What are the similarities and differences between Christian and Secular Counselors? The most common similarity seen in both types of counselors is their desire to help people and make a change in the world.
Both Christian and secular counselors
Both Christian and secular counselors might strive to help the individual overcome their problems, work through a crisis, deal with grief, attain mental/physical health, and become well-adjusted. Christian counselors however will also focus on helping the individual find meaning in their life, they will strive to increase the individuals joy by helping them form a stronger, closer relationship to God. Christian counselors know that the person cannot be fully healed unless they have a strong relationship with Christ.
Secular counselors claim to look at their clients as a whole, but this is impossible as long as they are denying the spiritual aspect of individuals. Christian Ratgeber are set apart from all others because they acknowledge that their clients are spiritual beings.
Secular counselors will examine the reason the individual is attending counseling and try to explain it using psychological constructs, theories and ideas. Christian counselors will use these same constructs only after first examining the individuals life in terms of where they might be falling short in their walk with God.
Clients in Christian counseling
Clients in Christian counseling will almost always encounter the same reasoning behind their problems, this reasoning states that: The individual is failing to comply with the life guidelines as laid out in the bible and/or they are not submitting to Gods will. Until they are able to fix those two things they will continue to struggle daily.
Christian counselors live by scripture; the bible is a counselors code of conduct. The scriptures set up their guidelines for practicing. One scripture in particular is the root of all Christian counseling. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Christian counselors must match everything they say or do to this scripture otherwise they are working outside of Gods will.
A believer of the Bible
If you are a believer of the Bible, if you trust its word, regardless of rather you are catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, or any other denomination or religion; a Christian counselor can work for you because they use the word as it is written, no exceptions.
The Bible is today what is was yesterday and will be tomorrow. This means that Christian counselors standard for treatment is never changing. Secular counselors ride the waves of pop psychology relying on the most recent research study, or theories created by men. When another man comes along and falsifies the first the counselor is forced to move on to the newest fad. Dont become the next pop psychology guinea pig
Morals are important to most of us; even the most agnostic of individuals will have morals that say it is OK to do certain things but not OK to do others. When a counselor is licensed by the state the state has the right to tell the counselor what morals they have and what moral values they are allowed to impose on their patient. In other words, if you say that you are going to kill a family member the counselor would be allowed to report you and tell you that your decision is wrong. Whereas, if the individual was going to get an abortion you could not say, one way or the other, rather the individuals was right in doing so. According to the state every choice that the individual makes is their own, it has no effect on their spiritual being.
Have you heard about the power of prayer?
Studies have shown that prayer works, no scientist is able to explain what they refer to as a supernatural phenomenon, but it is certainly there none the less. People that pray live loner, are healthier, overcome more sickness and chronic illness, have fewer mental health problems, and a generally more prosperous happy people in general. Prayer has been proven to be more effective than counseling, and medicine combined!
Finding a Christian counselor should be of utmost importance to anyone wanting anything more than a surface healing. Do some research; find yourself or your loved one a good Christian counselor before you waste your time and money only to find your still left feeling empty.
