Ekaterina Fakhrutdinova

PASTORAL CARE FOR MARRIED COUPLES DURING CRISIS PERIODS USING EFFECTIVE CBT METHODS BY AARON BECK, THE VALUE-SEMANTIC ORIENTATION OF CLASSICAL BIBLICAL COUNSELING BY JAY ADAMS, AND LOGOTHERAPY BY VIKTOR FRANKL

Introduction

Pastoral care for married couples during crisis periods using effective cbt methods by aaron beck, the value-semantic orientation of classical biblical counseling by jay adams, and logotherapy by viktor frankl. Explore effective pastoral care for married couples in crisis using CBT, biblical counseling, and logotherapy. Strengthen spiritual connections, replace destructive patterns, and restore harmony.

Abstract

Abstract. The article focuses on pastoral care for married couples during crisis periods, integrating effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) methods, the value-semantic orientation of classical biblical counseling, and logotherapy. The aim of the study is to demonstrate how pastoral support helps couples overcome crises by strengthening spiritual connections, replacing destructive behavioral patterns with constructive ones, and restoring harmony in relationships through the creation and discovery of new meanings. The research employed general scientific research methods, including analysis, synthesis, comparison, and generalization. The findings indicate that pastoral care is a critical element in supporting married couples through crises, helping preserve the marital bond, which serves not only as the foundation of family life but also as a source of grace, elevating natural love to the level of supernatural love. In moments of crisis, it is crucial to support and deepen this connection, guiding couples to find new meaning in shared life, maintain faith, and resolve internal conflicts. Effective pastoral methods include CBT, which helps couples recognize and replace destructive thought patterns that often lead to conflicts with more realistic and constructive beliefs. This approach reduces anxiety, improves communication, and strengthens emotional connections between partners. Additionally, biblical counseling emphasizes spiritual growth, moral values, and relationship restoration through deepened faith, highlighting the importance of spiritual unity in marriage. Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy complements the latter approach by encouraging couples to find meaning even in the most challenging circumstances, emphasizing the spiritual dimension of shared life and the pursuit of deeper understanding. Together, these approaches form a comprehensive support system for families during crises, providing not only psychological stability but also spiritual renewal, as well as promoting long-term marital strength and personal growth for each partner. The practical significance of the study lies in the development of a comprehensive pastoral care methodology aimed at harmonizing family relationships during crisis periods.

Review

The paper presents an ambitious and highly interdisciplinary approach to pastoral care for married couples in crisis, proposing an integration of Aaron Beck's Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Jay Adams's classical biblical counseling with its value-semantic orientation, and Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy. The stated aim is compelling: to demonstrate how such integrated pastoral support can facilitate spiritual connection, replace destructive patterns, and restore harmony through the discovery of new meanings. This broad scope, seeking to combine psychological, theological, and existential frameworks, offers a potentially rich and holistic perspective on marital crisis intervention within a faith-based context. The abstract effectively outlines the theoretical contributions of each chosen methodology. CBT is positioned to address cognitive distortions and improve communication, while biblical counseling emphasizes spiritual growth and moral values, highlighting faith and spiritual unity. Logotherapy complements these by encouraging meaning-making, even in adversity, and emphasizing the spiritual dimension of shared life. The paper claims that this comprehensive system offers not only psychological stability but also spiritual renewal, promoting long-term marital strength. The concept of "preserving the marital bond" as a "source of grace, elevating natural love to the level of supernatural love" provides a powerful theological grounding for the intervention. While the proposed integration is intriguing, the abstract leaves several critical questions regarding the methodological execution and the nuanced *synthesis* of these distinct paradigms. The mention of "general scientific research methods, including analysis, synthesis, comparison, and generalization" suggests a conceptual or literature-based study, yet the strong declaration "The findings indicate that pastoral care is a critical element..." hints at empirical validation which is not clearly supported by the listed methods. A more explicit articulation of *how* these diverse approaches (e.g., secular CBT and inherently theological biblical counseling) are harmonized without compromising their core tenets would significantly strengthen the paper. Furthermore, the abstract would benefit from a clearer exposition of the *developed methodology* – beyond merely listing the components – to illustrate its practical application and effectiveness, especially if it intends to establish the proposed care as a "critical element" with proven benefits.

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