Is “biblical counseling” the same as “Christian counseling”?
Very often it’s not.
I’m going to share a short story of what I learned the hard way. I want to spare you unnecessary pain and confusion. Sound cool?
Before I made an appointment with a “Christian” counselor, I wish I had heard these words from Pastor John MacArthur: “Modern psychologies use hundreds of counseling models and techniques based aon a myriad of conflicting theories, so it is impossible to speak of psychotherapy as if it were a unified and consistent science.”
And this from Elyse Fitzpatrick:
Sadly, what Christian women need to know to live an abundant life is not found in many of today’s ‘Christian’ self-help books. Instead of guidance in knowing and pleasing God, which is the way to finding abundant life, we are given man-centered philosophies on how to love ourselves more, how to get more out of life, how to assert ourselves.
I pray you’ll have more discernment than me when you decide to reach out for help. Would you like a great way to find profiles of excellent female biblical counselors who have been vetted? Check out my Heart2Heart Counselor Directory.
Finding a Counselor the Old Way
In my early 30s, I grabbed the phone book — Google had yet to come on the scene — and looked up “counseling,” searching for a Christian counselor. I figured he’d counsel by the Bible. Foolish me.
We prayed once in a while, but he also encouraged a crazy technique called transference. I became to depend on him for my happiness. I wanted his approval not God’s And every time I left the counseling office I felt worse, and my “counselor addiction” grew.
He said this transference meant I was healing. I was getting worse! He said to expect this as I got better emotionally. Are you shaking your head?
To make a long story short, for my emotional and spiritual health, I had to ditch this counselor. Click & Tweet! Quick. (It took my a year and I half to figure this out!)
God through the Word set me free. Good-bye, confusion. Years later I stumbled on true biblical counseling. What a difference!
Embracing the Best
Here’s the great definition of biblical counseling out there. It’s by Bob Kellermen.
If you ever need help, as I did, as we all do from time to time, contact me. Biblical e-counseling is effective and affordable. Most of my clients need eight visits or less (in person or by Skype).
Here is part of Bob’s definition. I made a few edits but kept the meaning fully intact.
Biblical counseling is not “beating people over the head with the Bible.”
Nor is it saying, “take two verses and call me in the morning.”
And it is not one-problem, one-verse, one-quick-solution.
Rather,
Biblical counseling depends upon the Holy Spirit
to relate God’s inspired truth
about people, problems, and solutions
to human suffering and sin
to empower people to exalt and enjoy God
and to love others
by cultivating conformity to Christ and communion with Christ
and the Body of Christ.
Question: Have you had a bad Christian counseling experience? Share in Comments, below.
Sharing Hope with Your Heart,
Hi Lucy,
This is a great explanation of the difference between Biblical and Christian counseling. So much garbage is passed off as “Christian” these days, and many who are unaware are hurt by it. Thanks for this post!
I can testify that it doesn’t take years of counseling to get to the root of an issue. My husband and I saw a Biblical marriage counselor many years ago. We saw him only a handful of times, but in that time he was able to impart God’s truth to us, and then God did the healing work in us in the months to come, as we applied the truths we had learned in counseling.
Hugs,
Cheri
Oh how my son and I could use this Bibical direction, after combating his upbringing in Christian Elementary through 8th grade, there is a lot of hurt and pain, couple with a several Christian and non Christian counselors, all I ended up doing was bringing hurtful damage to my son’s heart, soul and head. He’s nineteen and struggles constantly, in sleep and when awake. Suffering from depression, questions he has no answers for, not wanting to grow up, obstinante and sabotaging my helping outreach, I ache for my son. He needs so much and I don’t know where to get it from. I would love to send him to a place where teens like he can get God’s help – he’s not deep into drugs, but if his anger and depression continues, well Only God can bring forth the solutions to my and my son’s heartach.
