Treating Trauma in Christian Counseling
Overview
Traumatic experiences are distressingly common, and the risks of developing posttraumatic stress disorder are high. But in recent years the field of traumatology has grown strong, giving survivors and their counselors firmer footing than ever before to seek healing. This book is a combined effort to introduce counseling approaches, trauma information, and Christian reflections to respond to the intense suffering people face.
With extensive experience treating complex trauma, Heather Gingrich and Fred Gingrich have brought together key essays representing the latest psychological research on trauma from a Christian integration perspective.
- Includes an overview of the kinds of traumatic experiences.
- Covers treatment methods, especially those that incorporate spirituality.
- Material to critically analyze as well as emotionally engage trauma.
- Theoretical bases for trauma treatment and interventions.
- References for further consideration and empirical research.
- Part I: Foundational Perspectives on Trauma
- The Crucial Role of Christian Counseling Approaches in Trauma Counseling by Fred C. Gingrich and Heather D. Gingrich
- Theological Perspectives on Trauma: Human Flourishing After the Fall by Richard Langer, Jason McMartin, and M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall
- The Neurobiology of Stress and Trauma by William M. Struthers, Kerryn Ansell, and Adam Wilson
- Trauma, Faith, and Care for the Counselor by Cynthia B. Eriksson, Ashley M. Wilkins, and Nikki Frederick
- Part II: Interpersonal Contexts of Trauma
- A Developmentally Appropriate Treatment Approach for Traumatized Children and Adolescents by Daniel S. Sweeney and Madeline Lowen
- Treating Sexual Trauma Through Couples Therapy by Debra Taylor
- Assessment and Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence: Integrating Psychological and Spiritual Approaches by Terri S. Watson
- Strengthening Family Resilience to Trauma by Fred C. Gingrich
- Responding to Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse by David K. Pooler and Amanda Frey
- Part III: Complex Trauma and Dissociation
- Beyond Survival: Application of a Complex Trauma Treatment Model in the Christian Context by Jana Pressley and Joseph Spinazzola
- Sexual Abuse and Dissociative Disorders by Heather D. Gingrich 12 The Treatment of Ritual Abuse and Mind Control by Alison Miller and Heather D. Gingrich
- Sex Trafficking: A Counseling Perspective by Shannon Wolf
- Part IV: Global Contexts of Trauma
- Faith and Disaster Mental Health: Research, Theology, and Practice by Jamie D. Aten, Alice Schruba, David N. Entwistle, Edward B. Davis, Jenn Ranter, Jenny Hwang, Joshua N. Hook, David C. Wang, Don E. Davis, and Daryl R. Van Tongeren
- Improving Trauma Care in Developing Nations: Partnerships over Projects by Phil Monroe and Diane Langberg
- Trauma Counseling for Missionaries: How to Support Resilience by Karen F. Carr
- Preventing and Treating Combat Trauma and Spiritual Injury by Laura Schwent Shultz, Jesse D. Malott, and Robert J. Gregory
- Part V: Conclusion and Appendix
- Reflections on Christian Counseling's Engagement with Trauma by Heather D. Gingrich and Fred C. Gingrich
- Appendix: Religion, Spirituality, and Trauma: An Annotated Bibliography
Top Highlights
“Of special note for the focus of this chapter, our union with Christ is also expressed in suffering. Apparently, both suffering itself (Phil 3:10; Col 1:24) and the attendant comfort one might receive in the context of suffering (2 Cor 1:3–7; 7:4–7) contribute to one’s union and intimacy with Christ. Sanctification and suffering are both constitutive parts of the calling to abide in Christ. In other words, sanctification and suffering are both constitutive parts of the calling to live a fully human life—to flourish.” (Page 43)
“This opens the door to hope because perpetrators may still repent; it also opens the door to forgiveness because victims realize that one day they may be the violators and find themselves standing in need of grace and mercy (Rom 3:23).” (Page 44)
“Furthermore, a well-formed doctrine of fallenness means that there are no mere victims nor mere perpetrators” (Page 44)
“First, some of the pain we experience in our fallen world is the direct result of our own wrongdoing” (Page 49)
“Meaning making is a key component of the trauma healing process” (Page 23)
In light of the prevalence, complexity, and destructive impact of trauma, Christian counselors and other caregivers need quality resources to guide them. Thus, I am very grateful for Treating Trauma in Christian Counseling. Heather and Fred Gingrich have strategized to cover a broad range of vital trauma care topics with precision and wisdom. I will highly recommend this to my students and to trauma care providers in our ministry.
