Secular Counselling Methods (Therapies) vs Biblical Counselling

I thought I would do a bit of investigation into some of the secular counselling methods. I went to some of the Psychotherapy websites and came across the following list of most-recognized and well-used therapies.

They include:

- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT),

- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT),

- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT),

- Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT),

- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDRT),

- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT),

- Dielectrical Behaviour Therapy (DBT),

- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT),

- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT),

... and I am sure there are more.

I don't really have time to investigate all of these and I am not sure as a Biblical counsellor that I even should. Then it came to me that none of these really seem to tackle the HEART of a person. That is, the real source of will, emotion and behaviour as described in the Scriptures.

Unless PRIDE is stripped from a person, then all of the diagnosed methodologies that are labelled in the above list of therapies won't actually do anything to address this root of evil, ungodly behaviour, better known as sin. Indeed, unless sin is recognized by therapists then most improved behaviours using the above therapies are merely treating the wounds with bandages. Even though the bleeding may be curtailed, the source of the bleeding is often not.

Therefore, in my opinion, since the root of nearly all SIN is PRIDE, then the major purposes of Biblical counselling ought to be to address the PRIDE issue. This is best accomplished when Biblical counselling is focused on discipleship that will 'renew the mind' and 'kill the pride'.

I would therefore label the 'therapy' of Biblical counselling as either KTPT or RTMT. That is 'Kill The Pride Therapy' and 'Renew The Mind Therapy'. Both of these are addressed by the Holy Scriptures such that they must be the core of all counselling.

This is why it is virtually impossible to Biblically counsel a non-believer. Discipleship and even Evangelism must be done before behaviour issues are to be addressed. God wants to change the HEART first, which will in turn will change behaviours to bring a person to a right relationship with God. Amen

A Sample Biblical Counselling Model

Although there is no one 'formula' for effective Biblical counselling, (because it is to be fully Spirit-led) there are some basic paths or steps that should be taken to assure its effectiveness in people's lives.

These paths or steps should always be based on what God requires of us all in the Great Commandment, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind... and love your neighbour as yourself" [Matt 22:34-36], and the Great Commission, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." [Matthew 28:18-20]

These two core Christian teachings must be considered first in all our counselling. This translates into spending the first sessions concentrating on the "vertical" relationship of counselees between God and themselves before looking into their "horizontal" situations or conditions or reasons for counselling.

I often use the following 'model' as a core then delve more fully into specifics. Note the numbers below do not necessarily represent weeks but merely steps. Every session starts off with prayer, the reading of a chosen Scripture and some Q&A on the Scriptures. Every session should end in prayer and a commitment for the next session.

1. Personal introductions (if not already done), set the tone and expectations of Biblical counselling. Have them fill in the Personal Data Inventory (PDI) forms before meeting again.

2. Review their PDI Part 1. I use a two-part PDI and review the second part later on (see below).

3. After the first session(s) I review the previous week's events in their lives and any homework assignments that were given.

4. I present the "Iceberg" diagram of behaviours and the heart.

5. I then go over a detailed diagram/list called "Behaviours, Emotions and Desires.

6. I review their PDI Part 2 (if not already done) From that I try to discern for myself the real reason they have come for counselling.

7. I hand out a document called "Who Is God to You" and ask them to go over it for homework. (This can take several weeks to complete the whole document and I often break it down to just 3 or 6 items each week).

8. For men, I hand out the "Seven Spiritual Disciplines for Men" document and ask them to go over it as homework.

9. I go over anything that comes out of 7 and 8.

10. I hand out a document called "Knowing Who We Are in Christ" and as before have them review it. (This is ongoing throughout the counselling sessions)

You may have noticed that these first ten steps all concentrate on the vertical. They should establish in your mind and the counselee's mind, how they relate to Jesus. If there is still doubt about their relationship with Him, more time needs to be spent on evangelism and discipleship.

Then and only then can subsequent steps be done in order to tackle the horizontal, but these steps should always include a connection between the vertical and the horizontal.

