Dvasinis konsultavimas modernioje visuomenėje. Kas tai?

LTŽmonija naudojasi modernių technologijų pasiekimais, tačiau žmogus neišvengia nei skausmo, nei ilgalaikės kančios, nei dvasinių problemų. Modernioje visuomenėje, kaip ir visais laikais, žmogus tebekelia pamatinius būties klausimus: kokia gyvenimo prasmė, kas yra dvasingumas, kaip spręsti dvasines problemas? Ir čia dvasinis konsultavimas ar asistavimas sulaukia vis daugiau dėmesio. Neabejotinai pastebimas jo poreikis ir nauda, nes dvasinis asistavimas stengiasi atliepti šiandienio žmogaus dvasinius poreikius, būti orientyru skleidžiant dvasinę gerovę. Nors Lietuvoje dvasinis konsultavimas vis dar ieško aiškių veikimo ir apibrėžties ribų, darosi gana aišku, kad jis nėra tolygus psichologiniam konsultavimui. Žinoma, dvasinis konsultavimas nėra per daug nutolęs nuo psichologinio konsultavimo, apčiuopiama abiem konsultavimams būdingų bendrų aspektų. Tačiau dvasinio konsultanto prioritetas – egzistenciniai klausimai, atsakymų į gyvenimo, kančios, mirties, meilės ir kitus klausimus paieška. Dvasinis konsultavimas pasižymi tuo, kad stengiamasi prie žmogaus artėti per tikėjimo prizmę. Išskirtinis elementas – ne konsultanto taikomi metodai, bet pats konsultanto asmuo – jo pasaulėžiūra, tikėjimas, vertybės, požiūris į kitą žmogų. Tad norint pagrįsti dvasinio konsultavimo savastį ir svarbą, šiame straipsnyje siekiama atskleisti jo esmę ir prasmę. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: konsultavimas, dvasinis konsultavimas, dvasinis konsultantas, konsultavimo procesas, visuomenė, asmuo. [Iš leidinio]

ENThe number of mental health disorders in modern secular society is rising, so naturally, in the face of the ever-increasing and expanding variety of ailments, and in order to help people and to respond to their individual mental health needs, the process of psychotherapy has begun to differentiate between separate branches. In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of counselling associated with pastoral theology spread and evolved into spiritual counselling. Although spiritual counselling or assistance in Lithuania is still searching for explicit boundaries of function and definition, it is possible to discern its identity and separateness from psychological counselling. The concept of spiritual counselling intertwines with the concept of psychological counselling when it comes to the help provided by counsellors to people who are going through crises after surviving traumatic emotional experiences. Spiritual counselling can be understood as spiritual and psychological support for a person in difficult stages of life, when the aim and the focus are more on existential issues in order to help solve spiritual crises. The counselling is guided by Christian principles. Spiritual counselling is receiving more and more attention, while its benefits, demand and interest are undoubtedly noticeable. Spiritual counselling is not too far from psychological counselling, and there are aspects and goals common to both; for example, they share the aim to help a person solve difficulties. However, the priority of a spiritual counsellor is existential questions, and the search for answers to queries about the meaning of life, suffering, death, love, etc. Spiritual counselling aims to help overcome spiritual crises, existential difficulties, and personal and interpersonal challenges, as well as to get to know oneself and to discover the spiritual reality.The practice of spiritual counselling is based on Christian principles, but the counsellor can provide services to all people who have experienced spiritual crises or existential difficulties. The process of spiritual counselling differs from psychological counselling in that it tries to approach the person through the prism of faith. It is important for spiritual counsellors to have human qualities, such as the ability to listen and hear clients and their problems, to accept clients the way they are without imposing values and attitudes, to avoid forming an initial impression of the person, to respond sensitively and empathetically to their experiences, to be able to empathise with the situation of the sufferer by adopting their point of view, to observe respect and tolerance, and to allow clients to make their own decisions leading towards a goal. In addition to all this, there is another very important human quality, which often serves as a distinctive sign of spiritual and psychological counselling, the counsellor’s faith, which helps to develop resistance to negative experiences and stress, and provides an opportunity to look at another person from a wider point of view. A unique element in spiritual counselling is not the technique or methods used by counsellors, but their personality: their world-view, faith, values, and attitude towards the other person. Keywords: counselling, spiritual counselling, spiritual counsellor, counselling process, society, person. [From the publication]

• Kad ugdymas nebūtų vienakojis: dvasingumas kaip svarbi dedamoji / Simona Kontrimienė. Acta paedagogica Vilnensia. 2018, t. 41, p. 11-26.
• Krikščioniško požiūrio į žmogų aspektai dvasiniame-psichologiniame konsultavime / Laimonas Žukauskas, Arvydas Ramonas. Tiltai. Priedas. 2015, Nr. 46, p. 6-39.