Counseling and Christianity

I thought I would write a post about counseling and Christianity. The reason for this is that I often get questions from friends like, "how does a Christian go about receiving appropriate counseling?" or "can Christianity and counseling really go hand in hand?"

I've also recently encountered some material that says psychotherapy is at odds with Christianity- all the time. Specifically, I listened to this mindset in a series by a Christian world speaker who Ben and I generally enjoy. The problem is he had no background in counseling and didn't understand it properly, therefore he sent out some incorrect messages in his teaching. It saddens me, because counseling can be a valuable tool in the lives of many who are not able to "pick themselves up by their bootstraps" and need extra help to come through a hard season victoriously.

Though there is a lot I could say, my attempt is to make this post brief.

There are lots of ways people use the word "counseling." I'm not referring to pastoral counseling, mentoring, or support giving. I'm using the term "counseling" in the terms of psychotherapy: going to see a counselor or psychotherapist with a degree (a Masters or Doctorate) in counseling psychology, community counseling, or professional counseling. The word "psychotherapy" does not imply some weird, Freudian psycho analysis stuff. It's simply a term implying that the type of "therapy" a person is receiving is "psycho"- has to do with the inner individual's thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

The common misconception I hear is that counseling is at odds with Christianity because it blames one's problems on the person's environment and encourages them to not take responsibility for their own actions. Also, that all psychotherapy is humanistic and not supported scripturally. This is not the case. I believe most of these misconceptions stem from what people know about the founding father of psychology, Sigmund Freud, and what they learn in introductory psychology classes. It is rare that a counselor uses Freudian technique nowadays.

The misconception also comes from lack of knowledge about the counseling technique called "insight." In some therapies (not all), value is placed on the process of discovering where one's wounds stem from. Contrary to popular belief however, the purpose of insight is not to claim someone to blame. The purpose is so a person can acknowledge the how and why, then choose to forgive, and finally shift the responsibility for their actions to themselves. It is actually more likely that a person will assume responsibility for their own beliefs/actions once they move through this process than if they remained in a state where they subconsciously blame the "wounder" but have no idea they are doing so. Essentially, how can you choose to forgive when you don't even know you are holding an offense? Knowledge can be power. Of course, this is just one tiny part of some types of psychotherapies. Many place no emphasis on insight and skip it entirely.


Rabbit trail aside, there are many types of psychotherapy. A few common types are Behavioral, Cognitive-behavioral, Person-centered, Existential, Gestalt, Narrative, Motivational Interviewing, Psychoanalytic, Rational-emotive, and Cognitive Processing Therapy (specifically for those who have experienced trauma).

It is true that not all of these types of psychotherapies are completely in line with scripture. But if you are looking for counseling that fits with your Christian beliefs, and you can find a counselor who IS a Christian (there are lots out there) there are at least three types of counseling that are in line with scriptural concepts and, contrary to mainstream belief, are not about blaming others and shirking responsibilities.

They are:
Cognitive-behavioral
Rational-emotive
Person-centered (depending on how the counselor approaches it)

To avoid turning this into a lengthy post, I will mention how the first two are supported by scripture. Interestingly, Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of today's most common forms of counseling and is a best practice, meaning it has been proven to be the one of the most effective therapies in dealing with problems like depression, anxiety, some phobias, etc. Cognitive-behavioral is a therapy that focuses on changing the way you think.

In essence it resembles 2 Corinthians 10:5. This scripture tells you to take captive your thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.  Take captive your thoughts to what you know is true.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is when a trained therapist first teaches you how to identify when your thoughts are not truth. Then you work on changing them actively through various exercises until they become natural. As your thoughts shift, so do your emotions. As your emotions change, so do your actions. Thus, it is the opposite of "blaming others" and "not taking responsibility for change." It is the very essence of diving in and working towards believing truth and letting it transform you. It is practicing filtering what you let into your mind. If you are Christian, then your truths may look a little different from someone else's. The nice thing about counseling is that it's tailored to your values.

Along these lines, Rational-emotive therapy helps you identify which of 12 commonly held core irrational beliefs about the world (similar to the Christian concept of "strongholds") are negatively affecting how you feel and what you do. By "tearing down these strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4) you learn to stop living out of fear, anxiety, and depression.

An example of a core irrational belief that many people act out of: Events in my past are the cause of my problems – and they continue to influence my feelings and behaviors now.

The goal is to replace this, through counseling work, with the belief:  The past can’t influence me now. My current beliefs cause my reactions. I may have learned these beliefs in the past, but can choose to change them in the present.

Another of the 12 irrational beliefs: I need approval from others at all times and I must avoid disapproval from any source.

With time, this gets replaced with the belief:  Approval feels good to have, but is not a necessity – I can survive (even though uncomfortably) without it.

As you can see, this is far from blaming others for your state of mind and shifting responsibility.

Rational-emotive therapy is my favorite and I used it a lot in the hospital setting. I feel good about the 12 irrational beliefs and never had to compromise my Christian values when using them, yet I could help someone who did not want anything to do with Christianity. In essence, I could teach truth in a secular setting. If I had a Christian client, I could teach truth more directly and use scripture as support and encouragement. Since the world is full of both Christians and non-Christians who need help, it is encouraging that you can counsel truth regardless.

While it's true that not every aspect of every type of psychotherapy is in line with scripture, most counseling these days is integrative. Therefore, if you can find a christian counselor with a strong background and training, good discernment, and the ability to leave the aspects of psychotherapies that are not in line with scripture, he or she can be quite effective. Many people cannot overcome mental illnesses or similar difficulties without help, and often Christians feel that there is something wrong with them if they can't "pray it away" and are afraid to go to counseling because it's taboo for Christians. Unfortunately, there is a lot of information out there to support this mindset. Well-meaning, but often from those who have never experienced a problem like chronic depression or anxiety and don't understand the process of therapies.

I hope this is an encouragement to those who could benefit from psychotherapy. As in many professions, there are both good and bad counselors. Similar to the way a bad teacher or a good teacher can color your view of a subject, a good or bad counselor can do the same for counseling. It is difficult to progress with a poor counselor, so it's always good to get personal recommendations.