St Paul's Lutheran Church, Ernakulam is actively involved in Counselling  Ministry  which aims at the personal growth and development of the individuals and  social change of the community

The following Counselling Process are used

 

1	Making contact or appointment for Counselling and being ready to be available.
2	Establishing effective communication and listing the verbal and non-verbal message  of the client.
3	Building rapport – confidentiality trust between the counsellor and the counsellee.
4	Avoiding assumptions about the client.
5	Letting the client be the final judge of his/her own feelings and experience.
6	Accepting the feelings and the client and recognizing the potentials of the client.
7	Letting the client do the talking of specifies and talk of feelings.
8	Working with no Agenda and no exploitation.
9	Avoid disclosing the identity of the clients for the purpose of teaching, training, research or publication.
10	Attending physically (sit squarely, open position, lean forward, eye-contact, relaxed) and psychologically (empty the world of the counsellor and enter the world of the counsellee).
11	Adding the spiritual resources- the word of God, prayer etc.
12	Accurate empathy- understanding the inner world of the client –his/her thoughts, feelings, experiences etc.
13	Respect- the way in which the counsellor deals with the client showing that he respects client.
14	Genuineness- spontaneous, open with out hiding behind the role of “counsellor”.
15	Concreteness- grounding the helping process in concrete feelings and concrete behaviour.
16	Self-disclosure  -sharing the counsellor’s own experience to help the client understand himself better.
17	Immediate-recognizing and focusing on the here and now feeling (“you-and-me”, here-and- now) in the interaction.
18	Confrontation-challenging the un-noticed resources and discrepancies distortions, games, smokescreens, attempts to manipulate, escape etc without breaking the relationship.
19	Offering alternative frames of references for viewing the clients behaviour.
20	Being comfortable with silence to get insights to the client and the counsellor. Meaning of the silence shall be found out.
21	Facilitating action – collaborating with the client in the elaboration of action programmes including problem solving techniques, (using force-field analysis) decision making processes, behaviour modification programmes, home work etc.
22	Follow up can be done and termination or referral shall be made.

1	I can do all things in him who strengthens me (Phil 4: 13).
2	My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2cori 12:9).
3	Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim2:1).
4	More than that; we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Rom 5:3-5).

1	Jesus changed the life of a tax collector named Zacheous- a Counselling approach is seen (Luke 19:1-10).
2	Counselling in a Roman jail changed the life of Onesimus a prisoner (Philemon).
3	Peter helped 3000 persons a t Jerusalem to change their lives through Counselling (sermon) (Acts 2:14 -42).
4	Philip helped the society at the city of Samariah for much joy (Acts 8:5-8).
5	The ministry of Paul at the city of Philippi changed the members of the church or giving more help to others (Phil 4:14 -16).

Issues at Vathuruthy Slum in Kochi City

Vathuruthy being a slum area has a lot of issue that need  counselling for change. Details of these issues are given in the details of Issues at Vathuruthy slum

Using the Counselling skills, the  various process of activities are carried out for the social change in the slum. 

Educational support, health development programmes, awareness camps, rehabilitation programmes, programmes for the welfare of women and children are being carried out at Vathuruthy through Counselling. Counselling has embarked on another ambitious scheme for providing education and noon feeding to 500 odd students in Vathuruthy slum.

The story of Suseela a linguistically and physically handicapped girl is unique, pioneering an example for children of slums. She was the school topper in the CMS Higher Secondary School, Melukavu who scored high marks in the SSLC examination held in March 2001

1	Migrant’s children are sent to schools. Some of them sent  the children to Malayalam medium schools and others to Tamil medium in their native places.
2	A Tamil School has been started in the slum itself in the  year of 2003.
3	The migrant population  has realized of their  being exploited and are resisting it.
4	Savings habit is developed among the population of both the natives and migrants
5	The environment is made clean through the counselling, awareness programme and the fund channeled to  the Corporation of Kochi from the British Overseas Development Agency (BODA) for development.
6	Renovation of houses and up gradation of the shelters of the slum dwellers are made using this Fund .
7	The children are provided  proper cared with the help of Crèches, Day Care Centres and Anganawadies.
8	Water stagnation is reduced due to cement flooring of all the paths and pocket roads and maintenance of the drainage.
9	The  hygienic environment has reduced the rate of epidemic disease.

Even though this area is known as a slum and exists a social stigma the appearance of a slum nature has gone away. Now it looks nice with new buildings, cement floored paths and pocket roads, covered drainages and small trees on roadside. The life situation of the community in this area is also changed.

CONCORDIA CENTRE FOR COUNSELLING AND MEDIATION

The St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Ernakulam shall have liberty to start and manage throughout the territory of Indian on non profitable basis Concordia Centre for Counselling and Mediation to render services to families as well as to individuals for their psychological & personal growth and to provide courses and training for counselling and for mediation.

Considering conflict as opportunities to solve common problems than sweeping off the feet and leaving bruised and hurting, the “Concordia Centre for Counselling & Mediation” takes a new venture for peacemaking. The centre marks a beginning for mediation, conflict resolution coaching, and arbitration services to help to resolve lawsuits, family conflicts, and business disputes and communal divisions. The center extends all help needed to mange conflict confidently and constructively than reacting to disputes in a confused, defensive or angry manner. The centre equips people to respond to conflict optimistically and enable them to confront others in a clear, constructive and persuasive manner.

The training and the services will be given separately to the peer group such as teachers, advocates, professionals, labourers, business people, students, social workers, political leaders and religious leaders. The “Concordia Centre for Counselling & Mediation” also provides seminars on peacemaking in various places and persons interested in doing CONCILIATION THRU MEDIATION will be selected as Reconcilers and trained accordingly.

For more details regarding this ministry please contact : missiondirector@lkmission.org