychological theories, that the thought of an absolute (norm) seems ridiculous to most people. But the main difference is that psychology is based on humanism which believes that everybody as an individual, has power and strength within himself.
The first step is establishing that there are standards, Biblical norms that determine the quality of life. Without them, we have junky lives that hurt us and keep us upset. For example, if you get a client who is experiencing a lot of verbal abuse, we know that in the book of Ephesians there’s a real simple statement that says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth.” A little further in the book of Ephesians states that we should be rid of all anger and slander, malice, bitterness, and envy. The basic directions from God is don’t do these things, because they will create heartache, fear, anger, and alienation from each other. God has provided steps to overcome these tendencies. It will take time and effort, but the client doesn’t carry this burden alone: “God loves you, and will help you learn how to change so that you don’t continue to harm yourself.”
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Explain how the Biblical norms provide a standard for behavior that shows the client where change needs to occur.
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Dr. Dan's Answer:
Most psychological theories rest on humanism -- the belief that each person has the power and strength within himself to change. CBT starts from the opposite position: God has set standards, the Biblical norms, that determine the quality of life.
The client's questionnaire answers are placed next to God's standard, and the gap between the two shows exactly where change is needed. For example, a client dealing with verbal abuse can be shown Ephesians 4, which says not to let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth and to get rid of anger, slander, malice, and bitterness.
Once they see the contrast between what they do and what God says love is, they know what needs to change. God has provided steps to overcome these tendencies. God loves them and will help them change.
Using the analysis results of the questionnaire (see Agape Love Analysis Profile of Biblical Norms), we can see how much the client knows about Agape love. The Biblical norms are based on I Corinthians 13:4-8, which says love is patient, love is kind, love is protective, trustworthy, hopeful, perseveres, never fails. You can see how much the client knows about what it means to be patient. Let’s find out how close or far away the client is in how you conduct your relationships. The first question, for example, the answer that is given the value of five, “it’s difficult for me to remain quiet when mistakenly accused” will be the one that says it’s “almost never” difficult. Now that’s the answer that’s on the far-right hand side after question one.
For question two, on kindness, the answer that’s going to be given the highest value or the one that represents the concept from Scripture, will be the answer on the far left, “almost always.” This represents a scoring process that is called reverse scoring which requires the client to always read the choices rather than getting into a set pattern and just choosing the one on the right. You want them to read the question carefully and think about their choice for an answer. The value of the answer changes with each question, for example “Almost Always” has a value of 1 on one question and a 5 on a different question. The client will show their level of understanding by the score they receive. High scores show they understand the concept pretty well; a low score shows a lack of understanding and those will need to be addressed.
For example, Question six is about rudeness. In Scripture rudeness means to feign ignorance, which means to pretend that I don’t know what I’m doing, so that I can do what I want, to get the response I want, get the thing I want, even if it causes another person or myself to have a sense of pain, suffering or confusion. Rudeness is being willing to use negative emotions or manipulation to get what I want. Now here’s a classic example, it’s one of my favorites. Husband and wife sit down, and one senses the other is sort of upset, one asks the other, “You seem upset, is there something wrong?” If that person is going to be rude, they may look at them and they may say, with an attitude, “I’m just fine!” They may reply with a wimpy attitude of a victim, “I’m okay.” In either case, one of two responses is usual: the other one may get angry and reply, “You know I’m so sick of you acting like that. I ask you what’s wrong and you won’t tell me.” The other common response is the one asking if it’s their fault, which is pretty common and say, “Did I do something wrong, tell me what I did?” Now the upset person, still being rude, will know they have gained some power and control. They’re going to use that to their advantage and say, “If you don’t know what’s wrong, I’m not going to tell you.” Or they may continue to play the victim, get all teary and say, “Well, I’ve talked to you a lot of times, and you’re never going to change.”
