About Course
Knowledge Module 04 - (NQF Level 5)
The Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy:
A Problem-Solving Model for Christian Counselling Therapists
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MODULE 04: What Makes Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy a Comprehensive Christian Psychotherapeutic Model?.....................................................................................................
Unit 1: A Psycho-Human Centered Therapy: What Is It and Why Is It Limited?...........................
Unit 2: Five Steps for Determining Whether Christian Psychotherapists Require the Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy…………………………………………………………………
Unit 3: Meeting the Need for Christian Psychotherapy: A South African and Commonwealth Perspective………………………………………………………………………………………….
Course Content
Unit 1: A Psycho-Human Centred Therapy: What Is It and Why Is It Limited?
1. Unit Purpose
To equip learners with a critical understanding of psycho-human-centred therapy models, their historical and theoretical foundations, and their limitations within contemporary multicultural and spiritually oriented contexts—especially in South Africa and the broader Commonwealth. The module enables learners to evaluate why these models fall short in addressing spiritual dimensions and prepares them to understand the distinctiveness of Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy (PCT) as a spiritually integrative Christian psychotherapeutic approach.
Learning Outcomes
Learners who complete this unit will be able to:
1. Describe the core assumptions, strengths, and methods of psycho-human-centred therapy models.
2. Analyse the cultural, spiritual, and contextual limitations of these models across diverse Commonwealth societies.
3. Explain why purely humanistic frameworks struggle to address spiritual distress, spiritual identity, and divine-centred meaning-making.
4. Compare secular psychological assumptions with Christian, biblical, and psychopneumatic worldviews.
5. Evaluate real-world cases where psycho-human models fail to address underlying spiritual needs.
6. Motivate the need for spiritually integrated models such as PCT within counselling and psychotherapeutic settings.
Essential Embedded Knowledge / Core Content
Learners must understand:
● Historical development of humanistic, cognitive-behavioural, and psychodynamic traditions.
● Foundational assumptions of psycho-human-centred therapy and its Western roots.
● Concepts of spiritual distress, spiritual identity, soul-related conflict, and biblical anthropology.
● Intersections of culture, spirituality, and counselling within African, Caribbean, Indian, Australian, and Pacific contexts.
● Principles of Christian counselling and the role of the Holy Spirit in psychopneumatic discernment.
● Key differences between secular therapeutic epistemology and Christian theological anthropology.
Indicative Content / Knowledge Criteria
Learners should be able to demonstrate knowledge of:
● Definitions: psycho-human centred therapy, humanism, spiritual fragmentation, spiritual perception.
● Limitations of CBT, person-centred therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and coaching models in spiritual contexts.
● Case studies:
○ Thandi (South Africa) – grief, spiritual confusion.
○ Rajesh (India) – existential disconnection.
○ Caribbean and African collectivist contexts – spiritual meaning-making in bereavement, identity, and fear cycles.
● Cultural frameworks: Ubuntu (Africa), honour-based family systems (India/Malaysia), spiritual collectivism (Caribbean).
● Biblical worldview elements include soul-mind-spirit integration, prayer as therapeutic illumination, and scripture as a healing agent.
● Why PCT transcends humanistic therapeutic limitations.
Assessment Criteria
Learners can:
1. Identify and explain the conceptual foundations of psycho-human-centred therapy.
2. Critically evaluate its limitations using Commonwealth cultural and spiritual contexts.
3. Analyse case studies and identify unresolved spiritual components.
4. Demonstrate applied understanding by contrasting human-centred and psychopneumatic-centred approaches.
5. Provide a reasoned argument for the necessity of PCT in addressing spiritual dimensions of human distress.
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Class Discussion
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Case Study Analysis
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Reflection Journal
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Group Activity
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Scriptural Reflection
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Short Essay
Unit 2: Five Steps for Determining Whether Christian Psychotherapists Require the PCT Model
Unit Purpose
To equip learners with the ability to evaluate whether the Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy (PCT) model is necessary and applicable within contemporary Christian counselling contexts across South Africa and Commonwealth nations. Learners will integrate insights from the “Jobs to Be Done” (JTBD) framework to assess the tasks, gaps, and needs in current Christian therapeutic practices and identify how PCT addresses these complexities spiritually, psychologically, and culturally.
