Developing Spiritual Discernment as a Clinician

Post #8: Soul Change Model Series

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. —1 Corinthians 2:10

The counselor does not work alone. We are not the light—we reflect the light of the One who sees all, knows all, and heals deeply. —Soul Change Model

As Christian therapists, we are trained to diagnose, conceptualize, and intervene. We learn how to build rapport, manage countertransference, and select the right modality for each client. These are essential skills—tools that help us offer wise, ethical, and effective care. But there’s one vital capacity that often remains underdeveloped—even in Christian counseling programs:

Spiritual discernment.

Discernment is more than intuition. It’s more than clinical insight. In the Soul Change Model, discernment is not an optional bonus—it is central to the therapeutic task. It is the quiet posture of heart that listens not only to the client’s words, but also to the whisper of the Spirit. It is the practice of double listening: attuning to the pain in front of you, while also attuning to the presence within you.

Discernment helps us know when to speak and what to say. When to press in and when to hold space. When to gently challenge a distorted belief—and when to simply sit in silence and weep. It shapes the rhythm of our sessions, the tone of our voice, the way we ask a question or pause to pray. It’s not just about reading the room—it’s about reading the movement of God in the room.

And here’s the mystery: discernment often comes through surrender. It requires us to let go of outcomes, to release the pressure to fix, and to remain open to the unexpected ways God brings healing. In that surrendered space, the Spirit often reveals what no treatment manual could predict.

Discernment allows us to join what God is already doing in the soul of the person sitting across from us. It prevents us from overfunctioning, from spiritualizing, or from pushing our own agenda. Instead, it roots us in humility and responsiveness. As we listen for the Spirit’s guidance, we become more than therapists—we become co-laborers in the sacred work of soul restoration.

In a world full of strategies and solutions, this kind of presence is rare. And holy.

What Is Spiritual Discernment in Therapy?

Spiritual discernment is the prayerful, Spirit-sensitive awareness of what God is doing in a session—and the humility to follow His lead.

It is not a vague sense of intuition or simply going with your gut. Nor is it a mystical override of clinical wisdom. Rather, discernment is an ongoing posture of attentiveness to both the client and the Spirit. It is what enables Christian therapists to navigate the sacred space of therapy with wisdom, reverence, and responsiveness.

Discernment involves:

• Listening to the Spirit as you listen to the clientThis is the work of double listening—tuning in to the explicit words and unspoken pain of the client, while also remaining attuned to the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit.

• Attuning to what is stirred spiritually in the roomThe atmosphere in the room often carries more than just emotional tone. Resistance may signal spiritual fear. Tears may point to surrender. A sudden quietness might not be avoidance, but the presence of awe. Discernment helps us name and respond to these sacred undercurrents.

• Recognizing moments when the client is near a breakthrough or a thresholdSometimes, a client stands unknowingly at the edge of something holy—a deeper truth, a long-buried wound, or a moment of repentance or release. Discernment allows us to tread gently and wisely, neither rushing the moment nor shrinking from it.

• Allowing the Spirit to shape your pacing, tone, and directionClinical training gives us structure. The Spirit gives us timing. Discernment keeps us from over-intervening or under-responding, allowing space for God's timing to unfold.

• Asking, “God, what are You doing here—and how can I cooperate?”This question reorients the therapist’s heart. It reminds us that healing is not something we create—it’s something we participate in. Discernment transforms our posture from expert to co-laborer.

Siang-Yang Tan (2011) describes this process as “prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit throughout the therapeutic process,” emphasizing that such reliance is not passive or assumed. It is an active, intentional practice that requires humility, training, and trust.

In short, spiritual discernment moves us from therapist-led sessions to Spirit-led spaces of healing. It invites us to make room for the presence of God—not just as a theological idea, but as a living reality in the clinical space.

Why It’s Often Overlooked

Many Christian therapists are deeply faithful—committed to prayer, Scripture, and the work of healing. Yet in the counseling room, they often function within secular frameworks. Not out of rebellion, but out of training. Most graduate programs, even those with Christian foundations, emphasize clinical competence over spiritual attunement. As a result, spiritual discernment is rarely taught as a clinical skill—and even more rarely practiced with intentionality.

Therapists may believe in the Spirit’s presence and guidance, but in the moment-to-moment flow of a session, they default to what they know: assessment tools, treatment protocols, structured interventions. These are good and necessary. But without discernment, they risk becoming mechanical. They reduce therapy to a sequence of techniques, rather than a sacred encounter.

There is nothing wrong with the tools—CBT, EMDR, narrative work, mindfulness, and others have great value. But tools cannot replace presence. And presence without discernment lacks depth. Without the Spirit’s guidance, even our best interventions can fall flat. They may bring insight, but not transformation. They may reduce symptoms, but fail to touch the soul.

This is where the Soul Change Model offers a different path. It does not discard clinical excellence—it elevates it by anchoring it in spiritual partnership. It reclaims the lost dimension of working with God in the counseling process, rather than simply working for Him.

