Author: Brad Hambrick

Three Life Cycles of Group-Based Counseling

Three Life Cycles of Group-Based Counseling

Posted by | Aug 14, 2023 | |

This week’s mini-series on the Grace and Truth blog addresses group counseling. In this first article, Brad Hambrick describes the three life cycles of group-based counseling. In other contributions to the series, Ellen Dykas explains how facilitators can guard the group dynamic while at the same time caring for the individual members, and Nate and Kate Brooks share about their experience with the chronic pain and illness counseling group started by Kate. Continue Reading →

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Roles Determine Rules: Exploring the Relationship between Counseling Ethics and Formality of Care

Roles Determine Rules: Exploring the Relationship between Counseling Ethics and Formality of Care

Posted by | Jul 17, 2023 | |

In the biblical counseling movement, we have been prone to think of counseling as “every helpful conversation,” or as in the subtitle of one of our most popular books puts it, “People in need of change helping people in need of change.” In this mindset, we all do counseling every day as we listen to a friend, seek to understand, and offer hope or direction. Continue Reading →

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Awkward Yet Necessary Parenting Conversations about Sex, Sexuality, and Gender

Awkward Yet Necessary Parenting Conversations about Sex, Sexuality, and Gender

Posted by | Jun 23, 2023 | |

Parents want to protect their children’s innocence. This is right and good. The ever-younger age at which culture presses us to have conversations about sex, sexuality, and gender identity is discouraging. Sometimes it even feels like we’re being forced to contribute to something unhealthy for our children in order to prepare them for the questions and choices that will invariably come their way. However, we don’t need to be that pessimistic. But let’s be honest; there’s no guilt like parent guilt and no fear like parent fear. If we’re not honest about our fears, they will seep into the conversations we have with our children and make them less helpful—maybe even unhelpful. Continue Reading →

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Anxiety: More than “Just Stop It” – A Commentary on Philippians 4:2-9

Anxiety: More than “Just Stop It” – A Commentary on Philippians 4:2-9

Posted by | Jan 25, 2023 | |

For many of us who grew up in church, or are part of the biblical counseling movement, Philippians 4 is the anxiety passage, and its primary message is “just stop it.” That reputation can unfortunately impede our ability to glean other truths from this passage and shape how we receive Paul’s pastoral care for anxiety. Continue Reading →

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Five Questions I Wished My Accountability Partner Would Ask Me

Five Questions I Wished My Accountability Partner Would Ask Me

Posted by | Aug 22, 2022 | |

Let’s look at questions you wish your accountability partner would ask and why. These five questions are merely meant to be representative and to spark creativity (stale, repetitive questions result in withering accountability). Use them as a launching pad for the kinds of conversations you should be having as you establish lasting and enjoyable accountability in your life. Continue Reading →

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