Whatever the case, they’re going to score potentially a one or two on that question. When you show them their score, you can ask, “Do you know that can make you appear rude?” God has a definition of rude you have never heard before. Often people have learned that their method of responding doesn’t work, but they don’t know how to change it. Sometimes they have been successful in their eyes, and didn’t know that was rudeness. In either case, they have to learn a new way and be willing to submit to God, so they can change that behavior.
Whatever the question, the score will range between one and five, with the Biblical norm being five. A three, four, or five is an okay answer, but a one or two will be the places where the concept for this question needs to change. These places are pointed out on the graphs, here is why you’re having trouble, and there’s a way to change it. So these are going to be presented to the person, to the client on this composite graph and on separate scores through the analysis of the questionnaire. The analysis document will visually show the scores and the Biblical norms or concepts they represent. A contrast is shown between what they know and what God is saying: love is in a good relationship, personal peace or a good relationship to God.
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How does each answer to a question on the questionnaire reflect the client's understanding of the element of Agape Love?
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Dr. Dan's Answer:
Every question is tied to one quality of Agape love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, and the answer that matches God's standard receives the value of 5. So each answer shows how close to or far from the Biblical norm the client is in that area of love. Because the scores are shown on a graph next to the norms, the client can see the contrast between what they believe love is and what God says love is.
Each Biblical Norm has five distinct facets. The first facet of the Biblical norm is that it comes from a word study in the original Greek (N.T.) and Hebrew (O.T.). The Biblical norm is that it comes from a Word Study using the Strong’s Exhausted Concordance of the Bible and Vine’s Concordance and Dictionary. For example, in this passage in Corinthians that serves as a basis for the initial study on Agape love, rude has been defined and explained in the concordances. To learn what the client thinks, you can ask, “What does it mean to be rude?” You can share the Biblical norm or the word study with them in the initial session. If rudeness means “to feign ignorance” (second facet: the exact definition-Lexical) that would be your exact definition, lexical definition, from the original word study definition. Then the third facet expands the original definition called “feigned ignorance” to “the decision to pretend like there is a lack of knowledge within yourself,” and then to convey to another person a message of knowing. You convey this double message because you want something and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get it, even if you have to treat yourself or someone else in a hurtful manner that is designed to manipulate the other person into doing what you want.
So far, we’ve taken this original definition that’s come from this Word Study, and we’ve given them the definition and expanded it. This is the third facet. You can role play this example for them. Have the client ask you if anything is wrong or something's bothering me. Then your response would be “No, I’m just fine, nothing’s wrong with me.” Or it’s, “Oh, I’m okay” with whichever tone of voice you wish. Ask the client to tell you what they heard. Ask them, “how do you know that?” They will respond, “Well, your tone of voice.” Remind them what rudeness is. There’s a possibility that some of the problems you have in relationships happen because rudeness is a spiritual issue. The other person discerns that, and then potentially fires back at you with a hostile response. They can begin to get the drift that there are some standards or norms which they may be violating.
The fourth facet of a Biblical norm is that there are other words (cross-reference) that they will connect with. For example, love is patient and can also mean that love is long-suffering. Inside this word study there will be other words to reference to, for example, envy can cross reference to being jealous. Therefore, if love is not envious, it can also mean that love is not jealous. If love is patient, it can also mean that love is long-suffering. At the end of each word study of each Biblical norm, there will be a summary that takes all the information and puts it into a summary (fifth facet) which takes all of the information and puts it into a synopsis or summary.
In essence you’re trying to present this information for the clients going through the process. So, you’re giving them this Biblical norm, patience--kindness, to build new scriptural knowledge, showing the contrast between the client’s answers on this questionnaire and the Scripture. This knowledge will lead them to change within whatever they are concerned with in a very practical way. They will change their relationships at work, with a spouse, and family. There will be spiritual change, emotional change, as well as relationship change. The presenting problem can be addressed, because you’re going to have new knowledge. God’s going to help you through Jesus. You’re going to have a means by which now this problem that’s plagued you, no longer has a grip on you.
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Briefly name and explain the five facets of a Biblical norm.
