Assessment for Counseling in Christian Perspective

Assessment in counseling--like its biblical counterpart, discernment--is an ongoing and dynamic routine to encourage movement in a productive direction toward what is truly best. In Assessment for Counseling in Christian Perspective, Stephen P. Greggo equips counselors to put assessment techniques into practical use, particularly with clients who are looking to grow in their identity with Jesus Christ. As a Christian perspective on assessment, this book is designed to supplement standard resources and help counselors navigate challenges at the intersection of psychotherapy and Christian ministry. Greggo charts a course for care that brings best practices of the profession together with practices of Christian discipleship. Key topics include:

• Does a Christian worldview offer distinguishing parameters for assessment practice?
• Can clinical proficiency in assessment bring glory to God?
• How can the crucial psychometric construct of validity be translated into our Christian faith?
• In what ways can the inclusion of objective procedures be transformed into a message of hospitality and affirmation?
• How can counselors maximize the benefits of a therapeutic alliance to attend to immediate concerns and foster spiritual formation?
• How can formal personality measures add depth and substance to the counseling experience?
• How can assessment contribute to client retention, treatment completion, and aftercare planning?

With Assessment for Counseling in Christian Perspective, clinical and pastoral counselors can bring the best of assessment into counseling that reflects the essence of the Christian faith.

Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

Stephen P. Greggo (PsyD, State University of New York, Albany) is professor of counseling and chair of the counseling department at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, training mental health professionals and clergy for a Christian ministry of soul care. He is author of Trekking Toward Wholeness, is a licensed psychologist and ordained minister, and maintains a long-standing association as partner and consultant with CCAHope in Delmar, New York.