Liberty University Theological Seminary

Final Case Study - Walter & Pam

Couple Login Code: N8XJBH-44M9J4

In partial fulfillment of
The requirements for this course
Pastoral Counseling
PACO 603 - D01
Dr. Scott Hawkins

By Noe Rodriguez
May 8, 2015
Introduction
A study on Walter and Pam a married couple in search to make changes in their life in order to
have a better marriage, Pam is deal with uncertainties and questions of her marriage while Walter
is a loner he is an introvert, while Pam is an extrovert through this study there will be some

WALTER AND PAM

things that will be presented that can help this marriage grow stronger through Gods word and
their effort.
Thesis
Couples can enhance their relationships when they focus on changing their personalities
and their attitudes with each other and connect with the strength, and become familiar with their
weakness only through Christ can this be successful.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Walter and Pam are a couple who are of the same religious belief this is a good thing I
glean this from their case study although, the one red flag that goes up at the moment; as I read
Walter, and Pam case study is, that Pam has uncertainty that she has made the correct choice in

WALTER AND PAM

agreeing to marry Walter, obviously this is a very serious problem for this couple because there is
uncertainty already in this marriage. (Facilitators Report Prepare Enrich) there have been studies
conducted also that many times the association of relationship quality has to do with
comprehension and responsiveness, and the expressing of emotion (Pasupathi M, Carstensen
1999) they also enhance long marriage it is a proven fact the way couples respond to each other
can affect the longevity of the marriage.
Even though the case report shows that Walter and Pam are protestant I would have to
counsel Pam and Walter that they need to read (Matthew 6:33) at this time they need to seek first
the Kingdom of God so that all the things that they desire may come into their lives making God
first in our life is essential for a successful marriage this would be my initial advise. And in a
practical sense avoiding discussions about issues or problems with spouse within the relationship
is a vital sign of marital health. (Burleson, B.R., & Denton, W.H. 2014) couples should never
leave strong issues such as when a spouse is offended by the other without communicating their
emotions it can lead to trouble in the marriage down the road.
God requires that the man treat the women as a weaker vessel, understanding this means
that the women is not just an object that the male can tell what to do, many times when such
discussions arise it is important for the counselor to maintain objectivity such as not be
judgmental, as well as non-moralistic in his attitude. (Karp. M.J. 1956)

Personalities
Walter and Pam social traits are very different Walter scored low which means he is
introvert when it comes to socializing, this type of trait tends to be more of the lonely type or
maybe 3 or 4 people at the most, Pam is more of a social butterfly she loves to socialize, and

WALTER AND PAM

meet new people this can be a problem in their marriage because Walter does not like to socialize
and this affects pam when she wants to go out.
SCOPE is an acronym for Social, Change Organize, Pleasing and Emotionally Steady
this is how I am able to tell that Walter is Introverted and Pam is Extroverted the temperaments
are very different the problem here is that it can affect their marriage negatively they need to find
a middle ground here, but many times couples do not do well with change Walter is one of those
people that will not do good with change he scored low on this trait, pam is open, and welcomes
new things in her life for Pam it will be easier to adjust to different changes.
My advice here would be for them to look for things they can do together with another
couple baby steps for Walter so he can get use to the change of being around other people maybe
start to come to our Local couples night and meet new people with some of their same interests
while all in a Godly environment, a perfect scripture that comes to mind for this couple is
(Hebrews 10:25) in many cases in Christian counseling it is good for the counselor to pray of
even read scripture together with those he/she is counseling. (Worthington, E.L. 1990) change
can only come if Walter acknowledges that he needs to open his horizons, and readjust from
begin alone to becoming more social as Pam there has to be a middle ground that both of them
can work on. Many times personalities can be traced back to parents so I would inquire what
their parents were like in order to get better insight. (Justice, W.G., & Lambert, W. 1996)
Ministry Plan
Walter and pam obviously have some differences to settle in the marriage this couple is
not the first or the last to have differences, therefore the first thing that I recommend is to
continue to seek Godly advise I would offer that together we could work out some of the

