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Counselling Connections Across Australia

involves moving away from the polarity addresses the personal world of the client
of what is true/right or untrue/wrong to is to increase the client’s own mastery of
what is an improvement, or what works his or her emotional world.
better. All this flexibility is made possible
by the intersubjective nature of truth on This article has presented my model for
the third tier. integrating the Christian perspective on
truth that emphasizes that ultimately all
It is within the third tier of truth where truth is traced back to Divine Truth as
counseling can be creative. Counselling the bedrock of reality, with the relativistic
features reframes and reworking multi-perspective view of truth that
perceptions, which involves renegotiating characterizes our postmodern age. I have
and modifying the intersubjective truths done this by utilizing a four-tiered model
that the client maintains about other of truth that recognizes the distinctive
people, social relationships, their identity features of the truth functions in different
in their social context. In counselling we spheres of human existence. The model
can co-create new social realities. These includes a hierarchy that expresses the
renegotiations of meaning fit within this way that truth in the lower tiers lie within
framework of Christian truth, without the context of and are subject to the truth
compromising our recognition that people of the higher tiers. I trust this model is
have to face and accept the objective facts helpful.
of our physical cosmos, and the enduring
reality of Divine Truth.
References
Counselling likewise has huge scope for
creativity when working with reference Berger, Peter L. & Thomas Luckmann. (1966).
to the fourth tier of the client’s private The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in
world. Because it is subjective in nature, the Sociology of Knowledge. London: Allen Lane.
the client is the master of his or her
own personal world. Therefore, the Foucault, Michel. (1980). Power/Knowledge:
client’s subjective “truths” are based Selected Interviews and Other Writings. Edited
on conclusions the client has arrived by Lawrence D. Kritzman. Translated by Alan
at, and the results of decisions and Sheridan et al. New York: Routledge.
commitments that the client has made.
Therefore, they are not personal realities Greenwood, John D. (1994). Realism, Identity and
outside the control of the client. We are Emotion: Reclaiming Social Psychology. London:
not dealing with ‘objective’ facts that the Sage.
client is faced with, but rather subjective Plato. (1955) The Republic. London: Penguin.
perceptions and conclusions that the
client has arrived at. The client can Searle, John R. (1995). The Construction of Social
adopt new perspectives, change prior Reality. New York: Free Press.
commitments, make new decisions. The
client can reorder his or her emotional Wittgenstein, Ludwig. (1961). Tractatus Logico-
world by deciding what will be allowed and philosophicus. Translated by D. F. Pears and B. F.
what will be disallowed. An underlying McGuinness. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
common element in counselling that
Wittgenstein, Ludwig. (1974). On Certainty. Trans.
Denis Paul & G. E. M. Ansombe. Oxford: Basil
Blackwell.

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Edition 12 November 2020