How to Counsel Biblically?

When approaching counselling from a biblical perspective, particularly within a Christian framework, the aim is to integrate evidence-based psychology with a Christian worldview to foster holistic well-being and help individuals discover a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, and hope.

Here are the key ways biblical principles and faith are used in this counselling approach:

• Integration of a Christian Worldview and Holistic Understanding

  Biblical counselling operates on the understanding that individuals are "whole people, heart, soul, mind and strength". It acknowledges that struggles can stem from spiritual, mental, or emotional issues, often in combination. This also includes recognising biological factors such as "genuinely misfiring neural pathways in the brain" and "chemical imbalances" for conditions like clinical anxiety, indicating that psychological disorders are not solely a result of a "lack of wisdom".

• Welcoming Prayer

  Prayer is a welcome and permitted part of sessions if the client desires it, applying to psychologists, relationship counsellors, and spiritual counsellors alike. Counsellors can model how to genuinely bring prayers and petitions to God, focusing on God Himself rather than merely on outcomes.

• Purposeful Use of Scripture and Theological Paradigms

  Scripture is utilised not by applying "out-of-context Bible verses unhelpfully," but by tapping into fundamental theological "paradigms". This involves exploring core concepts such as:

  ◦ Identity: What the scriptures say about who the individual is.

  ◦ Character of God: Understanding God as a loving Heavenly Father versus a tyrant or someone who is out to get them. This approach aims to uncover what clients are functionally believing in their heart, which may differ from their confessional theology (what they claim to believe), allowing for an honest exploration of anger or beliefs about God punishing them, without condemnation.

  ◦ Worldview: Examining what a client believes about the world and how this impacts their relationships and perception of suffering, to help replace unhelpful beliefs with a more biblical understanding.

• Understanding Suffering within a Redemptive Story

  The integration of faith helps clients view their suffering, hardship, and relational difficulties not as mere random events, but as part of a "redemptive story". This approach doesn't deny the reality of hardship but instils a belief in hope "because God is good," which often provides a powerful "counter voice" to anxiety and stress.

• Application in Specific Contexts (e.g., Marriage Counselling)

  In marriage counselling, biblical values become particularly sharp in the therapeutic model. Key principles include:

  ◦ Covenant: The Christian understanding of marriage vows as a "higher call" than secular society, viewing marriage as a covenant rather than solely based on compatibility. This acknowledges that "life will be hard" and there will be "peaks and troughs".

  ◦ Equal Value, Different Roles: Upholding the biblical picture of "equal value but different roles" for a man and a woman, while guarding against any misapplication of power or mistreatment.

  ◦ God as the Centre: Emphasising that true satisfaction is found in God, not solely in a spouse, and that "God is still the head of that marriage". This fosters a pragmatic expectation of disappointment at times, grounding hope in God's faithfulness through life's challenges.

• Spiritual Disciplines and Christian Meditation

  Christian meditation is viewed as a biblical idea and a "very important corrective to our modern age". It is described as "emptying to always to refill with what is good and noble and pure". This practice helps slow down thought patterns, challenge inconsistencies with biblical truths, and reorient the "pathways of our brain through thought". Practices may include stretching exercises accompanied by Bible verses and Christian songs, or simply prolonged prayer. It encourages focused attention on God to know Him on a deeper level and discern His will. This can be "quite confronting" as busyness often serves as a self-medication from underlying issues, but facing these hurts allows them to be brought "before the Lord".

• Providing a Non-Judgmental and Confidential Space

  A crucial aspect of faith-based counselling is to be a non-judgmental space, particularly for Christians who may fear condemnation within their church communities if they reveal struggles. Confidentiality is paramount, ensuring that client discussions will not be reported back to management (e.g., in Employee Assistance Programs), unless it involves self-harm or illegal activity.

• Triaging Issues and Professional Expertise

  Counselling biblically involves discerning the primary reason a person is struggling. If the primary issue is spiritual (e.g., a wrestle with God, misunderstanding of the Bible), it's predominantly a pastor's territory. However, if symptoms of depression, anxiety, or relationship issues are present, a more precise model of counselling or psychology might be needed. While pastors offer a "pastoral heart," professional counselling adds "specific technical qualifications and modalities" to offer more "precise and technique-oriented" methods. It's crucial to acknowledge that clinical anxiety, for example, is not merely a lack of faith but can involve "chemical imbalances" and "misfiring neural pathways," requiring a professional approach beyond simply saying "just stop worrying". The role of the counsellor is to provide evidence-based strategies to help clients gain "psychological flexibility" and "get outside their own head" to address the "spiral" of contemplation.

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