There are biblical elements of counseling that are indispensable for the task, and there are elements that, if added to biblical counseling, would make it “unbiblical.” But there are also circumstances of counseling that are ultimately indifferent to the work of biblical counselors. This post explores these biblical categories in an attempt to advance the current debate in the field. Continue Reading →
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What are biblical counselors to make of dreams, and how do we counsel people regarding troubling content that arises during sleep? Puritan Richard Baxter helps us consider appropriate biblical responses and preparations for ridding ourselves of troubling dreams. Continue Reading →
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Sigmund Freud famously established his form of psychotherapy aimed at discovering “resistance,” and then pushing into and overcoming that resistance as a way of seeking to provide help to his clients. While we are no Freudian psychotherapists, nor do we operate from the same base worldview, Freud put his finger on something that touches upon the human experience and counseling alike. Instead of “resistance” as Freud would define it, wherever biblical counselors discover “bondage” and “enslavement,” we must push in, overcome, and seek to set the captives free! Continue Reading →
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The counseling case will be in front of you before you know it—if it hasn’t happened already. You’re working with a husband and wife whose child is wrestling with transitioning. Perhaps their son or daughter has experienced gender dysphoria in the past. Or maybe all of this arose suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. Regardless of the contours of the case, it is likely you will find yourself facing such a scenario in the not-too-distant future. So how do we, as counselors, come alongside parents and help them navigate the agonizing situation where their child desires to be a different gender? Continue Reading →
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The desire is good. We all want to see people confess and repent and walk in newness of obedience before the Lord. But the execution can often be forced. We are so used to walking with people, coming alongside of counselees, and shepherding them in blessed directions, that we may fail to realize when we “do the work for them.” Never is this more problematic than when coaxing a confession and subsequent repentance out of someone. Continue Reading →
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