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Dr. Dan's Answer:
1. The original word study (lexical definition). Each norm begins with a word study in the original Greek and Hebrew using Strong's and Vine's.
2. Clarifying and expanding the definition. The definition is explained in practical terms.
3. Illustrating it so the client recognizes it. The counselor makes the norm concrete -- for example, by role-playing.
4. Related (cross-referenced) words. Each norm connects to other words in Scripture.
5. A summary of practical knowledge of Agape love. The goal is to build practical, new scriptural knowledge of what Agape love is and how it looks in a relationship.
Phases 1 – 3 of Cognitive Biblical Therapy
The five phases of CBT are: 1) Analysis -finding the person’s need, 2) Biblical Norms – discovering the truth, 3) Ownership – correcting and instruction, 4) Application - commitment to change, and 5) Maturity- developing a stronger relationship to Christ and dependance on the Holy Spirit for change. The attached document also gives you a description of CBT: 5 Phases of Counseling. You may remember that I talked to you about a scriptural premise for this method of CBT, there’s also a scriptural premise for each phase of the methodology. The first one, Analysis, is based on the Proverbs 5:21:” For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord and He examines all of his paths.” In other words, God knows what you do, where you go, what you think, how you act, and what you say. Those all need to be examined not in order to usher in condemnation, but so to see if they’re good or if they’re bad; if they’re constructive, if they’re destructive.
After answering the Analysis Questionnaire for Agape Love (AQAL), you will need to move to the second step (Biblical norms) in order to examine God’s ways. We start by reaffirming that God is a loving, compassionate, tender God who knows how you act and want help you, to heal you, to bless you, to restore you, and stay with you. Your ways may not be like His, and when they’re not like God’s ways, then there are problems. We are here talking, because the Lord knows them, and He wants to help you examine them.
The second phase of CBT is the Biblical norm or standard, which comes from the scriptural premise in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Unless you learn that rudeness can be as subtle and simple as responding to someone with “No, I’m just fine!” then you’re not going to be equipped, or know that’s not righteous. Without this Biblical norm or concept, the Holy Spirit won’t be able to help you change your behavior. Without knowing the Biblical standard, you can’t be taught, corrected, or trained. The Biblical norm is actually the means by which God heals and restores. For the new Christian there is a whole closet full of things that God wants to address, and the Scripture has to be the foundation for how that occurs.
Now the third phase in CBT is called Ownership. The scriptural premise for Ownership is James 4:7: “Submit yourselves then to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you are double minded. Grieve, mourn, and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.” Ownership means that the client understands his actions, and how they contrast with the Biblical norms. In ownership you are bringing the client through knowledge of their personality, their growing up experiences, their social experiences, and their spiritual reality of being a sinner. They are at the point where they have to make a decision.
For an example of how this works: One client was a man who was very tall, pretty big, about 6 '6 ", about 250 pounds. He had been mocked, and ridiculed as a child. In this particular case, his wife was passive, meek, and withdrawn. He was throwing things through doors, yelling and screaming, being unreasonable with money, controlling her time and activities and not letting her have friends. All of this came out in the questionnaire: rudeness, selfishness, not trustworthy. And the Scriptural norms of patience, and kindness were supplemented by other Scripture in Ephesians 5:25-30, “Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, to make her holy cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” I was able to explain to the man that his actions violate God’s standard in Ephesians 5:25-30. It’s like you take a big bucket of old dirty, stagnant water and throw it on her body, mind, soul, emotions and her spirit, and you make them filthy. And instead of washing her so that she is blameless and radiant, instead of being honest and Christ-like in a grace filled way, you end up soiling your wife. That means that you don’t own the reality of how to be Christ-like to your wife.