Hi Lucy Ann . . . I have enjoyed very much looking at your site and reading several of your blog posts. But to be fair, Christian counselors aren’t all demons. I love Jesus with everything I’ve got, I love God’s Word and I love the privilege of participating in the ministry He has very definitely called me to . . . as a licensed counselor practicing from a Christian worldview in a group of other Christian counselors, including one pastor. Some of us have had bad experiences with Biblical counselors, and I find myself occasionally trying to help someone heal from those experiences! My philosophy is that there are principles in psychology, the study of the mind, that are acceptable for me to use wherever the DO NOT contradict scripture, just like we are able to, and do, use the principles of the sciences of medicine, geology, astronomy, physics and chemistry multiple time every day. There are also godless principles in psychology, and in all these other sciences as well. I find myself having the privilege of communicating the love of God and the joys of faith in Jesus Christ every single day to many people who would not darken the doors of a church . . . families involved with Child Protective Services, people with addictions, depressed people, homosexuals, those experiencing abortion or divorce or infidelity . . . basically you could probably say we “hook them” because we take their insurance or we have a CPS contract, but then they get “reeled in” by the gospel. I have three “Biblical counselor” friends who all tried to dissuade me from getting my master’s degree (at a major Christian university where the integration of theology and Christianity with psychology was paramount) and becoming licensed. One of them practices nouthetic counseling in a group affiliated with a very conservative church in which every other counselor is an LPC. Love her and she is a very Godly woman, but that seemed a little hypocritical to me. Plus I heard her tell women when teaching a Bible study that they didn’t need their antidepressants. I had women coming to me in tears, feeling condemned, for treating their depression with medication. I had to tell them NOT to stop their medication without consulting with their physicians. The other Biblical counselors don’t have many “credentials” although they are wonderful people who love Jesus. But I had to laugh when she was furious that I was helping a Christian psychiatrist (no, that’s not an oxymoron) put on a seminar on depression at which medication would be discussed. Yet at the same time, she was concerned about her thyroid gland because her hair was falling out and was wondering about taking medication for that! I wanted to be sarcastic there for a minute and tell her to pray more and read a Scripture and have more faith and her thyroid should get better. I hope you see my point. I can in no way argue with Biblical counseling except where it denigrates those of us who call ourselves Christian counselors and are truly practicing Christian counseling. We cannot heal anyone. We are merely tools in the hands of the Healer . . . sometimes surgeons who cut, sometimes nurses who care, sometimes catchers of other people’s vomit, and sometimes midwives who assist in the birth of clients into the Kingdom right in our offices! May God continue to bless us both as we serve Him in the ways He has called us!
Mary Kate,
Thanks for sharing. I agree that Christian counselors aren’t demons. It’s wonderful you are counseling hurting people and holding true to the Scripture.
Some counselors who say they are Christian counselors do not hold true to the Scripture in their practices. Just as one can run into Christian counselors who counselor as unto the Lord. Others don’t.
Thanks for making the point about medication. I am among biblical counselors who believe medication has a place in treating conditions like depression, anxiety and so on. This is a decision between the counselee and her medical doctor. Many of the women I counsel also take medication.
Your thyroid example is perfect. The same is true for the diabetic or the person with high-blood pressure. Would friends/family seriously suggest these folks stop their medication. Hardly. Why some Christian are against medication for depression and so on is beyond me.
I appreciate your candor.
Blessings, Lucy
Thanks . . . and I appreciate your openness! I myself have become more open to the use of medication in mental health the longer I practice as I have seen people be able to settle down their depression, anxiety or ADHD to the point that they could think clearly enough to begin to work on their issues and actually hear from God! Before medication, some of those same people were not able to believe in God’s love and attention toward them and thought that he must hate them or be punishing them since they just couldn’t seem to get better. A funny . . . one of my colleagues was in seminary and visiting with a professor who is a nationally-recognized psychiatrist (MD) who is also a Christian and seminary-trained. He was asking about mental illness vs. demon possession or oppression. The psychiatrist said “I haven’t met a demon yet that a little Haldol wouldn’t settle down.” While I totally believe in demonic activity and deliverance, sometimes in miraculous ways, I have found this statement to be often true as well. I know that the “father” of nouthetic counseling is Jay Adams and I have read, and own, some of his materials, but I am not remembering his stand on psychiatric medications.
I don’t know about now, but when his first books came out, Jay Adams would be considered anti-medicine, for he proposed (and there certainly is much to ponder) emotional (and some physical) difficulties were a result of sin. So, the solution: obey God’s Word (always wise) and be free of these difficulties.
I favor discernment in using medication, prescribed by a physician.
Blessings, Lucy