Personal Observations:

I have found it has been sometimes uncomfortable for the counselee to realize that their standing with God is not as established as they thought. We should not immediately Biblically counsel a non-believer or someone who is unsure of their salvation. I have also found that it is at this point that some counselees 'back out' of their desire for Biblical counselling. They thought we could/should 'fix' their problems in the horizontal not realizing that there is always a vertical connection that must be established first.

Tackling their horizontal situations is not straightforward in the least. This is where all the good teaching from your Biblical Counselling courses and your past experiences come into play.

I hope this helps you Biblically counsel more effectively. Comments are always appreciated.

Ian Ridpath, Your Biblical Counselor

Have Questions for Ian at Your Biblical Counselor?

Did you know that I Biblically counsel men throughout all of Canada? For those outside Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge, Ontario, I counsel on-line mainly using 'Google Meet' and 'Zoom'.

Most sessions are 60 minutes but can be extended depending on the session content itself. You can find all this information and more and many other FAQs on my website 'questions' page at: https://www.yourbiblicalcounselor.ca/questions.htm

Biblical Counselling is God-Centred

The more I have been counselling as a Biblical counsellor into the lives of men especially, the more I realize that without first establishing their relationship with God, it becomes very difficult to counsel into their horizontal (this world) life situations.

No matter their expressed behaviour such as anger, anxiety, guilt, shame, identification and more, the emotions associated with these behaviours nearly always are dependent upon some unmet desires of their heart. And, because the heart is the center of our desires, emotions and wills, it is the heart that must first be considered.

The Bible is clear on the fact that we must guard our hearts with al vigilance because from it flow the wellsprings (springs) of life. [Prov 4:23]

Therefore, I always spend the first sessions in determining their relationship and life with God through Christ. The introductory information sheets that I use (called Personal Data Inventories) can tell me a lot but further probing into their Christ-walk is always a first step of my Biblical counselling.

I then delve into two sides of this 'relationship coin'. That is, who is God to them and who they think they are to God. I give them two handouts. These muti-Scriptures handouts take a few weeks to go over and they include a lot of homework. It is amazing what ideas (lies even) people have about God and what He actually says about them in the Bible.

Often times, breakthroughs come during this time. Once people really understand who our God is according to His Word, and visa-versa, a lot of shame and guilt and anger drops away.

For individual life issues, Scripture always has something to say about them and always has an antidote. Two questions I often ask people who I am counselling are, "Do you believe in Jesus?" and "Do you believe Jesus?" There is a huge difference in these questions. The answers will say a lot, not only of their salvation, (Question 1) but of their faith and belief system (Question 2). I usually don't doubt their salvation, but I often question their unbelief.

The details about their particular 'issue(s)' can take a short or long time. So, never be in a hurry to jump into what they say they are at counselling for without discovering what are their Biblical world views and what is their relationship with God.

I hope this helps. Please send me any comments that you may have. Let's all grow in our Biblical counselling through each other. In love and grace, Ian - Your Biblical Counselor.

Biblical Counselling is Discipleship at Heart

 BIBLICAL COUNSELING IS DISCIPLESHIP AT HEART

It goes without saying that the core of Biblical counseling is (or should be) discipleship. The Great Commission calls us all to make disciples of all nations... Why should Biblical counseling be any different? That is why I always try to establish a counselee's standing with the Lord (their relationship in the vertical, so to speak, with their Creator) before delving into their worldly or horizontal issues and relationships

I have said this many times before and I see how important it is not to jump into a counselee's issues before jumping into their heart's position with the Lord.

I truly believe this is the huge differential between secular counseling, Christian counseling and true Biblical counseling. I also now that there are sensitivities among the three 'schools' of counselling and I am not about to get into these.

All to say, I believe that physical circumstances and/or chemical imbalances certainly do have a part to play in a person's emotional well-being. Nevertheless, it is the heart that must be the target of Biblical counseling - not the blood-pumping organ, but the center of mind (desire), emotion and will.

The Bible is rife with references to the heart in negative terms such as - it is deceitful and beyond cure, it can be hard and more. The more positive aspects of the heart are also talked about in the Bible. The heart can be pure, blameless and full of joy.