The results from the questionnaire present the scores in such a way that the person sees them on a graph, sees their number score, which tells them what the one or two means. They’re given the context or the content behind every question. Every question comes directly from the Scripture and the content, the goal, being Christ-like, the norm is what gets the value of a 5. They can see that they either fail or are right on the mark. So, feigned ignorance means that you do what you want, you use body language, tone of voice, and actions to intimidate another person. When he throws the softball through the door, goes into the other room and yells, “You made me do that!” This results in her quaking in fear and not responding with patience by not confronting him. Has been rude to her and she doesn’t even realize that she is feeding into it, and also being rude to him by being a victim.
I had to say that to him and, in his particular case, he responded to me by pounding the walls, slamming chairs around, and beating on doors. He knocked things down and finally came to a point one night standing beside me, he screamed at the top of his lungs, “Who do you think you are? You’ve wrecked my life. I’m going to beat you to death!” Sometimes clients react this way, because ownership is like peeling away all the facades, all the layers, all the denials, all the control, and all the power that the client carried into your office. You may be the first person that ever loved them like Christ, telling them the truth without harassing, belittling, and mocking without fear. His actions were intimidating, but there was nothing I did that was designed to hurt him. There is spiritual power in truth in your position of Biblical counseling; but you must be smart. For example, one guy came in with a knife strapped to his leg; another guy with a 38-caliber pistol in an ankle hostel underneath his jeans. Be smart, but not afraid.
Ownership is about--showing them that God that genuinely cares, isn’t going to hurt them, but wants to heal and restore them once again. Ownership presents a contrast between these two definitions of love: 1) what the person thinks it means. This is usually conditional, controlling, or any number of things, and 2) what God says it is: patient, honest, kind, helpful, protective, trustworthy. The reality is that you cannot be this Christ-like, godly person with unconditional love, unless it comes directly from God. Through God’s power working through the Holy Spirit in your relationship with Him, you grow and mature, be at peace, and not afraid. Since you have given Him your will, He will use the Bible as the standard to guide you in how you think, act, talk, and react.
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Name and briefly describe CBT Phases 1, 2, and 3.
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Dr. Dan's Answer:
Phase 1: Analysis (finding the person's need). The questionnaire lets the client examine their ways. The IDI and ISI provide background information that may contribute to the presenting problem.
Phase 2: Biblical Norms (discovering the truth). The client learns God's standard for love. Without knowing the norm, a person cannot be taught, corrected, or trained. The Biblical norm is the means by which God heals and restores.
Phase 3: Ownership (correction and instruction). In ownership the client understands their own actions and how they contrast with the Biblical norm, and that they are a sinner -- which brings them to a decision to change or to remain unchanged.
Describing the IDI and the ISI
Having gone through the explanation of ownership, you need to gather information about the client. The client needs to complete two forms at the initial session: the Initial Session Inventory (ISI) form and the Initial Data Inventory (IDI) form (both are fillable forms). Open up the ISI, you will see it tis very similar to the Client Intake Form, through the original version is now fillable. You will see how the intake questions gather critical contact information, like phone numbers and addresses. There are basic questions about their beliefs and spiritual habits. The IDI (original version, now fillable), you will see how it asks more personal questions about their life experiences with problems such as abuse, family dynamics, marriage, divorce, health issues and substance abuse. Along with the other Course Documents (ZIP File), you can download these forms for your use in helping people, though be aware of the copyright on each form.
It’s an interesting thing that someone will tell you something on a form that they wouldn’t say just openly in a conversation, and that’s why you have these forms. The client is new to counseling, doesn’t know you, and is nervous. The ISI (Initial Session Inventory) form will allow you to get insights into them spiritually, and a way to contact them, maybe to change their session time. Other information is what they hope to accomplish in counseling, who referred them, their social security number, what form of payment they will use: insurance, a church scholarship, a mixture of the two, or strictly their own funds. It takes five or ten minutes to complete. They can do this before the session in the waiting room, or afterward. This should be completed before they leave the building.
