Joshua J. Knabb

Mental health resources increasingly focus on the self as the antidote to psychological suffering, offering strategies for prioritizing self-care and self-esteem. Yet as people focus more on the self, their suffering may actually worsen, as evidenced by the prevalence of mental health disorders today. According to Christian clinical psychologist Joshua Knabb, when people focus less on the self and more on God, their mental and spiritual health may improve. Combining up-to-date psychological research with theological reflection, this book helps readers better understand the role that awe, pursued through the act of worship, plays in optimal psychological and spiritual functioning. Knabb explains that at its core, Christian mental and spiritual health involves worshipful awe of God, which can be intentionally cultivated throughout the day. The book also includes practices for readers to try out and use in clinical contexts. Worship and Awe in Christian Psychology will benefit students in Christian counseling and psychology programs, mental health practitioners, and others who want to improve their mental and spiritual health from a Christian perspective.

The Christian Trauma Survivor’s Workbook is a step-by-step guide for supporting Christians who have a history of trauma. The workbook offers four research-supported skills—attention, focus on the present moment, awareness, and acceptance—to help Christians shift from trauma-based patterns of ruminative thinking that can keep them stuck and make trauma symptoms worse to focusing on God. Drawing on Christian meditative prayer and contemplative practices that are anchored to the Bible and Christian spiritual writings, chapters include useful definitions, explanations, step-by-step interventions with audio files, journaling exercises, and real-life examples.

The Christian Trauma Survivor’s Workbook is a step-by-step guide for supporting Christians who have a history of trauma. The workbook offers four research-supported skills—attention, focus on the present moment, awareness, and acceptance—to help Christians shift from trauma-based patterns of ruminative thinking that can keep them stuck and make trauma symptoms worse to focusing on God. Drawing on Christian meditative prayer and contemplative practices that are anchored to the Bible and Christian spiritual writings, chapters include useful definitions, explanations, step-by-step interventions with audio files, journaling exercises, and real-life examples.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Christian Clients: A Faith-Based Workbook, Second Edition, is an indispensable companion for mental health professionals and their clients. The new edition includes updated discussions in each chapter and more than twenty-five new and updated exercises. The workbook offers a basic overview of the goals of ACT, including concepts that overlap with Christianity. Chapters devoted to each of the six ACT processes include biblical examples, equivalent concepts from the writings of contemplative Christians, worksheets for clients to better understand and apply the material, and strategies for clients to integrate a Christian worldview with ACT processes. Each chapter also includes several exercises devoted to contemplative practices and other psychospiritual interventions.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Christian Clients: A Faith-Based Workbook, Second Edition, is an indispensable companion for mental health professionals and their clients. The new edition includes updated discussions in each chapter and more than twenty-five new and updated exercises. The workbook offers a basic overview of the goals of ACT, including concepts that overlap with Christianity. Chapters devoted to each of the six ACT processes include biblical examples, equivalent concepts from the writings of contemplative Christians, worksheets for clients to better understand and apply the material, and strategies for clients to integrate a Christian worldview with ACT processes. Each chapter also includes several exercises devoted to contemplative practices and other psychospiritual interventions.

Faith-Based ACT for Christian Clients balances empirical evidence with theology to give mental health professionals a deep understanding of both the "why" and "how" of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for Christians. The new edition includes updated discussions in each chapter, more than 20 new and updated exercises, and new chapters on couples and trauma. The book includes a detailed exploration of the overlap between ACT and the Christian faith, case studies, and techniques that are explicitly designed to be accessible to both non-Christian and Christian (including evangelical Christian) counselors and therapists. Chapters also present the established research on Buddhist-influenced mindfulness meditation and newer research on Christian-derived meditative and contemplative practices and lay a firm theological foundation through the use of engaging biblical stories and metaphors.

Faith-Based ACT for Christian Clients balances empirical evidence with theology to give mental health professionals a deep understanding of both the "why" and "how" of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for Christians. The new edition includes updated discussions in each chapter, more than 20 new and updated exercises, and new chapters on couples and trauma. The book includes a detailed exploration of the overlap between ACT and the Christian faith, case studies, and techniques that are explicitly designed to be accessible to both non-Christian and Christian (including evangelical Christian) counselors and therapists. Chapters also present the established research on Buddhist-influenced mindfulness meditation and newer research on Christian-derived meditative and contemplative practices and lay a firm theological foundation through the use of engaging biblical stories and metaphors.