WALTER AND PAM

differences in their situation, which is unique but also letting them know that God made us all
unique, and different, and that there is nothing wrong with them, sometimes we have to give
things up when we marry such as Walter when you were single you spend time by yourself and
enjoyed that, but now you are with Pam she enjoys begin around people so once you start to go
with her and hang out with some new couples you will enjoy it as well.
Fear involves torment and therefore it is not of God so anytime that we have to change
the enemy comes and presents fear in our lives, for Walter and pam my Biblical advice would be
(2 Timothy 1:7) God is love, and when we are following his will we can then change those things
that disturb the plans that he has for our lives.
Prayer is frowned upon in mainstream counseling or secular counseling but some studies
have shown that it is therapeutic and can actually help the well begin of the marriage. (Gubi P.
M. 2001).
Some of the things that will be discussed with Walter and Pam will be Conflict resolution,
Communication skills, anger management, finances, extended families, and gender roles. As a
marital and relationship ministry. (Akagi C. G., & Bergen, M.B. 2004) I believe that Active
Listening which come from Rogerian principles to include empathy, positive regard and listening
skills and of course Biblical resources and prayer can be some of the Approaches to take with
Walter and Pam. (Garzon, F,. Worthington 2009)

Conclusion
Walter and Pam have so many things to look forward to it would be a privilege to work with this
couple, and allow for God to change areas in their lives, and be the sculptor in their lives this is
the finish product will be what God wants it to be, we all have the ability to change those things
that affect our lives and when it comes to couples God can do it also so praise the Lord for his
awesome love, and his counsel to us as a counselor my job is to reorient couples to find solution

WALTER AND PAM

for their debates, or problems this can only be done when I myself am given to prayer in order to
receive instruction from the Lord, knowing my limitations is also important therefore I will have
available resources to refer the couple if that is deemed necessary, above all I trust that God can
change the lives of anyone he entrust to me, trusting in him we shall be able to see miracles.

References
Pasupathi, M., Carstensen, L.L, Levenson, R.W., & Gottman, J.M. (1999) Responsive Listening
in Long-Married Couples: A Psycholinguistic Perspective. Journal Of Nonverbal Behavior,
232(2), 173-193
Burleson, B.R., & Denton, W.H. (2014). The Association Between Spousal Initiator Tendency
and Partner Marital Satisfaction: Some Moderating Effects of Supportive Communication
Values. American Journal Of Family Therapy, 42(2), 152. Doi. 10.1080/019261872012.754244

WALTER AND PAM

Worthington, E.L. (1990, October): Marriage counseling: A Christian approach to counseling

couples. Counseling & Values. P.3.
Gubi P. M. (2001). An exploration of the use of Christian prayer in mainstream counselling.
British Journal Of Guidance & Counseling, 29(4), 425-434. Doi:10.1080/03069880120085974
Karpf, M.J. (1956). Some guiding principles in marriage Counseling Journal of Pastoral Care,
10(4), 219-225
Justice, W.G., & Lambert, W. (1986). A comparative study of the language people use to describe
the personalities of God and their earthly parents. Journal Of Pastoral Care, 40(2), 166-172
Akagi, C.G., & Bergen, M.B. (2004). Marital and relationship ministry (MRM) as a tenant of
pastoral care. Journal Of Pastoral Care & Counseling, 58(1-2), 63-73.
Grazon, F., Worthington, E.L., Tan, S. & Worthington, R.K. (2009). Lay Christian counseling
and client expectations for integrating in therapy. Journal of Psychology And Christianity, 28(2),
113-120
Facilitators Report Prepare Enrich building strong marriages Retrieved from
learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-6809000-dt-content-rid48309878_1/courses/PACO603_D01_201520/conflicted1/pdf
KJV Matthew 6:33
KJV Hebrews 10:25
KJV 2 Timothy 1:7