The second form is the Initial Data Inventory. They fill this out after the session, and email it back to you with their completed Agape Love Analysis Questionnaire (printed version or fillable format). If they prefer to complete them as a hard copy, you can give them the Biblical norms in a large envelope to use to return the IDI and then complete the Analysis Questionnaire before their next session. I usually just write across the top, “Send this back.” Or you can email them the fillable format or they can get the form off of your website to complete and email it back to you. Let them know that you need this information within a week or before their second session. Obviously, you need this information in order to understand the client more fully, but the forms provide an efficient and private way to gather the information. Once you have the completed forms, take the time to go through them. Whether you keep a paper file or a digital/fillable file, be sure to have their completed forms in front of you for their next session. You can add categories or additional information to the ISI and /or the IDI, as they discuss further personal information in their counseling sessions. This information helps you keep track of your sessions, clients, for reference and reports when needed. At this point in the initial session, give them all of the information that they need to fill out and send back the information you will need to proceed with the second session. Explain that at the next session you will present their scores on the Analysis Questionnaire which will show those Biblical norms with low scores and those with high scores. The client will see visually on a graph how they scored compared to the Biblical norm. These results will identify the areas that need to be addressed. Each Biblical norm has concepts that they need to learn which will aid in solving their presenting problem.
For example, one concept in Patience is about “accepting someone else’s choice, even if it’s different than my own.” Someone else would be anyone in a relationship (spouse, friend, boss, relative). “I can accept it, even though I don’t agree with it,” is the Biblical norm. A score of one on this question means you don’t understand the Biblical concept, which says that patience will give a person a second chance, or not assume you know why that was their choice. Instead, you need to take time to work with God to get insight on how to respond. Sometimes it can show your tendency to judge yourself based on your behavior due to low self-esteem or lack of self-confidence. This impatience causes you to have difficulties in human relationships or even your spiritual relationship to God. The Biblical norms from Scripture are only sources of these concepts. Understanding and applying concepts through the relationship to God, you will begin to get relief from the problems that you brought to this counseling session.
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Explain how the information on the IDI and ISI contributes to the treatment plan the counselor will prepare.
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Dr. Dan's Answer:
The two forms give the counselor a fuller picture of the client than one conversation can. Clients often write on a form what they would not say out loud to a counselor they have just met. They provide information about background, spiritual conditions, and experiences that the counselor uses to determine how to proceed.
Phases 4 and 5 of Cognitive Biblical Therapy
That brings us to the fourth step of CBT. Remember we started with analysis, which is taking a look at what the person is like spiritually, humanly. The second step of CBT is learning the Biblical norm (God’s standard). Step three is ownership by deciding to change. And the fourth step or phase is Application, which is using God’s standard to make changes in relationships. Phase 4 is based on John 14:15-18: “If you love me, you will obey what I command and I will ask the Father and He will give you another counselor to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.” These words of Jesus are the foundation of phase 4, because Jesus is saying that loving Him means obedience to Him and not legalism (following the rules). Keeping every rule, every command, everything that the Bible says, all the time, totally and completely is impossible for humans. Jesus came to set us free, not to condemn us. He came to make the way for the forgiveness of sins, and establish a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.
Legalism means following man’s rules or the rules of a religion. That is not the obedience He is asking for. Jesus is saying, “If you love me, you will want to obey what I command, and I will make it possible to do.” He asked His Father to give us another counselor to be with us forever. Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit Who lives in each person who accepts Christ as Savior and Lord. I believe that the Holy Spirit lives between your two ears: in your brain. I say that, because unless God is in charge of your brain, of your cognition, of your thought processes, you will live by your emotions, or the influence of people you allow as a substitute, alternative to the promised Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Truth.
The reason people of the world cannot accept Him is because they neither see Him nor know Him, because they have not accepted His salvation. When He says you know Him, for He’s with you, means He is in your thinking and helps you to control your emotions, choices, actions and your attitudes. When Jesus went back to heaven, He didn’t abandon us, but replaced his human-shaped self with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. Guidance from God comes from the Holy Spirit’s presence in our minds ( 1 Corinthians 2:6-ff). Ultimately, the application of your understanding of God has to come from using a process to be obedient to what God wants you to do. When you’re troubled, frightened, confused, or hopeless; you can stop, step back and pray, “God I want to obey you. I want to allow You to make me submissive to your will; I give you that right. I’m depending upon your grace and power to help me think this through” (any number of issues, thoughts or emotions). The application phase means asking God to help you do the right thing in responding to the issue. For God to help, you need to ask Him, then step back, think, and wait, to see what you need to see, apply what you see, understand the principles that you need to understand, and then respond in a way that is Christ-like.