Christians are hungry for a return to their own tradition to cultivate meditation practices that are both psychologically and spiritually fruitful. In recent decades, mindfulness meditation, which originates from the Buddhist tradition, has been embraced in many settings as a method for addressing a plethora of symptoms. What would it look like to turn instead to the Christian faith for resources to more effectively identify and respond to psychological suffering? Over the last decade, Dr. Joshua Knabb has conducted a variety of empirical studies on Christian meditation, focusing on both building theory and testing specific, replicable practices. In this overview and workbook he presents the foundations of a Christian-sensitive approach to meditation in clinical practice. Filled with practical features for immediate use by Christian clients and their therapists, Christian Meditation in Clinical Practice provides an introduction to the rich resources on meditation from eight major streams of the Christian traditionpractices from the early desert Christians, Ignatius of Loyola, Celtic Christians, the Puritans, contemporary writers, and many othersguidance for targeting transdiagnostic processes—patterns of cognition, affect, behavior, the self, and relationships that may lead to psychological sufferingresearch-based evidence for the benefits of Christian meditationclient-friendly tools for practicing meditation, including step-by-step instructions, worksheets, journaling prompts, and links to tailored audio resources Using the approach of Christian psychology, Knabb's model dually builds on a biblical worldview and integrates the latest research in clinical psychology. As clients engage the variety of meditative exercises in this book, they will move toward healthier responses to difficult experiences and a deeper awareness of, and contentment in, God. Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

Christian Psychotherapy in Context combines theology with the latest research in clinical psychology to equip mental health practitioners to meet the unique psychological and spiritual needs of Christian clients. Encouraging therapists to operate from within a Christian framework, the authors explore the intersection between a Christian worldview and clients’ emotional struggles, drawing from sources including both foundational theological texts and the “common factors” psychotherapy literature. Written collaboratively by two clinical psychologists, an academic psychologist, and a theologian, this book paves the way for psychotherapeutic practice that builds on Christian principles as the foundation, rather than merely adding them to treatment as an afterthought.

Christian Psychotherapy in Context combines theology with the latest research in clinical psychology to equip mental health practitioners to meet the unique psychological and spiritual needs of Christian clients. Encouraging therapists to operate from within a Christian framework, the authors explore the intersection between a Christian worldview and clients’ emotional struggles, drawing from sources including both foundational theological texts and the “common factors” psychotherapy literature. Written collaboratively by two clinical psychologists, an academic psychologist, and a theologian, this book paves the way for psychotherapeutic practice that builds on Christian principles as the foundation, rather than merely adding them to treatment as an afterthought.

The Compassion-Based Workbook for Christian Clients integrates contemporary research in clinical psychology on compassion-based approaches to shame with a Christian worldview, offering a wide variety of strategies for Christians to better understand and combat shame and negative self-judgments. Chapters lay out a four-step process to help clients let go of unhelpful thinking patterns that lead to shame, experience God’s compassion on a deeper level, and extend this compassion to themselves and others. Readers will find a wealth of Christian-sensitive experiential exercises, journaling assignments, biblical examples, and case examples throughout the workbook. Audio recordings for several guided meditations are also provided to help Christians practice the strategies offered in the workbook.

The Compassion-Based Workbook for Christian Clients integrates contemporary research in clinical psychology on compassion-based approaches to shame with a Christian worldview, offering a wide variety of strategies for Christians to better understand and combat shame and negative self-judgments. Chapters lay out a four-step process to help clients let go of unhelpful thinking patterns that lead to shame, experience God’s compassion on a deeper level, and extend this compassion to themselves and others. Readers will find a wealth of Christian-sensitive experiential exercises, journaling assignments, biblical examples, and case examples throughout the workbook. Audio recordings for several guided meditations are also provided to help Christians practice the strategies offered in the workbook.

Contemplative Prayer for Christians with Chronic Worry presents an eight-week approach for working with recurrent worry. Each chapter offers an introduction for the week, goals, techniques, and homework. Six free audio recordings are also available to download for use when practicing the guided meditations. Clinicians and their clients will find that the workbook helps them explore ways to lessen daily worries through contemplative prayer. Relying on scriptural support, the contemplative Christian tradition, and psychological science, clients will learn how to sit in silence with God, trusting in him during moments of uncertainty, worry, and anxiety.

Contemplative Prayer for Christians with Chronic Worry presents an eight-week approach for working with recurrent worry. Each chapter offers an introduction for the week, goals, techniques, and homework. Six free audio recordings are also available to download for use when practicing the guided meditations. Clinicians and their clients will find that the workbook helps them explore ways to lessen daily worries through contemplative prayer. Relying on scriptural support, the contemplative Christian tradition, and psychological science, clients will learn how to sit in silence with God, trusting in him during moments of uncertainty, worry, and anxiety.