Biblical counselors do not minister into physically ill hearts, but emotionally despondent ones. Therefore our tools for 'heart cure' are not metal scalpels and synthetic sutures, but Holy Spirit and heavenly insight.

Discipleship in Biblical counseling has been identified as important and nearly all courses offered on Biblical counseling, delve into the discipleship nature of the various counseling activities.

This is a huge topic and in my opinion, we often rush to the symptom before first discerning the spirit.

In Christ's love, Ian Ridpath,

Your Biblical Counselor (YBC)

NOTE: for my non-US Biblical counsellors (Canadian like me), I have used the US spelling of the word counselor/counseling in this article for this wider audience.

Biblical Counselling is for Anyone who Desires Bible Answers to Life Issues

Just a reminder about my Biblical Counselling ministry. Please check out my website at: https://www.yourbiblicalcounselor.ca to find out what Biblical Counselling is all about and how it can benefit those who want to know more about it.

Biblical counselling is Bible-based counselling for life issues such as anxiety, anger, conflict, fear, identity and stress. I particularly counsel men in their life-issues.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2025 Starts Soon & I Pray Blessings to All

HAPPY 2025 to my friends here in Canada, in the US, in Wales and in New Zealand! May God richly bless all those who call on His name in 2025. He has richly blessed me and my family in 2024 and I pray the same for all of you this New Year's Eve!

Winter Biblical Counselling Mini Conference in Elora Ontario

Biblical Counsellors in Ontario! You are invited to come out to the second "Refresh" mini-conference, training & networking event on January 18th at Grand River Community Church in Elora. See the attached advertisement for details.

A List of Some Common Biblical Counselling Topics

Here are some of the more common Biblical counselling topics that I know of. I am sure this is not an exhaustive list though. And some topics have related sub-topics. Each has a methodology that works best, but the common denominator of course, is Jesus Christ and His ability to identify sin, forgive sin, and heal all transgressions and idolatries.

I will often give this list to a counselee to identify any areas that need healing even though they have often come for a certain topic(s). Once they see this list, they inevitably are stirred to identify other issues. Many issues on this list are in groups and it is wise to counsel on those other things in a group.

Counselling Topics

 Abuse

 Addiction

 ADHD

 Anger

 Anxiety

 Authority

 Bipolar

 Bitterness

 Burnout

 Children

 Communication

 Conflict

 Depravity

 Depression

 Deprivation

 Disorders

 Faith

 Fear

 Forgiveness

 Friendships

 Gospel

 Grief

 Health

 Honesty

 Identity and Self-Image

 Idolatry

 Intimacy

 Love

 Manhood

 Marriage

 Money

 Paranoid Personality

 Parenting

 Prayer

 PTSD

 Relationships

 Repentance

 Sanctification

 Self-Care

 Self-Control

 Self-Esteem

 Self-Harm

 Self-Mutilation

 Sex

 Sin

 Spiritual Life

 Stewardship

 Stress

 Substance Abuse

 Suffering

 Suicide

 Teenagers

 The Bible

 Thoughts

 Trusting God

 Wisdom

 Worship

List of Some of God's Attributes

 

 

List of God's Attributes (author unknown)

Infinitude of God - God is Infinite (limitless). God is not limited by anything outside of His character. This applies to all of God’s attributes. (Example: The goodness of God means God is infinitely good, God is also infinitely just, infinitely immutable, etc...) 

God is Personal - God is a self-conscious Being capable of thought, will, and interaction with His creation.

Creator - The whole of creation came into existence through the will and power of God.

Life Giver - All of life was and is created by God and is dependent on Him.

Immateriality of God-The state or quality of being immaterial. God’s existence is non-physical, and is distinct from His creation.

Self-Existence of God - God has always existed. God does not have a beginning.

Self-Sufficiency of God - God has no needs, cannot improve and does not change. We, on the other hand, as created beings rely completely on God for our every breath.

Omnipresence of God - God is present everywhere at all times.

Omnipotence of God - God can do all things that are consistent with His character. God is all powerful.