—Steven Tracy, professor of theology and ethics, Phoenix Seminary, founder and president, Mending the Soul Ministries
Treating Trauma in Christian Counseling, edited by Heather and Fred Gingrich, is a comprehensive and substantial contribution to Christian perspectives and approaches in the treatment of trauma. The various authors cover a wide range of topics, including foundational perspectives, interpersonal contexts, complex trauma and dissociation, and global contexts. I highly recommend this very helpful book as essential reading for those involved in treating trauma.
—Siang-Yang Tan, professor of psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, author of Counseling and Psychotherapy
Jesus was no stranger to trauma—from treating a woman who had just escaped stoning and another with an unhealed flow of blood to predicting trauma for the apostles and personally enduring the cross. Neither should we be, especially those of us in the helping professions. The themes of the Christian Scripture—pain, suffering, personal humiliation, resilience, hope, and meaning—are the themes dealt with by these esteemed authors. Heather and Fred Gingrich have assembled an all-star cast of Christian psychologists to inform about the up-to-the-minute science, healing, and faith of traumatology.
—Everett L. Worthington Jr., author of Forgiving and Reconciling
- Title: Treating Trauma in Christian Counseling
- Editors: Heather Davediuk Gingrich and Fred C. Gingrich
- Publisher: IVP
- Publication Date: 2017
- Pages: 496
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Counseling
Heather Davediuk Gingrich is a counselor, scholar, teacher, and former missionary. She is professor of counseling at Denver Seminary and maintains a small private practice working with complex trauma survivors. She is the author of Restoring the Shattered Self and coauthor of Skills for Effective Counseling. She began counseling over twenty-five years ago in Canada, and continued in the Philippines where she counseled, taught, and completed her doctoral studies on complex trauma. She continues her international involvements with the Institute for International Care and Counsel at Belhaven University, as well as adjunct teaching at the Asia Graduate School of Theology in the Philippines and seminaries in Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.
She also conducts mental health assessments for missionary candidates. Gingrich is a member of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), the Trauma Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Her scholarly work focuses on understanding and working with those who have histories of child abuse and other forms of relational trauma, particularly as they relate to issues of Christian faith and spirituality. She and her husband Fred have two young adult sons and are raising their grandson.
Fred C. Gingrich is professor of counseling at Denver Seminary and served as division chair from 2007 to 2015. He practiced and taught in Ontario for fourteen years prior to directing MA and EdD degrees in counseling at seminaries in the Philippines. He is the coauthor of Skills for Effective Counseling. Gingrich has written a number of articles and presented at professional conferences in the areas of marital and premarital counseling, counselor supervision, and care and counsel as mission. He is a clinical fellow and approved supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and a fellow of the Institute for International Care and Counsel at Belhaven University. He is also a member of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, American Association of Christian Counselors, and Christians for Biblical Equality.
After counseling on staff at a Christian counseling practice in Ottawa, Canada, Gingrich taught at a college in Ontario, Canada and then at Alliance Biblical Seminary (now Alliance Graduate School) in the Philippines where he directed the MA programs in Christian counseling and marriage and family ministry. He also developed the EdD counseling program offered by the Asia Graduate School of Theology, a consortium of nine seminaries in the Philippines, and continues to serve as adjunct faculty and advisor to a number of programs in Asia. In 2005, he returned to North America after eight years of service in the Philippines and joined the faculty of Denver Seminar.