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
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