Learning Outcomes
Learners will be able to:
1. Explain the “Jobs to Be Done” (JTBD) framework and its relevance to Christian psychotherapy.
2. Analyse the five steps for determining the need for PCT in diverse counselling contexts.
3. Evaluate contemporary counselling challenges across multicultural South African and Commonwealth settings.
4. Compare existing secular and Christian therapeutic models with PCT.
5. Assess how PCT integrates psychological science, pneumatology, and cultural sensitivity.
6. Formulate criteria for when Christian psychotherapists should adopt the PCT model in practice.
Essential Embedded Knowledge / Core Content
● Theoretical foundation of the JTBD framework (Clayton Christensen).
● Spiritual, psychological, and cultural expectations of help-seekers in modern Christian counselling.
● Overview of PCT as a holistic, Biblically-based psychotherapy framework.
● Comparative insights: CBT, psychodynamic, humanistic models vs Christian pastoral care models.
● Post-colonial and multicultural counselling dynamics in South Africa and Commonwealth nations.
● Contemporary counselling challenges: trauma, identity conflict, anxiety, guilt/shame, cultural dissonance.
● PCT as a response to gaps in existing models (literature insights, global interviews, practitioner feedback).
● Evolution of counselling needs in digital, post-pandemic, and AI-influenced contexts.
Indicative Content / Knowledge Criteria
Learners should understand and explain:
1. Counselling therapy as a “job to be done” and its implications for spiritual-psychological care.
2. How to identify real counselling tasks beyond doctrinal correctness.
3. Methods for interviewing therapists and help-seekers to assess unmet needs.
4. Strengths and limitations of secular vs Christian therapeutic models.
5. The role of pneumatology, biblical integration, and cultural relevance within PCT.
6. How PCT adapts to societal shifts, including digital delivery and global trauma trends.
7. Why PCT is positioned as a comprehensive model for 21st-century Christian psychotherapy.
Assessment Criteria
Learners must:
1. Provide a written explanation of the five steps for determining PCT’s necessity.
2. Demonstrate, through case analysis, how JTBD clarifies counselling expectations.
3. Compare at least two secular models with PCT, identifying gaps filled by PCT.
4. Analyse multicultural case scenarios (e.g., Zimbabwean in Durban, British-South African in Birmingham, Lagos counsellor).
5. Produce a structured evaluation of when and why PCT should be adopted in a ministry or practice.
6. Present a reflective report on the future relevance of PCT in evolving global contexts.
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Case Study Analysis
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JTBD Mapping Activity
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Comparative Reflection
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Interview Simulation
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Reading Reflection
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Cultural Lens Exercise
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Digital Counselling Task
Unit 3: Meeting the Need for Christian Psychotherapy: A South African and Commonwealth Perspective
Unit Purpose
To equip learners with foundational and contextualised knowledge of how Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy (PCT) responds to the unmet psychological and spiritual needs of help-seekers across South Africa and diverse Commonwealth nations. This module aims to deepen understanding of PCT’s validation processes, benefit statements, and its alignment with contemporary cultural, spiritual, and psychological realities.
Learning Outcomes
Learners who complete this module will be able to:
1. Explain the unmet needs of Christian psychotherapy in South Africa and Commonwealth contexts.
2. Describe the validation process of the PCT model and its relevance in multicultural Christian counselling settings.
3. Analyse how PCT integrates psychological and spiritual dimensions compared to humanistic therapies.
4. Formulate clear benefit statements for use in Christian counselling practice.
5. Apply the jobs-to-be-done framework to understand help-seekers’ transformational needs.
6. Evaluate the cultural adaptability and therapeutic impact of PCT across diverse global settings.
Essential Embedded Knowledge / Core Content
● The role of Christian psychotherapy in contemporary multicultural societies.
● Distinctions between humanistic psychological models and spiritually integrated models.
● Foundations of Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy (biblical, psychological, relational).
● Validation as a process for assessing therapeutic usefulness and cultural fit.
● Jobs-to-be-done (Christensen) framework applied to counselling psychotherapy.
● Crafting benefit statements for clear communication of therapeutic value.
● Cross-cultural spiritual and psychological needs in South Africa and Commonwealth nations.
● Scriptural basis for transformational thinking (e.g., Romans 12:2).
