Christian Counselling and Secular Counselling are both designed to help people overcome problems; to become healthy, emotionally, spiritually, physically, as well as mentally. This would be, ‘the wholeness of healing’ to cover all areas. When we offer advice, wisdom, behaviour management strategies, discipline, and teaching a client new skills it aids in the wholeness of the person. However there are other aspects to healing we need to look at.
Many times I have had to dig into a person’s past to seek out ‘roots’ to their behaviours and the destructive patterns in their lives; the conditions and situations that seem to repeat in their lives. When we discover the historical root to the present issue we can bring an effective healing forward into the situation or problem. I am also aware to the fact that there are chemical imbalances in the body or the brain that can without a doubt can cause psychological problems.
A large part of counselling is mediation. Another large part of counselling is removing and replacing thought patterns or belief systems. Some of these belief systems were established during early wounding. Counselling models can have multiple variations. Discoveries and Intakes are an exceptionally valuable time where keys can be discovered. Documenting also holds great value whereas the counsellor can return to it several times seeking for patterns.
Christian counselling seeks for the areas in a person’s life where biblical values, morals and precepts were breached. Rebellion and disobedience to God's holy principles can open doors to deception, hurt, pain, betrayal, and many other consequences. We then need to look at a spiritual law called sowing and reaping. Christian Counselling not only holds fast to the Word but is dependant on the leading and following of the Spirit of God. Which I will go into on in another blog.
Christian Counselling has an ‘absolute standard’ to adhere to and it never changes its mind, or takes on a new fad. True Christ Counselling will not replace a god-truth with a worldly-lie. The Word is Inerrant - 2 Tim 3:16-17 ‘All scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the Christian can be thoroughly equipped for every good work!’ Secular counselling does not hold to such standards and does not hold to God’s truths but actually shifts and changes with the 'norms' of our present Society. A non Christian approach has no standards to judge morals.
God's 'WORD' holds much wisdom in looking at human behaviour as well as human suffering. It is a book of counsel! It is a counselling manual.
Christian Counsellors may utilize some ''skills'' from the secular world, but they should never adapt or take on the missing secular standards. Does that make any sense? In other words, when they have little or no standards, and when anything and everything goes God’s word is compromised. God’s Word should be the final authority in any issue when there are values, morals or standards to adhere to.
Remember:
The WORD of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two edge sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Galatians 6:7
