Just What Is Christian Counseling Anyway

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Families, who encounter problems, whether it is in their marriage or a parental issue with a child, will pursue counseling as a way to help mend the broken family dynamic. If the family has a strong Christian belief system and worldview, they might feel more comfortable receiving therapy from a pastor in the church or from a therapist that will incorporate a Christian perspective into the therapeutic approach. The articles Counseling From The Christian Point Of View, Just What Is Christian Counseling Anyway?, and an interview with professor Chip Vining will show the different methods of a Christian approach and how to accommodate families who wish to have their counselor integrate faith as part of therapy. Chip Vining is a pastor as well …show more content…

(2010) by McMinn, Staley, Webb, and Seegobin the authors decipher the differences between various Christian approaches. Biblical counseling, pastoral counseling, and Christian psychology are a few of the different methods which can be used when clients want a Christian perspective integrated into their therapy. Biblical counseling is mainly used among very conservative Christians who wish to return the role of counseling to the church (McMinn et al., 2010, p. 392). “Biblical counselors consider the bible to be superior and more authoritative than psychological science, theory, or technique” (McMinn et al., 2010, p. 392). Pastoral counseling can have two different meanings. One meaning is a pastor who offers to counsel but in actuality has only taken a few counseling courses in seminary school. Or, it can refer to the profession of pastoral counseling where the pastor has credentials in both psychotherapy and Christian ministry (McMinn et al., 2010, p. 393). “Rather than separating themselves from psychological knowledge, as biblical counselors do, pastoral counselors attempt to employ both spiritual and psychological means to facilitate healing and fostering wellness in people (McMinn et al., 2010 p. 393). Many times the role and services provided by a pastor are in fact the same as a clinical Christian psychologist can also have two meanings. One variation is a psychologist who takes their faith and makes it an integral part of their practice. The other is a new group of mental health professionals that belong to the Society of Christian Psychology or SCP. These members “ attempt to found their work on the ancient truths and wisdom embedded in and derived from the Bible, as well as other classic Christian texts, written throughout centuries” (McMinn et al., 2010 p. 393-4). It is important for clients to be aware of the methods used by their Christian therapist so they can decide if it is the