● Understanding psychopneumases (mental-spiritual disorders).
Indicative Content / Knowledge Criteria
Learners must demonstrate understanding of:
● Mental health challenges in South Africa: trauma, poverty, identity, spiritual related matters.
● Commonwealth diversity: multiculturalism, secularism, and post-colonial identity tensions.
● The PCT model is a holistic alternative to mind-only or behaviour-only therapeutic approaches.
● The significance of validation through field testing, practitioner feedback, and testimonial evidence.
● The role of benefit statements in articulating therapeutic distinctiveness.
● How PCT meets help-seekers’ jobs-to-be-done through spiritual-psychological transformation.
● Cultural adaptability and contextual customisation of PCT across global settings.
Assessment Criteria
The learner is able to:
1. Analyse contextual case scenarios and identify unmet spiritual-psychological needs.
2. Discuss the validation process of PCT using real or simulated field data.
3. Compare PCT to humanistic therapies with reference to core principles.
4. Produce a culturally relevant benefit statement for practice.
5. Apply the jobs-to-be-done framework to hypothetical help-seeker profiles.
Demonstrate conceptual understanding through written assessments, presentations, or oral discussions.
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Case study analysis
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Reflection journal
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Group discussion
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Benefit statement workshop
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Jobs-to-be-done mapping
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Scriptural reflection
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Peer feedback activity
Unit 4: The Transformational Thinking Approach and the Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy (PCT) for Change
Unit Purpose
To equip the learner with an advanced understanding of transformational thinking as applied within Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy (PCT), emphasising the integration of biblical insight, spiritual discernment, psychological understanding, and culturally contextualised problem-solving. The unit enables learners to apply the P-E-D-A model (Prayer, Envision, Develop, Apply) as a holistic, Spirit-led, and culturally relevant process for facilitating personal and communal transformation.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:
1. Explain the concept of transformational thinking within the PCT framework and distinguish it from secular cognitive or behavioural models.
2. Analyse the dual-structured and Spirit-responsive nature of PCT, including its cultural relevance in South African, African, and Commonwealth contexts.
3. Apply the four phases of the P-E-D-A model as a transformational mental-spiritual roadmap.
4. Evaluate the role of Holy Spirit inspiration in shaping insight, vision, behaviour, and decision-making within counselling processes.
5. Demonstrate how PCT supports sustainable behavioural change through prayerful discernment, envisioning, structured development, and practical application.
6. Integrate biblical principles, cultural intelligence, and psychological insight in guiding help-seekers through transformative change.
Essential Embedded Knowledge / Core Content
Learners must understand:
● Definition of transformational thinking in PCT: spiritual-psychological integration, Spirit-inspired cognitive renewal (Romans 12:2).
● Differences between secular problem-solving frameworks (linear, rationalistic) and PCT’s integrated, emergent, Spirit-led approach.
● Structured vs. emergent pathways: the interplay between cognitive clarity, emotional insight, and divine spontaneity.
● Cultural and communal interpretations of suffering, healing, and change in South African and Commonwealth contexts.
● The P-E-D-A Model:
○ P – P-r-a-y-e-r (Discern root issues through presence, reflection, articulation, yielding, encounter, renewal)
○ E – Envision (Spirit-guided imagination; prophetic insight; visualization of healing)
○ D – Develop (Testing ideas; structuring strategies; scriptural alignment)
○ A – Apply (Implementation; accountability; evaluation; communal support)
● Role of the Holy Spirit in insight formation, conviction, reframing mindsets, and guiding behavioural transformation.
● Transformational power of imagination, narrative, metaphor, art, and cultural expression within PCT.
● PCT as a global Christian model bridging psychology, theology, and pneumatology.
Indicative Content / Knowledge Criteria
Learners must demonstrate knowledge of:
1. How transformational thinking differs from positive thinking, behaviour modification, or secular cognitive restructuring.
