Discernment Report for MFCC Counselors

The following questions may be addressed in your written report:

Personal and Relational Growth

  • What are your personal strengths and weaknesses?
  • What insights about yourself have you gained from the personality inventories, classes, therapy, and feedback from your supervisor and others?
  • How would you assess your spiritual “self-care” skills and routines (i.e., prayer, Scripture reading, church involvement)?
  • How would you assess your personal “self-care” skills and routines (e.g., schedule, finances, stress, and support network)?
  • In what ways have you grown personally while at seminary?
  • If married, what are strength and growth areas of your relationship?
  • If unmarried, what are the strength and growth areas of your relationship with others?
  • What is the nature of your relationship with your extended family? Do you have their blessing for ministry in counseling?
  • If a parent, how do you assess your parenting effectiveness?

Counseling Skills (this section must be included)

How do you perceive the adequacy of your knowledge and skills in the areas of counseling and ministry?

Degree Outcomes

Please rate your skills on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being strong and significantly developed and 1 being low or underdeveloped.

___ Counseling interventions with families ___ couples ___ and children ___

___ Exploring and participating in structures of care in churches, agencies and organizations in community settings.

___ Listening, empathy, recognition of verbal and non-verbal cues

___ Assertiveness, confrontation, conflict resolution.

___ Skill in assessment, diagnosis and using DSM-IV TR categories.

___ Making appropriate referrals.

___ Doing cross-cultural counseling.

___ Interpreting and using testing results therapeutically.

___ Recognition of and skill in working with physical, emotional and sexual abuse

___ Adapting approaches and techniques to different counselees and settings.

___ Working as a witness in the community for the purposes of witness, justice and prevention.

___ Theological reflection on issues and situations arising in the counseling context.

___ Recognizing and dealing appropriately with ethical issues in therapy

___ Therapeutic practice that is ethical and integrated with who one is.

___ Soul-care that includes integration of the self and attention to personal issues.

Vocational Development

  • Your spiritual gifts as you see them are…
  • What are your short and long term vocational plans?
  • In what areas do you feel most and least ready for ministry?

Therapeutic Style

Briefly describe your therapeutic style or orientation. How well does your personality relate to your style? How has your self-awareness affected your emerging style?

Areas for Group Counsel

Are there any issues or questions about which you want the input and counsel of the group?