Omniscience of God - God has all knowledge.

Sovereignty of God - God created everything and therefore all things are under His sovereign control.

Eternality of God - The Eternality of God refers to his timeless nature. God had no beginning, and will have no end.

Immutability of God - The Immutability of God means He cannot change in His nature, Character or dependability.

Perfection of God - God is completely flawless, lacks nothing and has no moral imperfection.

Holiness of God - God is set apart from His creation.

Wisdom of God - (omnisapience) By His omniscience, God perfectly knows all possibilities and what would happen if they came to pass. By His omnisapience, His wisdom is perfect so that He knows which course of action is the best.
 
Wrath of God - God’s moral Character leads Him to judgment and punishment of unrighteousness.

Grace, Mercy and Love of God - God’s dealing with His people are based on His goodness, compassion, concern and generosity; instead of what we truly deserve.

Impassability of God - God is without passions. He is not overwhelmed by any emotion, he is not incapacitated or weakened or stifled by any event or any amount of grief or love. Rather, God is totally self-controlled. While God does grieve, and does passionately love, he does so completely on purpose.

God is Truth - Absolute truth has its foundation in God Himself, because God is truth.

Justice of God - All of God’s judgments are infinitely and perfectly just.

Freedom of God - The freedom of God, also called divine freedom, designates that God is free and "not constrained by anyone other than himself. He does what he pleases and therefore he is always free... He is not bound to the dictates of anyone else. He does make promises, to be sure, which obligate him to do certain things, but he makes those promises voluntarily."
 
Jealousy of God -Throughout the bible, from Genesis to Revelation God always draws his people's attention to himself - not to personal holiness or social justice or any of the other good things that follow from a good relationship with God, but to himself. When his people's attention wanders from him, he's quick to draw them back. This attribute of God is known as his ``jealousy''. We usually think of jealousy as an ugly emotion, as when we want the success or money that someone else has. But there is also an absolutely right kind of jealously, and that is the reluctance of someone to allow others what is rightly his and his alone. The  classic example is of a husband and wife - each of them is, in the right sense,  jealous for the other. Neither will share the other with anyone else: the very  idea is abhorrent to them. In the same way, God will not accept the idea that he  has to share our passion and affection with anyone or anything else.[1] 

Simplicity of God  - "The simplicity of God means that God is a unified being, without parts, – He is one essence. God is not composed of a variety of substances. In this sense he is different from humans who are made up of matter and spirit. Jesus is not an exception to this truth. While he took a human body while here on earth he is still absolute spirit in his essence.

Goodness of God - There is such an absolute perfection in God’s nature and being that nothing is wanting to it or defective in it, and nothing can be added to it to make it better.

Solitariness of God - There was a time when creation, even heaven, didn’t exist, but God’s glory did because He is from everlasting. There was a time when angels, nor humans were praising Him and He was still altogether wonderful. He is self-contained, self-sufficient, and  self-satisfied. He was under no compulsion to create out of necessity or deficiency. He created all things simply to display His glory. God could’ve very well chosen not to create and He still would be The Perfect One.[2]    

Veracity of God - This is that perfection of God in virtue of which He is  true in His inner being, in His revelation, and in
His relation to His people.  He is the true God over against the idols, knows things as they really are.

Decrees of God - The decree of God is His purpose or determination with respect to future things.

Foreknowledge of God - The fact is that "foreknowledge" is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions; instead, it always has reference to persons. It is persons God is said to "foreknow," not the actions of those persons.[2]

Patience of God - the Divine patience is the power of control which God exercises over Himself, causing Him to bear with the wicked and forebear so long in punishing them. In Nahum 1:3 we read, "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,"[3]

Immanence of God - The literal meaning of the immanence of God is "to be within" or "near" in relation to God's creation. Immanence is closely related to God's omnipresence, in that God is always present within the universe, though distinct from it. God is 'within' the universe in that God is its sustaining cause. God is active within His Creation. [4].

The Majesty of God -Sovereign power, authority, or dignity. It is also a reference to greatness or splendor of quality or character.