Discussion Thread- Installation of Hope

.docx

School

Liberty University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

617

Subject

Religion

Date

Dec 6, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by DeanIce6380

The Importance of Hope As counselors, hope is one of the most vital things we can offer our counselees. Hope is critical to a satisfying and abundant life (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p.43). Thomas and Sosin (2011) define hope as the belief that change is possible. Our counselees will not be coming to see us because they are hopeful and everything is going great. In our role as counselors, we will meet with those who are broken, hopeless, and at the end of themselves. People anchor their hope in all sorts of things, and when that hope is misplaced, stolen, or lost, it creates a vacuum that leads many to consult a counselor (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p.43). Romans 8:28 tells us that God causes all things to work together for our good as believers. This is one of the scriptures that has installed the most hope within me, even amid the darkest times. No matter what is going on in my life, I can trust that God is working it all out for my good. I’ve heard it said many times that if it is not good yet, then God is still working. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has plans to give us a future and hope. We can see from this scripture that hope is something God wants for us. Proverbs 23:18 further demonstrates this by saying that there is a future for us, and our hope will not be cut off. Amid the darkest circumstances and situations in one’s life, it is easy to become discouraged and feel hopeless. Despair and hopelessness have become the soothing companions of many counselees; however, when we as counselors can enable a counselee to believe that change is possible, we will see the seeds of hope begin to bloom (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p.43). How to Instill Hope One of the best ways to instill hope early on in counseling is by starting with small, easy-to-accomplish goals. Getting a counselee to make even the smallest, most nominal change can give the counselee the sense that something is being done and that things can change (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p.44). Accomplishing even the most minor goals can motivate and inspire a counselee to reach for more. Even the most minor change is still change. An example might be a goal of practicing self-care or simply getting out of bed for a counselee struggling with depression. Another example might be simply five minutes of prayer or five minutes of journaling. These goals are easy to accomplish in a short amount of time, increasing hope that change is possible and making future, larger goals seem more viable for even the most discouraged counselee. Ultimately, however, nothing offers hope more than the understanding that God can do the miraculous in any situation (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p. 44). REFERENCE Sosin, L., & Thomas, J. C. (2017). Therapeutic expedition: Equipping the Christian counselor for the journey . B&H Publishing.

Z., P., & Giglio, L. (2019). The Jesus Bible, NIV . Zondervan. REPLIES Hi Kyle, I apologize for my late reply on this discussion, I had a rough case of COVID this term and am just getting back in the swing! I enjoyed your thread on instilling hope within the terms of counseling. I loved what you said about life sometimes seeming easier without hope as it was honest and realistic to me. If we’re honest, I’m sure there have been times when we have all been tempted to give up hope and surrender to the feelings of hopelessness. People who are hurting, particularly those who have struggled for years, believe that the future will be a continuation of the past (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p. 43). In contrast with despair that the future will be a continuation of the past, hope brings the belief that the future can offer new life (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p. 43). We can clearly see how vital hope truly is to each counselee we come across. You also stated that hope outside of Christ is ‘temporary, superficial, and easily broken’ . Wow that statement is so powerful and incredibly true. Thomas and Sosin (2011) tell us that it is that very loss of temporary hope that brings many people to seek counseling. Great post and Merry Christmas Kyle! -Maggie Hi Hannah, I am sorry for my late reply to your post, I was ill and am just catching up. I think you did a great job and provided a lot of powerful insight on hope in counseling. You are absolutely right that instilling hope is one of the most important things we can do as counselors. Thomas and Sosin (2011) refer to hope as critical to a satisfying and abundant life (p.43). Hope begins with the counselee believing that it is possible for his future to be different from the past (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p. 43). I believe one of the easiest ways to quickly instill hope within counselees is by simply being hopeful and also by encouraging even the smallest change. Even the most nominal change can give the sense that something is being done and that things can change (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p. 44). I also agree with

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help