Discernment, in this context, is not a vague or mystical concept. It is a cultivated skill. A spiritual posture. A way of being that positions the therapist to notice, respond, and participate in what God is already doing in the life of the client.

In other words, the Soul Change Model helps therapists shift from control to cooperation—from leading sessions to joining the Spirit’s lead. And when that happens, therapy becomes more than treatment. It becomes a space of holy transformation.

How Discernment Develops

Spiritual discernment is not reserved for the mystically inclined or the spiritually elite. It is not a rare gift for the few, but a vital skill that any Christian therapist can cultivate. Like all aspects of clinical growth, discernment develops over time, through intentional practice and Spirit-formed character.

In the Soul Change Model, discernment is nurtured through five interwoven disciplines:

• Practice - Discernment grows through use. As we reflect on sessions, notice patterns, and track what arises in our own hearts and bodies, we begin to recognize how and when the Spirit moves. It may be a stirring during a moment of client vulnerability, a shift in tone, or a surprising insight that didn’t come from us. The more we reflect, the more we learn to notice.

• Prayer - Silence. Listening. Surrender. These aren’t just spiritual disciplines—they are clinical postures. Therapists who regularly practice stillness create space in their inner world to hear the whisper of God, even in the midst of therapeutic complexity. Prayer doesn’t start and end the session—it forms the session by shaping the heart of the one holding the space.

• Humility - Discernment is fragile when tied to ego. It requires the courage to admit when we’ve missed a moment, pushed an agenda, or grown distracted. True discernment emerges from a humble willingness to slow down, repent, and try again. It is not about being perfect—it is about being present.

• Mentorship - We grow in discernment when we are seen, guided, and held accountable by those who walk closely with God. Clinical supervision and spiritual direction can offer safe places to process not just technique, but calling. To ask not only, “What worked?” but, “Where was God moving—and did I follow?”

• Embodiment - Our bodies are not separate from the process of discernment—they are instruments of it. Sometimes the Spirit’s prompting shows up as a lump in the throat, a sudden tear, or a shift in breath. When we ignore our bodies, we may miss what the Spirit is saying. When we attune to them, we become more grounded and available to both God and our clients.

As Curt Thompson (2010) reminds us, “Spiritual formation and neurological change occur together when we are known in attuned, embodied presence.” That presence begins with us, before it ever reaches the client.

Discernment, then, is not a quick fix or mystical shortcut. It is the fruit of attunement: to the Spirit, to ourselves, and to the sacred stories entrusted to our care. It is how we bring our full selves—clinical, spiritual, emotional, embodied—into the healing work of therapy.

What Discernment Looks Like in a Session

Spiritual discernment in therapy is rarely loud or showy. It doesn’t always come with goosebumps or sudden revelations. More often, it shows up in subtle, sacred moments—spaces where the therapist is listening closely, not just with their ears, but with their spirit.

In the counseling room, discernment might look like:

• Sensing the need to pause after a client shares something emotionally charged. Instead of rushing to reflect or interpret, the therapist sits in the weight of the moment, honoring the emotion without trying to resolve it too quickly. The silence becomes an integral part of the healing process.

• Choosing to explore a moment of silence rather than fill it. Discernment recognizes that silence is not always awkward—sometimes, it’s sacred. A quiet pause may be the very space where the Spirit is moving, inviting both therapist and client to go deeper.

• Gently asking, “What do you sense God might be saying right now?” Not every session includes overt spiritual language, but when it does, this kind of question can open the door to spiritual insight. It shifts the focus from human solutions to divine partnership.

• Shifting direction mid-session when the Spirit highlights a deeper issue. A client may be talking about stress at work, but suddenly, the therapist senses that the root is not productivity, but identity. Discernment allows for flexibility and Spirit-led responsiveness.

• Holding back from offering advice, waiting instead for the client’s own spiritual awareness to emerge. Sometimes the therapist knows what could help, but the Spirit says, “Wait.” Discernment honors the process of revelation, not just resolution.

• Being alert to moments when theology becomes a defense—and knowing how to respond with grace. When a client says, “I know God works all things for good,” discernment asks: Is this hope—or is this avoidance? Instead of correcting or dismissing, the therapist gently helps the client explore what they truly feel, beneath what they believe they should say.

These moments may seem small from the outside. They often go unnoticed by anyone but the therapist, the client, and the Spirit. But they are the spaces where real transformation begins. Not because the therapist was brilliant or the plan was perfect, but because the therapist was available.

Available to the client.Available to the Spirit.Available to the mystery of healing that cannot be manufactured, only joined.

These are the moments where therapy becomes not just helpful, but holy.

Common Barriers to Discernment

Even the most devoted Christian counselors—those who pray, study Scripture, and long to serve faithfully—can struggle to practice discernment in the counseling room. The reasons aren’t always theological. Often, they’re deeply human.

