SPIRITUAL CARE SESSION TOOL
"He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted."
Isaiah 61:1
PAUSE TO PRAY · JUST YOU
Before they arrive
Take a few minutes alone, or with those ministering with you. Agree together in prayer (Matt 18:19), and take a moment to pray in the Spirit (1 Cor 14:15).
Suggested prayer
Use your own words, or start here.
Father, search my heart and know me, and show me anything in me that would get in the way today (Ps 139:23-24). I stand in what Jesus finished on the cross, and in His authority, not my own. Give me wisdom (Jas 1:5) and the discerning of spirits (1 Cor 12:10). Guard name, those ministering with me, this place, and my family. Let me carry Your compassion and not my own agenda. Holy Spirit, lead this time. In Jesus' name, amen.
Lord, is there anything You want me to know before they come?
YOUR FILES STAY WITH YOU
This tool runs entirely on your device. Nothing is stored here or sent anywhere. Each person has one file, locked with your passphrase. Open their file to continue where you left off.
USE IT WITHOUT INTERNET
Add this tool to your home screen and it opens like an app, even with no signal. On iPhone or iPad, open it in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, tap Install app in Chrome's menu.
LEARN
The teaching behind each step
For your own review, and for training others who minister with you.
FOUNDATIONS
USING EACH STEP
PAUSE TO PRAY
Opening
First ask: “Would it be all right if I pray before we begin?” Pray only with their permission, and ask again before laying on hands.
Suggested prayer
Use your own words, or start here.
Holy Spirit, You are welcome here. Thank You for bringing name today. Give us Your peace in this room, and make it a safe place to speak honestly. Give me ears to hear what name is saying, and what You are saying. Let nothing happen here that is not from You. In Jesus' name, amen.
Lord, what are You saying as we begin?
Build trust first, and let them tell their story in their own way.
Session identification
Reason for visit
Tell me what brought you in today.
Family of origin and upbringing
Tell me about your family. Who raised you, and what was home like?
What were the areas full of joy?
What were the harder areas?
What was faith like in your family? Any occult or false-religion involvement?
Family genogram
The genogram saves with this person's file and carries over to every later session.
Current spiritual status
Go through this list before anything else, and mark anything that is true right now.
If any item is marked, the plan leads with a referral note. Where there is immediate danger, contact emergency services rather than continuing.
Risk and safety screen
Any thoughts of harming yourself or others? Is anyone unsafe at home? Substances or addictions right now?
PAUSE TO PRAY
When there is a safety concern
Deal with safety first: make the referral, or call for help if there is immediate danger. Then pray with them.
Suggested prayer
Use your own words, or start here.
Lord Jesus, You are close to the brokenhearted. Hold name in Your care right now. Keep them safe tonight and in the days ahead. Lead us to the right help, and give them courage to receive it. Let them know they are not alone. In Jesus' name, amen.
Your referral resources
Fill these in once with the counsellors, agencies, and crisis lines you actually refer to in your area. They save with the file, carry forward from session to session, and appear automatically in the plan whenever a safety flag is set. The crisis line also prints on the take-home handout.
Decide what you are dealing with. What you mark here shapes the plan at the end.
Step 1. What kind of problem is this?
A problem can fit more than one of these. Tick all that apply. Ticking the third opens a short list of signs.
Step 2. If a spirit may be involved, how deep?
Choose one. If nothing in Step 1 points to a demonic element, choose the first option.
What happens next
There are five groups: occult, sexual, persistent sin, generational, and wounds done to the person. Open a group and mark only what applies. An asterisk (*) marks a door that can open from a single occurrence.
PAUSE TO PRAY
Before you discern
Before you weigh what you have heard, ask the Spirit for discernment. Then be quiet together for a moment.
Suggested prayer
Use your own words, or start here.
Holy Spirit, You lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Show us what is really happening in name's life: what is of the flesh, what is a wound, and what, if anything, is of the enemy. Keep us from seeing what is not there, and from missing what is. Let anything we sense honour Jesus and agree with Your Word. In Jesus' name, amen.
Holy Spirit, what do You want to show us?
Weigh any impression before acting on it. Test it by the seven tests below, and with the others present (1 Cor 14:29).
Mark each test you can judge today, and leave the others for later sessions.
The seven tests
Consolation or desolation read
When you sit with this, do you sense peace, or heaviness and confusion?
Rebellion or captivity?
Your pastoral assessment
These are the five steps. Go at the person's pace, and finish by filling the house.
No drama or theatrics. Do not hold a conversation with a spirit; give commands. Never in public, and protect the person's dignity. Never alone. Do not assume every problem is demonic, and do not stir up fear of demons or fascination with them.
PAUSE TO PRAY
Listen before you pray
Only if you are moving into ministry. Ask the person if they are ready, then stop and listen before you pray.
Suggested prayer
Use your own words, or start here.
Lord Jesus, all authority in heaven and on earth is Yours (Matt 28:18). We come in Your name, not in our own strength. Show us where to begin and where to stop. Give name courage to renounce what You show them, and keep them in Your peace. Let everything that happens here be done in love and in order. In Jesus' name, amen.
Lord, where do You want us to begin?
The five steps
Tick each step as you do it.
Fill the house
Luke 11:24-26. Write down how they will be filled and followed up.
Between-session walk (homework)
One line per assignment. These print on the handout under "Your steps this week," so write them plainly, to the person. Keep them small enough to do: one passage, one prayer habit, or one step of obedience.
Review the plan. Print the full record for your confidential file, or print only the handout for the person. The handout never includes your notes, flags, or assessments.
PAUSE TO PRAY
Sending
Before they leave, bless them and pray over their steps for the week.
Suggested prayer
Use your own words, or start here.
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace (Num 6:24-26). Holy Spirit, fill name afresh. Where something was removed today, fill that place with Yourself. Strengthen them for the steps they will take this week, and guard what You have done. In Jesus' name, amen.
PAUSE TO PRAY · JUST YOU
After they leave
When they have gone, take a few minutes for yourself before the next thing.
Suggested prayer
Use your own words, or start here.
Father, I release name into Your hands. They are Yours, not mine to carry. Thank You for what You did today, and for what You will keep doing that I will never see. Wash me from anything I picked up in this time, and give me Your rest (Matt 11:28; Mark 6:31). Show me if there is anything I need to follow up, and let me leave the rest with You. In Jesus' name, amen.