Clinicians in practice generally perform an intake or interview when the client first enters into counseling, which helps the counselor assess the level of functioning, history, and development of the client. The spiritual counselor will be especially interested in the religious and spiritual history of his client. John Chirban has created a Religion and Spiritual History Inventory that will help the spiritual counselor to gain a picture of the client’s religious and spiritual background. This inventory is presented in Appendix I (Plante and Sherman, 2001).

The spiritual counselor can use selections from this inventory or the inventory in its entirety. It is most effective when it is tailored to the client’s needs, and the client is allowed to fully express his or her view and definition of spirituality and religion. Note that this interview specifically addresses Fowler’s approach to assess the client’s stage of faith.

Spiritual counselors need to be mature themselves in their approach to others’ faith and religious development. It is not the task of the counselor to push any particular religious or spiritual belief, nor is it the counselor’s role to rate or judge the client’s viewpoint. The counselor’s role is to support the client at the client’s current level of development. The client should feel free to discuss his ambiguities, negative feelings, and concerns about religious and spiritual issues without fearing reproach. The client must also feel that the counselor will not try to change or influence his beliefs in any way. This is the client’s life, and he needs to feel safe in opening it to the counselor. Thus, it is essential that the counselor be fully aware of her own beliefs and faith position. Counter-transference issues will be less likely to arise and thwart therapy if the counselor is firmly grounded.

Tan and Dong (Plante and Sherman, 2001) offer guidelines for spiritual interventions in the counseling framework. They emphasize that the counselor must be aware of the client’s readiness for spiritual interventions and that counselors need to time these interventions carefully. They also need to be aware of their own competence in addressing these issues. The counselor should remain respectful and should not impose her own values on the client. Tan and Dong list a number of potential dangers that may arise:

1. Imposing therapist religious beliefs or values on the client, thus reducing client freedom to choose.
2. Failing to provide sufficient information regarding therapy.
3. Violating the therapeutic contract by focusing mainly or only on religious goals rather than therapeutic goals.
4. Lacking competence to explore client values ethically or conducting religious therapy appropriately.
5. Arguing over doctrinal issues rather than clarifying them.
6. Misusing or abusing spiritual resources such as prayer, thus avoiding dealing with painful psychological issues.
7. Blurring important boundaries or parameters necessary for the therapeutic relationship to be maintained.
8. Assuming ecclesiastical authority and performing ecclesiastical functions inappropriately rather than referral to ecclesiastical leaders when warranted.
9. Applying only religious interventions to problems that may require medication or other medical and/or psychological treatments.

Counselors must keep in mind the first ethical postulate, "First do no harm."

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