Seven Distinctives of a Leadership Counseling Intensive

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A Leadership Counseling Intensive is best described in the following distinctives:

Accelerated Change

In traditional therapy private-practice weekly sessions often end just when a client gets into the depths of the problem. He or she returns to the stress of the job or demands of the family and the problem continues or escalates until the next session. Clients are prone to remobilize defensive structures and repeat dysfunctional patterns. This can go on for months and even years.

In contrast, intensive counseling is structured to achieve both rapid and lasting results by providing two or three hours of daily counseling over a five or ten day period. Complex issues are addressed without the disruption of work schedules or personal responsibilities. Our clients are able to go deep and stay focused on core issues. Obstacles are removed that often hinder the changes clients long to make. In the midst of these benefits, leaders finally get the time they need to hear from God as individuals and as couples. We believe the transformational effects of the intensive approach are often comparable to at least six months of weekly traditional counseling.

One ministry couple said: “We wish we had known about Counseling Intensives earlier. We had tried traditional therapy before but with mixed results. We had lost hope that our marriage and ministry would survive. But we had real breakthroughs during our Intensive. After our time at QuietWaters we were able to sustain the progress we had made.”

Redemptive Focus

We believe the best leaders are wounded healers who will leverage lessons learned in the trenches of ministry. Our counselors focus on recovery of heart and resiliency of spirit. Confronting core issues, navigating significant transitions, and growing through crisis all set a life-giving tone to ministry. A leader’s heart has a direct impact on his or her ability to lead.

One leader wrote: “…I had made a moral compromise. While it was not flagrantly immoral or unethical, it was enough to put a halt to my ministry and call my character into question…The Intensive challenged me to face my vulnerability squarely and to learn a more interdependent style of relating with my spouse and other leaders. I am no longer afraid of my weaknesses…I now trust that God will not waste my pain but use it for his glory…especially in the messiness of my own issues and my ministry. This has fundamentally changed my approach to leading.”

Seasoned Counselors

QuietWaters Ministries has a team of licensed and biblically grounded counselors each bringing over 25 years of clinical experience to the Intensive process. Of sterling character and with authentic relationships with God, they instill trust in the process of the Intensive. They truly understand, as most are also ordained clergy.

Each client is interviewed and paired with the counselor best suited to his or her particular needs. This sets the stage for an individualized treatment plan, the best context for therapeutic change, leadership renewal and overall success.

“The very first session we had with our counselor gave me hope…Our situation was pretty complicated with a lot of turbulent history and trauma. Our counselor understood and diagnosed our condition with rare skill and empathy. We were able to relax, knowing we were in good hands…to trust the process.”

Integrated Treatment

Our counseling team is committed to therapeutic excellence with a rigorous integration of psychology and theology. Scripture is woven throughout the Leadership Counseling Intensive process. Counselors share their own stories utilizing their own experiences, spiritual traditions, and knowledge of doctrine to encourage the client’s faith development.

One “converted” leader said: “I’m a bit old school and was skeptical about counseling…My fears became unfounded when our counselors asked if they could pray for us. Their use of Scripture was…fresh but laser like in its accuracy”.

Systems Oriented

Our counselors see the entire spectrum of organizational and personal problems with Organizational Intakes that give a 360 degree perspective. Knowing that congregational problems are never rooted in just one source, things like tracking anxiety in the system, navigating triangles, understanding resistance, confronting collusion, sabotage and scapegoating all come into focus with a systems oriented treatment plan. Blame and shame tactics are exposed. Leaders learn to replace narrow views with a broader perspective.

Within the context of marriage and family, the systems approach addresses intergenerational patterns, family-of-origin themes and the needs of the entire nuclear family system. Sometimes this includes children, teenagers and adult children when therapeutically appropriate.

“After feeling beat up by our Board, we were worried the counselor would only see the issues as our responsibility…the assessment our counselor conducted took all things into account. While we had to take a hard look at our contribution to the church’s problems, we did not feel the spotlight was all on us. We left with some new tools for reengaging our leadership. Now we are seeing a system where everyone is starting to admit responsibility for the problems we must face together.”

Experiential Context

Our counselors draw upon an array of tools and techniques to help clients assimilate what they are learning in a more experiential way.

Recommended reading is targeted to each client’s growth goals. Exercises and assignments may take the form of rituals, journaling prayer, communication skill building, media viewing, writing letters, or experiencing silence. In our lovely Colorado Retreat, clients can begin the healing process, find renewal, and acquire tools for handling the stressors of life and ministry. There is ample opportunity to refocus on God, their calling and mission. Videos, DVDs, and books are available in the library to help understand new strategies for personal, marital, and organizational health included in the individualized treatment plan.

The Colorado Rockies are a great place to experience rest and recreation that reinforces overall health and recovery.

After Care

Continuity of care after leaving QuietWaters is very important. Counselors conduct phone interviews within ninety days following an Intensive. Many clients elect to continue receiving support with ongoing training in leadership development, team building or conflict coaching. In addition, we work diligently with denominational leaders, supervisors, or Spiritual Care Teams to foster healthy reentry, high trust, real accountability, and sustained progress.

One staffer said: “We should have done this five years ago…This training could have spared us needless conflict. Thank God we are at least doing it now…I believe the best years are ahead of us.”