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In counseling, there is always a worldview. There is a way of interpreting problems. There is a way of defining causality. There is a way of understanding influence. There is always a proposal for cure. There is always a goal that defines what thriving humans really look like. There is always a sense of a trajectory of change and growth and flourishing; how does a person come from a place that’s bad and hard and difficult and tormented and destructive to a place that’s relatively constructive, and start to flourish? Every single counselor has a view and answer to all those questions, whether they will admit it or not.

Why do we put the adjectives “biblical” and “Christian” in front of “counseling”? We want to consider the things that our culture’s counselors never say:

• It does not get said in our culture’s counseling that “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” [Matt. 4:4]
• It does not get said that, “Cast your cares upon him” because it matters to Him. [1 Pet. 5:7]
• It does not get said that, “He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” [Heb. 13:5] Therefore you can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?” [Heb. 13:6]
• They never mention that God has a name.
• They never mention that God searches every heart and that every human being will give account before God.
• They never teach the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom.
• They never mention sinfulness and sin and that there is some kind of compulsive and obsessive drive in people to suppress the knowledge of God.
• They never mention that suffering is meaningful within larger purposes.
• They never mention Jesus Christ because Jesus is a standing insult to self-esteem, self-trust, self-confidence and all the “self” words that our culture believes are the answer to what is wrong with us.
• They never mention that God really does forgive sins.
• They never mention that the Lord is our refuge, and in the midst of terrible afflictions it is possible to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and lose all earthly good and not to despair because he is with us. There is safety—fundamental safety and refuge.
• They never mention that biological factors and personal history factors exist within the purposes of God. That those things locate our struggles and moral responsibility but do not trump moral responsibility.
• They never mention our propensity to return evil for evil, or that we should return evil with good.
• They never mention that human beings are meant to become, will all our heart, conscious worshipers.
• They never mention that we are meant to live to use our God-given gifts to further dedicate our lives to the coming of his kingdom.
• They never mention that the power to change does not lie within ourselves. There is an implicit belief that in some way if you can just understand yourself well enough and tap into interior resources and find enough support of human relationships and maybe get a bit of a chemical tweak on your moods and emotions, somehow that’s enough.
• They do not pray with and for people.

But there is a Father who is a Vinedresser, and there is a Son who is a Shepherd, and there is a Holy Spirit who is a life-giver and a fruit-giver. There is someone outside ourselves who is why we want counseling to be Christian, worthy of the name “Christian.” Part of our worldview is that problems do not get solved until the day we see Him face to face. Only then are the tears all gone. Only then is the struggle with our besetting sins all gone. But that hope is a true hope.

(From an address given by David Powlison in Charlotte, NC on Tues, April 1, 2014. Some parts of the message are reproduced here verbatim and some parts are summarized.)

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Are those unmentioned truths essential for counseling, counselors, and counseling training, or are they peripheral?

Dr. Mark Talbot speaks about his forthcoming book tentatively entitled, When the Stars Disappear: Why Christians Suffer. Dr. Talbot’s research in philosophy, theology, and psychology serve to interpret his personal experiences of suffering and inform his counseling of those who suffer. The discussion covers the definition and purpose of Christian suffering, the human need to understand life as a story, the danger of a prosperity gospel, and the role of Scripture in the Christian life. Ultimately, the Christian’s hope in suffering is in the faithfulness of God, who cannot deny himself (2 Tim. 2:13).

Dr. Talbot is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wheaton College (IL) where he has taught since 1992. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His areas of expertise include the intersection of philosophy and theology, philosophy and psychology, the epistemologies of the early modern philosophers, and the works of David Hume, St. Augustine, and Jonathan Edwards. The article mentioned in the interview can be found here. You can also see Dr. Talbot speak about chronic suffering at the 2012 Desiring God Works of God Conference.

Participants: Carlton Wynne, Jared Oliphint, Mark Talbot

Dr. Michael Emlet discusses the recent fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM is the official diagnostic manual used by mental health professionals and published by the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Emlet explains the origin and purpose of the DSM and the questions this new edition raises for Christian believers. He outlines the way Christian counselors and pastors can benefit from the DSM and clarifies the relationship between psychiatric diagnoses and spiritual problems. Click here for the blog post mentioned in the episode.

Michael R. Emlet, M.Div., M.D., practiced as a family physician for twelve years before becoming a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He is a Lecturer in Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia). He has written numerous published articles and is the author of several CCEF booklets including Asperger Syndrome, Angry Children: Understanding and Helping Your Child Regain Control, Help for the Caregiver: Facing the Challenges with Understanding and Strength, and OCD: Freedom for the Obsessive Compulsive; as well as a book, Crosstalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet published by New Growth Press.

Participants: Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, Michael Emlet, Nick Batzig

The relationship of Christianity to various forms of counseling has been a turbulent subject in recent decades. With the advancement of medicinal science and the proliferation of different disease and therapy conceptual frameworks, a wide variety of challenging questions have been presented to Christians. Even within the Christian tradition, schools of thought vary widely in their understanding. Some see psychological issues as purely physiological. They strictly require a biological fix. Others view all psychological issues as direct results of personal sin that should be addressed with repentance. In my understanding, neither extreme does justice to biblical anthropology and the gospel.

Certainly, many things in life are difficult, and Christians should in no way discredit the many blessings God has given for the help and healing of suffering people. We are body-soul unities, and Christians ought to be concerned with addressing the entire person in every situation. Even in psychological/psychiatric matters, we should be willing to see various medications and therapies in light of common grace. God often provides healing through the technological advancement of medicine. Mike Emlet’s course Counseling and Physiology at Westminster Theological Seminary via CCEF was incredibly helpful for me on these matters.

We should not be under the impression that we can simply preach at people with manic depression or schizophrenia, for instance, expecting that will address these acute forms of suffering. In many instances God has given us medication and other therapies as good gifts of common grace. However, ultimately speaking, our good deeds in the body must be done in service of the ultimate “healing” which happens through salvation in Jesus Christ. In that sense, the gospel is the ultimate healing, since the gospel is a matter of special, salvific grace. It is the matter of first importance (1 Cor 15:3) and should be our ultimate (but not exclusive) concern. When we understand counseling in light of special and common grace, we can begin to address many of these difficult issues with biblical clarity and conviction. And in doing so, the preaching of the gospel begins to take on a central role in our understanding of counseling (cf. Rom 10:14-17) while embracing, and not eclipsing, the necessary care for whole persons.

CCEF has posted another excellent video with counselor Julie Lowe, who speaks about teaching children that are reluctant to change.

Julie Lowe – Teaching children who are reluctant to change from CCEF on Vimeo.

Winston Smith, from the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation, speaks about counseling abused spouses.

Winston Smith – Am I equipped to counsel an abused spouse? from CCEF on Vimeo.