J1 Coun506

Use of Prayer and Scripture in Cognitive-behavioral Therapy Article Review

Ray Noriega

COUN 506

January 12, 2014

Liberty University

Summary

Use of Prayer and Scripture in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy was written by Siang-Yang Tan and was published in The Journal of Psychology and Christianity. Siang-Yang Tan is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of clinical experience in cognitive-behavioral therapy and the integration of prayer and scripture in cognitive-behavioral therapy (Tan, 2007). Tan uses knowledge and experience to provide the reader with a brief understanding of the ethically appropriate use of prayer and scripture with clients, its efficacy amongst clients, types of integration, and also provides a case example to show the proper use of prayer and scripture with a client.

According to the article; “Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most empirically supported treatments (ESTs) available for a wide variety of psychological disorders” (Tan, 2007). The integration of prayer and scripture into this type of therapy may further increase the benefits for some clients. Tan (2007) explains eight key features of a biblical Christian approach which include; agape love, dealing with lingering past developmental issues or trauma from childhood, incorporation of spiritual meaning, using biblical truths to approach problems, using the Holy Spirits ministry for healing and change, the use of resources within the community, use only of techniques that coincide with biblical truths, and refer to research outcomes before concluding about the superiority of cognitive-behavioral therapy (Tan, 2007). The article then goes on to explain implicit integration and explicit integration methods that can be used by the therapist. The type of integration used depends on the client’s desires and their needs for therapy as well as the training, goals, and personality of the therapist (Tan, 2007). Both types of integration are equally important and...