Here are some of the most common barriers to discernment:

• Busyness: In the rush of back-to-back sessions, treatment planning, paperwork, and personal demands, it’s easy to step into the therapy room without pausing to center. When we bypass prayerful stillness, we risk functioning on autopilot—present in body, but scattered in spirit. Discernment requires margin. It asks us to begin from a place of quiet, even in the midst of a full day.

• Fear: Some therapists worry that listening for the Spirit will appear unprofessional, unscientific, or out of step with evidence-based care. This fear can lead us to compartmentalize our faith, keeping it safely in the background. But true discernment doesn’t reject science—it integrates it. It’s not about abandoning protocols; it’s about submitting them to a higher wisdom.

• Pride: Clinical training is important. But when we rely solely on our knowledge, techniques, and diagnostic accuracy, we edge out the Spirit. Pride tells us we can handle it. Discernment reminds us that apart from God, we can do nothing (John 15:5). It takes humility to admit that even our best therapeutic interventions fall short without divine guidance.

• Fatigue: Discernment is hard to access when we’re running on empty. Emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue, and spiritual dryness all dull our sensitivity to God’s presence. When we carry the full burden of outcomes, we begin to function like saviors rather than servants. Discernment flourishes when we remember that healing is not ours to carry alone—we are yoked with Christ.

• Disconnection: A therapist’s spiritual life cannot be separated from their clinical work. When we neglect time with God outside of sessions, we become spiritually distant inside them. Discernment is not turned on by willpower—it flows from intimacy. Without ongoing communion with God, we forget how to recognize His voice.

The good news?

Discernment doesn’t require perfection. It requires availability.

God is not looking for flawless execution. He is looking for yielded hearts. The Spirit longs to guide us, to whisper truth, to point us toward the next faithful step.

Our role is simply to slow down, open up, and notice.

Discernment begins with invitation. It grows through attention. And it bears fruit in the quiet, sacred work of healing.

Therapists as Co-Counselors with the Spirit

One of the core convictions of the Soul Change Model is this:

The Christian therapist is not the primary counselor. The Holy Spirit is. We co-counsel with Him.

This means:

• We are not in control of outcomes—we are in partnership with God’s purposes.

  
  

• We are not the source of wisdom—we are vessels through which wisdom flows.

  
  

• We are not the ones who heal—we hold space for the Healer to move.

This reframing is both humbling and liberating. It changes how we prepare for sessions, how we measure success, and how we care for ourselves in the process.

Practicing Discernment as a Daily Habit

One of the central convictions of the Soul Change Model is this:

The Christian therapist is not the primary counselor. The Holy Spirit is.

We are not the healer, the fixer, or the savior. We are co-laborers in a sacred process, invited to partner with the One who knows the client fully and loves them perfectly. In this vision, we become co-counselors with the Spirit—not passive observers, but not ultimate authorities either.

This reframing has profound implications. It means:

• We are not in control of outcomes—we are in partnership with God’s purposes.We do not determine how quickly a client heals or whether a session “works.” We participate faithfully, but we surrender the results. This posture frees us from the crushing weight of responsibility and redirects our energy toward responsiveness and trust.

• We are not the source of wisdom—we are vessels through which wisdom flows.Our education, training, and experience matter. But the deepest insight often comes not from textbooks, but from the Spirit’s gentle prompting. When we allow God’s wisdom to guide our questions, observations, and timing, our words carry more than skill—they carry grace.

• We are not the ones who heal—we hold space for the Healer to move.True healing happens in the soul, and that is territory only God can access. Our job is to create a safe, attuned, and Spirit-sensitive environment where clients can encounter truth, love, and transformation—not just from us, but from God Himself.

This reframing is both humbling and liberating.

It humbles us by reminding us that we are not in charge. It is not our brilliance, empathy, or training that changes lives—it is the Spirit of God.It liberates us by relieving the pressure to produce transformation. We do our part, but we do not carry the full weight.

And it reorients everything:

• How we prepare for sessions – not just by reviewing notes, but by seeking the Spirit’s guidance in prayer.

• How we measure success – not by symptom reduction alone, but by movement toward truth, presence, and integration.

• How we care for ourselves – not by striving harder, but by resting in the God who works even when we cannot see it.

Being a co-counselor with the Spirit means remembering who the real Counselor is. It is a call to faithfulness, not perfection—a call to Presence, not performance.

And in that sacred partnership, something beautiful happens: Clients are not just treated.

They are met.

By God.

Through us.

Reflection

• What does it look like for you to practice spiritual discernment as a therapist? Where might you be relying on yourself more than the Spirit?

• When was the last time you sensed the Spirit leading you in a session? What helped you notice?

References

Tan, S.-Y. (2011). Counseling and psychotherapy: A Christian perspective. Baker Academic.

Thompson, C. (2010). Anatomy of the soul: Surprising connections between neuroscience and spiritual practices that can transform your life and relationships. Tyndale Momentum.