often interfere with counseling effectiveness are: the need for relationships, the need for control, the need to rescue, the need for information, and the need for personal healing.
To be effective, the counselor must devote himself to learning both the theory and practice of the art of counseling. If a pastor is not particularly gifted in this art, a rethinking of ministerial priorities is called for: "This does not excuse anyone from being a people-helper, but it may encourage some people to put their major efforts elsewhere and leave the art of counseling to those who are more gifted in that area" (Collins 26). Counseling is only one aspect of the many functions of the church.
The counselor must have a clear picture of his or her roles and responsibilities. Potential areas of role confusion include: visiting instead of counseling, being hasty instead of deliberate, being disrespectful instead of sympathetic, being judgmental instead of unbiased, being directive instead of interpretive, being emotionally overinvolved instead of remaining objecti
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