For example, when I first accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior (got saved), I can remember going from extreme drug usage to just drinking beer and smoking cigars. I can remember going from blatant, nonstop immorality to sporadic immorality. I thought that I was doing a pretty good job, because I wasn’t drunk every night. I wasn’t using or selling drugs all the time. I wasn’t waking up in strange houses, where I didn’t know who I was with or how I got there. But a courageous friend talked to me about Scripture that speaks of being bought with a price, that I belong to God, that I’m not my own. He spoke about my body being the temple of the Holy Spirit. He said, “You know when you drink, and when smoke, it hurts your body like you don’t care if your temple is in good shape.” I appreciated his input because he had been a Christian a longer than I had. I wasn’t able to apply for it yet. I said to him, “I don’t disagree with you. I just don’t understand. If I die tonight with a bottle of Bud in my hand and a cigar in my mouth, I’ll drop them on the way up, or put the bottle in my left hand so I can shake the hand of Jesus.” This guy was shocked, “How can you say that?” I said, “Because that’s all I know. That’s all I understand, and I’m as sincere as I know how to be. When God shows me His truth, through the Holy Spirit, I’ll change, because I don’t want to do anything to hurt the Lord or hurt my relationship with Him.” I said, “I’ve got to live this myself, and I’m learning how. I will not live in condemnation or fear, because if Jesus is someone I‘ve got to worry about slapping me, when I reach out, I quit. I won’t be a Christian in fear. I’ve lived in fear long enough, that’s over.” I was applying the promises about being forgiven. Now I did, obviously, quit those things when Jesus showed me why, and He helped my brain to understand.
So, this is Phase 5, the Maturity step clients discover and live in a growing dependence upon God, the Holy Spirit and His Word. Maturity is the promise of Christ to not only save us, but He’ll educate us. The Gospel of John is full of promises from Jesus: He will keep you from being led astray. The Holy Spirit will teach you things I’ve said, and He will guide you, comfort you, enable you to understand who Christ is and how to change to be more like Him. When you observe the client is receiving and practicing the spiritual applications and tools, they are moving towards maturity while applying what they have learned. They begin to experience 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, resting in God’s faithful ability to transform their inner being, preserve and sustain their stability over their lifespan. In Courses 3 & 4, we will discuss specific tools like the Process of Patience and God’s means to problem solve through His Word. We will also look at how people struggle to accept and/or apply Agape love into their life. Though next, we will focus on the counselor’s role and the client’s goal of transferring dependence upon the counselor to the Holy Spirit. Their dependence upon the Holy Spirit is evidence the client is in the Maturity Phase of counseling.
Copyright 1987, 1990, 1993 by Daniel D. Wilkinson. All rights reserved. For more information concerning this material, write to:
The Biblical Christian Counseling Ministries, Inc., gayle@thebccm.org.
Any reproduction of this material without the express written consent of the author is prohibited. Printed in the U.S.A..
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Explain Phase 4 of Application and Phase 5 of Maturity as part of the process for change.
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Dr. Dan's Answer:
Phase 4: Application (commitment to change). Application means using God's standard to make real changes in relationships. Obedience is a love-driven desire to obey what the Holy Spirit shows us in our thinking, and helps us control our emotions, choices, actions, and attitudes -- instead of living by feelings or by other people's influence.
Phase 5: Maturity. Maturity is the ongoing result of learning to obey the Holy Spirit: a stronger faith in Christ that leads to lasting changes in behavior. It is a process over time -- not an instant fix -- but over time helps us understand how to become more like Christ.
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