2. How prayer functions as a bilateral engagement for spiritual discernment.
3. The psychological and theological significance of the Envision stage as a catalyst for mindset renewal.
4. How cultural traditions influence problem-solving, perception, and meaning-making.
5. How to translate Spirit-led insights into structured therapeutic plans.
6. How accountability systems, mentoring, and community frameworks sustain behavioural change.
7. How PCT responds to 21st-century mental health challenges, trauma, disconnection, and spiritual hunger.
8. Application of biblical foundations for transformation (e.g., Romans 12:2, Eph. 4:22–24, Prov. 3:5–6).
Assessment Criteria
The learner is competent when they can:
1. Clearly articulate the principles of transformational thinking in PCT.
2. Compare and critique secular frameworks against the PCT methodology.
3. Demonstrate accurate and relevant use of the P-E-D-A model in case scenarios.
4. Show the ability to identify Spirit-led insights and integrate them into therapeutic plans.
5. Produce a written or oral explanation of how cultural and spiritual contexts shape the counselling process.
6. Develop a transformation plan for a help-seeker using all four phases of the P-E-D-A model.
7. Demonstrate reflective ability in evaluating behavioural outcomes, spiritual growth, and emotional shifts.
8. Apply biblical and psychological reasoning to justify chosen interventions.
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Learning Activities
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Reflection Tasks
Unit 5: Psychopneumatic Central Tools for Solving Issues
Unit Purpose
To equip learners with the knowledge and understanding of the core psychopneumatic tools used within Psychopneumatic Centric Therapy (PCT) for addressing personal, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual problems within multicultural, faith-based South African and Commonwealth contexts. The unit develops competency in applying narrative, imaginative, reflective, and spiritually-guided processes during the Envisioning and Development phases of PCT’s P-E-D-A framework.
Learning Outcomes
Learners will be able to:
1. Explain the purpose and structure of the four central tools of PCT: Creating a Problem Story, Brainstorming, Alternate Worlds, and Continuing Skill Development.
2. Analyse human problems using PCT narrative, cognitive, and spiritually integrative methods.
3. Apply PCT tools appropriately within multicultural, pastoral, and therapeutic settings.
4. Demonstrate insight into the cultural and spiritual diversity of help-seekers across South Africa and Commonwealth communities.
5. Reflect critically on the role of ongoing personal and professional development in PCT practice.
Essential Embedded Knowledge / Core Content
Learners must understand:
● The P-E-D-A framework and its Envisioning and Development phases.
● Narrative therapy principles within a Christian psychological worldview.
● Cultural influences on problem interpretation (e.g., African communalism, South Asian family honour systems, Caribbean identity structures).
● The psychological–spiritual integration is central to PCT.
● Problem Story components: IUE, FMF, PMF, Reversing, and Elimination.
● Brainstorming techniques: LTC, UTP, IMP.
● Alternate Worlds technique and Unique Cognitive Processes (UCP).
● Professional growth principles: transformational thinking, CPD, spiritual discernment.
Indicative Content / Knowledge Criteria
Learners should be able to demonstrate knowledge of:
1. Creating a Problem Story
○ Use of metaphoric language, imaginative reconstruction, and spiritual discernment.
○ Identification of IUE, FMF, PMF, and stronghold-breaking through Reversing and Elimination.
○ Application in South African, Indian, Nigerian, UK, and diasporic settings.
2. Brainstorming (TSBT)
○ Listing root causes.
○ Applying reflective and spiritually-guided thought processes.
○ Narrowing concepts using collaborative and contextual decision-making.
3. Alternate Worlds
○ Imaginative comparative thinking across cultures and worldviews.
○ Ubuntu-based reframing and global Christian perspectives.
○ Facilitating emotional reframing and cognitive flexibility.
4. Continue Developing Your Skills
○ CPD, spiritual sensitivity, and mastery of transformational thinking.
○ Use of Scripture, prayer, fasting, and discernment in therapeutic settings.
Assessment Criteria
The learner must:
1. Describe each of the four PCT tools clearly and accurately.
2. Analyse a case study using the Problem Story method (IUE–FMF–PMF–Reversing/Elimination).
3. Demonstrate the Three-Step Brainstorming Technique in a simulated counselling scenario.
4. Use the Alternate Worlds tool to generate comparative perspectives for a help-seeker’s challenge.
5. Reflect on personal growth areas and propose a CPD plan aligned to psychopneumatic practice.
6. Communicate findings using culturally sensitive and ethically sound professional language.
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Case Study Construction
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Group Brainstorming Session
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Alternate Worlds Role-Play
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Reflection Journal
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CPD Planning Exercise
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Scripture Integration Task
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