The Complete Guide To Crisis & Trauma Counseling: What to Do and Say When It Matters Most by Wright

Abstract

In the book The Complete Guide To Crisis & Trauma Counseling: What to Do and Say When It Matters Most, Wright provides readers with comprehensive guidelines on what to do after a crisis or traumatic event. Wright puts forth the idea that counseling people based on the Bible offers a long-term and instant healing impact (Wright, 2011). He has quoted Jesus’s teachings concerning assisting others. Being the Messiah and Savior of the world, Wright notes that Jesus was compassionate and loving while serving to those who needed help. He also asserts that Jesus has instructed individuals to love and encourage those who are facing various problems, and that is exactly what people shall do (Wright, 2011). Stressing on the values taught by Jesus enables people to renew their strength and carry on despite their situations.

The author suggests that Jesus provided a novel facet to individual’s thoughts. Focusing on the meaning of life, and understanding that life is a gift that people should employ to spread courage, happiness, and hope is paramount. According to the author, guidance and counseling, which have a perpetual impact, are the key responsibilities of a teacher. Wright recognizes the apprehension among ministers while dealing with unusual cases concerning crisis or trauma. However, such fears can be overcome by engaging in education and practice. Employing biblical principles has also been acknowledged as a vital factor in assisting people in gathering courage during a period of crisis (Wright, 2011).

The Complete Guide To Crisis & Trauma Counseling

According to Wright, effective counselors should have the capability to hold their tongue. He approximates that talking for over 25 percent of the time dedicated to a client is too long (Wright, 2011). The author also cites the significance of active listening, which is different from hearing of what the client has to say. He believes that effective counselors listen both with their body and with eyes, thus, showing compassion and understanding. Being strongly conversant with emotions and feelings of the clients is essential in ensuring effective counseling. Wright offers that counselors must first assess themselves prior to taking steps of advising other people. Through this, they are able to incorporate themselves in their client’s situations, offering the most favorable service.

Factors such as sex, age, religion, as well as culture play a major role in how clients suffering from a crisis distinguish the conversation. In addition, such aspects influence the capability of a minister or counselor to assist persons in crisis. According to the author, counselors should have the ability to know the appropriate time for asking an additional information (Wright, 2011). Failure to comprehend the situation calls for a detailed investigation. This helps in completely comprehending the situation prior to commencing the counseling process. Nevertheless, counselors must be cautious while giving advice owing to the reason that it is not possible to take back the advice once it has been articulated. In turn, the life of the clients, together with their family may be affected adversely. The significance of selecting appropriate words to use for counseling has also been emphasized in the book.

Wright explains that crisis is inevitable and it can take place any time through the life of a person. The nature of some crises makes a client to work with his/her counselor or minister many times. For instance, suffering from a chronic disease that has the ability to develop and reoccur with time is traumatic.

Concrete Responses

After reading Wright’s book, I was able to reflect on a personal life episode that I experienced some years back. I remember I was very close with my friend named Victoria and we used to share everything. This included both private and personal matters. During one of the Christmas holidays, Vic, as I used to call her, approached me saying she was going on a one-week vacation with her family. I had to get accustomed with the idea of staying for a whole week without my friend. In spite of this, I wished her goodbye with the hope that I would see her again within a week. One week passed by, and Vic, together with her family never showed up. Her phone was not reachable, even her parents did not pick up their cells. However, I later learnt that they got in a car accident on their way home, and her father did not survive. My friend, her mother and her two siblings stayed alive by God’s grace. Later on, after meeting with Vic, I did not know how to comfort her, leave her alone or talk to her. I did not know what I was supposed to tell her, and what the words would be right to use. I was just as affected as Vic, but confused on how I was supposed to help her overcome the loss she had experienced. Sometimes, I just used to stay by her side, holding her tight and fearing to utter any word lest she feels worse. After reading Wright’s book, I now clearly understand how to deal with a person facing a crisis or trauma.

Reflection

The book has both advantages and disadvantage. While reading Wright’s book, various things bothered me. Nevertheless, what concerned me the most was the author’s assortment that traumatic incidences were not prevalent. What Wright means is that trauma and crisis have amplified in response to their increased awareness and coverage. Nevertheless, this is not true. What happened some years back was that people were not willing to narrate or share the traumatic events they experienced. They preferred to keep them as private matters. In this regard, it appears that Wright failed to recognize the authentic rationale for the commonalities of crisis, as well as the manner in which they were addressed.

Another disadvantage is how Wright has addressed the issue of confrontation. Before touching on the subject, he focused on counseling skills linking them to the behaviors demonstrated by Jesus. Nevertheless, the author did not highlighted the appropriate time for embarking on such type of confrontation.

A major plus of the book entails the use of the author’s personal dilemma in which the right decision has been required. The story provides a basis wherein the issue of decision-making is founded on. The approach is important as it helps Wright connect with his readers during the exploration of crisis and trauma counseling. The application of the author’s clinical as well as classroom experience is evident. Lastly, the use of Biblical principles in assisting people to recover from crisis and trauma is another advantage of the book.

A number of questions have appeared in response to what I have read in Wright’s book. They encompass the following questions. How should people know whether they are effective counselors? Answering this question will help individuals evaluate themselves prior to embarking on a counseling session. What is the appropriate time to embark on confrontation? The question is significant, since initiating confrontation during the early stages may harm the relationship between the minister/counselor and their client. Another question concerns the type of confrontation required in a particular situation. It is important remembering that different crises are handled differently.

Action

In the modern world, crisis and traumatic occurrences are inevitable. The Complete Guide to Crisis & Trauma Counseling is a good resource for any person who has the capability to assist during a crisis or traumatic occurrence (Wright, 2011). After reading the book, I recognized that there are some actions that I can take both in my personal life as well as to help people who need aid during and after the crisis or traumatic experience. To start with, the book helped me gain knowledge that a counselor must first assess his/her own life before embarking on a counseling session. Assessing myself would mean gauging whether I have the required skills needed for a counselor. The second step would involve seeking appropriate training to enhance my counseling skills (Floyd, 2008). As previously mentioned, counseling individuals who have experienced a crisis is not always obvious. It means that a counselor or minister must have appropriate and desirable skills matching every situation.

The second action I would take is supporting people who have experienced a traumatic occurrence or a crisis. Such people are in grief and they necessitate a shoulder to lean on and helpful individuals to share their distress wit (James & Gilliland, 2012). The book has offered comprehensive information on how to deal with children and adolescents who have suffered a crisis, and those who are grieving for the loss of a relative among other occurrences. In this case, I would be in a position of knowing what to say to the counselees who have experienced different crises. I would also be able to approach them in the most appropriate way considering that first impression matters. Thirdly, I would know when to talk, how much to talk and ask questions during the counseling session, thus ensuring that the counselee does not feel offended. These efforts would be an attempt of helping clients move on and forget about the crisis (Hoff, Hallisey, & Hoff, 2009).