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This short description will serve as an introduction to the relatively new field of professional Christian counseling. It will help you decide if you or your loved ones would benefit from the services of a professional Christian counselor.
There are actually three categories of Christian counselors.
The first is pastoral counselors, and this tradition has been in existence for two thousand years. Pastors have always served in this function, and will continue to do so. They bring strong Scriptural knowledge and spiritual insight to the counseling they do.The second category is of lay counselors: brothers and sisters in the faith who encourage, pray with and for others, and who are invaluable in assisting other Christians. The third category is a new one: the professional trained Christian counselor. This counselor has undergone professional training, usually will hold an advanced degree in the field, and is a committed Christian who is dedicated to the integration of theology and psychology in helping others.<\p>
Hopefully, your pastor will be able to help with your problem and bring you to a closer relationship with God. Unfortunately this is not always possible. Often, pastors, especially with large congregations, are unable to meet the counseling needs of all their members. Sometimes the pastor recognizes that the problems presented are more than spiritual in nature, and thus may be outside his area of expertise. Sometimes the pastor has a close personal relationship with the church member, making objective counseling impossible. Lastly a church member may not wish to share their problem with the pastor, for whatever reason, including the fact that the pastor is of a different gender. If the problem is causing serious disruption of family life, and is also beyond the abilities of a lay counselor, the answer might be to seek the services of a professional Christian counselor.
The Christian counselor is, firstly a committed Christian. This fact dictates all counseling activity, in that the counselor lives and works from a Christian worldview. This, in fact, is the major (and most important) difference between Christian counseling and all other counseling. In addition, the professional training received has also been from the Christian worldview. This is a profoundly important point.
Everyone has a worldview, but this is not often recognized.
An atheist, for example, believes that man is soulless, and that there is no
eternal life. A believer in the New Age, on the contrary, may believe that men
are gods in the making, who must work to discover their unlimited potential.
Christians believe that God has created every human soul to live forever with
Him, that he cares for and loves us, and that He seeks close relationship with
every person. Admittedly, these are radically different views of life. It is
obvious that many problems in life revolve around the questions: Why am I here?
What is my purpose in life? Is there a God who cares about me? What does it
matter what I do on this earth? Each of the worldviews listed above have very
different answers to these important questions.
5.
Why should this matter? Aren't counselors neutral?
For many years the myth that science and technology could be "neutral"
in matters of personal belief has been maintained. However, the fact is, our
entire scientific method is based upon the fact that the universe is knowable.
When the antireligious theories of Freud and the behaviorists took over the
field of psychology, it became the standard to proclaim that counseling could be
conducted from a "neutral" or "value free" perspective.
Recent study has proved this to be untrue. Humans always act from their own
value systems, and when these are made explicit, there is a better chance of
open and trusting relationship. There is a chance for a "better fit"
of counselor and client when both hold a similar view of life and its goals and
purpose. If a client is a Christian, he or she should seek a counselor who holds
the same worldview.
6.
What do Christian Counselors do that secular ones don't do?
It's more a question
of what tools we have at our disposal. As a professional, the Christian
counselor has been trained in the latest psychological techniques,
assessments and methods. However, when it comes to actual counselor, the
Christian counselor has additional powerful aids available. Christian counselors
have the wisdom of 2,000 years of Christianity at their disposal to guide them
through the assessment and counseling process. They have the ability to prepare
themselves for counseling through prayer, and can pray for their clients. Most
importantly, the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit can assist them in their
work of helping.
7.
How do I know if my problem is serious enough to need professional Christian
counselor?
Your pastor may
suggest this to you. Or, you may be suffering from the effects of your problems
so that your everyday functioning is impaired. Or, you may be unable to forgive,
or may be feeling alienated from God or from others. You may be experiencing
panic attacks, poor communication with your spouse, problems with your children,
or problems with an addiction to a substance or activity. You may be feeling
depressed, angry, or be unable to assert yourself in your job or at home. You
may be facing a career change or loss of employment, or you may be having
trouble adjusting to a new stressful situation in your life. You may have
experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse. These problems, and may other,
can be addressed successfully by consulting a professional Christian counselor.
8.
What if I'm from a different denomination than the counselor?
Counseling is not about doctrinal questions. These are
most adequately dealt with by your pastor. The Christian counselor will have a
personal doctrinal statement printed so that you may know what he or she
believes. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will thus
know that their counselor has the same worldview as themselves, and that they
will be confident that humanistic, atheistic, antireligious goals and treatments
will not be offered as part of the counseling process. The ultimate goal of all
counseling is to bring clients to a closer and deeper relationship with the
source of all love, God. Healing of personal and interpersonal problems is an
important byproduct of the necessary strengthening of this primary
relationship.