Should I ever pray with my client?

Should I ever pray with my client?

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

http://my.counseling.org/2011/05/31/should-i-ever-pray-with-my-client/

Summary

Counselor Ray McKinnis suggests that it is never wise to pray with clients. He describes prayer as being a very sacrilegious, sacred, and private process. It was suggested that sometimes involving prayer within the counseling session may lead to ethical dilemmas and dual relationships. He addresses the fact that according to the ACA Code of Ethics, dual relationships are not allowed. He relates this to prayer because there is no specific category that prayer falls under. For this reason, the question of is it a dual relationship or not when praying with your clients? In his opinion, it is a dual relationship and it should not be done within the counseling session. Outside of the counseling session, the use of prayer for your client is absolutely fine.

How does this relate to the field of professional counseling?

Professional counselors must be aware of all of the risks involved if they decide to pray with their clients. This means that if they work for a secular organization, they need to find out that agency's specific rules and regulations for using prayer within the session. If the agency has something against prayer, then the counselor should not proceed with using prayer within sessions because they could risk losing their license. Additionally, if a counselor works for a Christian counseling center and prayer is allowed within sessions, the type of prayer should be considered. For example,

What I learned from the article?

I know the power of prayer can change and heal people. For this reason, if I work for a secular organization, I will follow their rules and keep prayer out of the session. On the other hand, if I work for a Christian organization, I will pray for my clients inside and outside of sessions. Also, I would provide my clients with additional homework that involved Scripture readings and prayer. I learned that I must be careful when bringing up the Bible or my personal beliefs within certain counseling sessions because everyone is not a believer and it is not my job to force my religion, values, and beliefs on my clients.